University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Dayton
Men's Hoops Flys To Dayton For NBC Sports Match-Up
January 05, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen and Flyers set for Noon tip-off on Saturday.
AMHERST, Mass. - Looking to bounce back after a tough mid-week overtime loss to George Mason at home, the UMass men's basketball team heads back out on the road on Saturday to face Dayton. Tip-off is set for Noon with the game being televised on the NBC Sports Network.
Todd Harris (play-by-play) and Jason Cornette (analyst) will have the call for the telecast which will also be streamed online via www.NBCSports.com.
On the radio airwaves, the game will be broadcast on the UMass Sports Network anchored by flagship station 105.5 FM WEEI and online via the TuneIn App. Voice of the Minutemen Josh Maurer will be joined at UD Arena by former Minuteman Jason Germain.
Wednesday's game saw the Minutemen fall 80-72 in overtime as UMass struggled with outside shooting and the Patriots held a strong advantage on the glass. Rashaan Holloway posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Luwane Pipkins led UMass with 15 points, while C.J. Anderson and Carl Pierre each had 10 points. Otis Livingston II led George Mason with a game-high 33 points, while Jaire Grayer notched 20 points.The Minutemen rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to force overtime, but the Patriots forced five UMass turnovers and were 8-for-8 from the free throw line to take the win.
In the lone meeting last season, UMass picked up an upset 67-55 home win over the Flyers for its first A-10 win of the season. Pipkins had 17 points, while Holloway had 14 to lead the Minutemen. The all-time series between the two teams is tied 12-12 but the Flyers are 8-3 at home against UMass. The last meeting at UD Arena was exactly two years ago to the day with No. 25 Dayton picking up a 93-63 win over the Minutemen.
UMass continues to be led by Pipkins who is averaging 17.9 points followed by Pierre who is averaging 10.1 points in his rookie campaign. Rashaan Holloway ranks third on the team with 9.9 points in 18 minutes of play. The lone senior on the roster, C.J. Anderson, has been one of the most well-rounded players on the squad with 8.6 points, 5.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Pipkins continues to rank among the A-10 leaders this season as the sophomore guard ranks fifth overall in scoring average. Defensively, the Chicago native is 10th overall in steals per game (1.6).
Anderson ranks second among the league's best in assists as well with 5.8 per game while his 87 assists are second-most overall.
Pierre leads the A-10 in three-point field goal percentage (48.2%) and is the nation's most accurate three-point shooting freshman through 15 games. He currently holds the second-best single-season shooting percentage in school history from beyond the arc and needs four-more attempts to qualify for the career list where he would be the school leader.
As a team, UMass ranks fifth in the A-10 in shooting percentage (45.3%), second in 3-point percentage (37.2%) and fifth in free throw percentage (74.4%) this season. UMass' 125 made three-pointers are third most in the league, while the Minutemen lead the league in total assists (237).
Following Wednesday's game, UMass will return home to host La Salle next Wed., Jan. 10 (7 PM) and Saint Joseph's on Sat., Jan. 14 (5 PM). Wednesday's game will be televised on Eleven Sports/NESN Plus, while the Saturday contest will air on the NBC Sports Network.
For complete coverage of the UMass men's basketball team, follow the Minutemen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassBasketball and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
