Men's Hoops Tangles With Providence In Friday Night Match-Up

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 10	Massachusetts (5-4) at Providence (7-2)
Date // Time	Friday, Dec. 7, 2018 // 7 PM
Location	Providence, R.I. // Dunkin' Donuts Center (Ticket Info)
Live Statistics	Sidearm Live Stats
Game Notes	vs. Providence
Watch	FoxSportsGo
Listen	105.5 FM WEEI, 830 AM WCRN, Tune-In App
Twitter	@UMassAthletics // @UMassBasketball
Instagram	UMass Basketball
Facebook	UMass Basketball
UMass Home Tickets	866-UMASS-TIX // Single Game, Season Ticket, Mini-Plan, Parquet Pass Info

UMASS MEN'S BASKETBALL - PROVIDENCE PREVIEW

• Coming off a tough loss on Tuesday against Holy Cross, the UMass basketball team looks to rebound this Friday night when the Minutemen take on Providence in the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

• The game will be televised on FS1 with Brian Custer and Vin Parise calling the action. For desktop and mobile viewing, the game will also be available on FoxSportsGo (authenticated cable subscribers).

• 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. New Voice of the Minutemen Jay Burnham will be joined courtside by Adam Frenier.

• This marks the 34th all-time meeting between the Minutemen and the Friars dating back to 1932. UMass won last year's most recent match-up 72-63 at the Mullins Center. Providence owns a 25-8 overall record in the series with the Friars winning four of the last six contests including the 2016 meeting at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, 75-69.

• Last season, UMass used a 21-to-5 run late in the second half which was hallmarked by a terrific defensive effort. The Minutemen held the Friars without a field goal for over eight minutes to pull away for the win. Luwane Pipkins scored 30 points, while Rashaan Holloway had 11 points and C.J. Anderson scored 10 points to go with seven assists and six rebounds.

• UMass is led again this season by Pipkins who is the top returning scorer in the Atlantic 10 after notching 21.2 points per game last year. He was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason First Team after a breakout sophomore campaign. He is one of just six players in program history to average over 21 points a game in a single-season joining the likes of Julius Erving and Marcus Camby. He also became the 51st player in program history to eclipse 1,000 points for his career.

• With 1,194 career points, Pipkins now ranks 28th on the all-time scoring list at UMass after moving past Carmelo Travieso (1993-97; 1,186 pts). Pipkins maintains his current scoring average, he could finish among UMass' top-10 all-time scorers as a junior and currently trails Anthony Anderson (t26th, 2001-05, 1,211) and Jim Town (t26th, 1974-77, 1,211).

• In the early goings of the season, UMass has the best scoring average (81.2 pts) in the Atlantic 10 and ranks fourth in field goal percentage (47.0). Defensively, UMass ranks 11th in the league giving up 74.2 points per night.

• Individually, Rashaan Holloway ranks second in the A-10 for field goal percentage (70.7) and ranks eighth in rebounds per game (7.0) while Jonathan Laurent ranks eighth in shooting percentage with a 57.4% clip from the field. Pipkins leads the league in assists per game (6.6) while ranking second in scoring (19.9), 21st in rebounds (5.4) and 11th in 3-point field goal percentage (40.8).

• For the season, five Minutemen are averaging double figures led by Pipkins' 19.9 per night. Laurent is second at 11.2 points per game followed by Curis Cobb's 10.9 point per game average. Carl Pierre (10.2 points) and Holloway (10.1 points) round out UMass' top scoring threats.

• UMass did add some more depth to its front court during the Holy Cross game as Randall West suited up. The quarterback for the UMass football team is officially full-time for the basketball team with the conclusion of the gridiron season. On top of the addition of West, the Minutemen will also add Vanderbilt graduate transfer Djery Baptiste within the next few weeks when the fall semester is finalized in Nashville. Baptise will be immediately eligible to play upon his arrival and the 6-foot-10 center will have three semesters with the Minutemen.

Scoreboard