Men's Hoops Returns Home To Host George Mason Wednesday Night

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 17	George Mason (9-8, 3-1 A-10) vs. Massachusetts (7-9, 0-3 A-10)
Date // Time	Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2019 // 7:00 PM (ET)
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center
Live Statistics	Sidearm Live Stats
Game Notes	vs. George Mason
Watch	TV: NESNplus // Digital: ESPN+,NESNGo
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 - GEORGE MASON PREVIEW

• Looking to snap a four-game losing skid, the UMass basketball team returns to the friendly confines of the Mullins Center on Wednesday night to host George Mason. After suffering a pair of narrow road losses last week at Saint Louis and Dayton, the Minutemen will need to bounce back with a strong performance against the Patriots who have opened league play with a 3-1 record.
• Wednesday's game will be televised on NESNPlus with Tim Neverett (play-by-play) and Tim Collins (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also watch digitally on ESPN+ (subscription) or with the NESNGo app for cable subscribers in New England.
• 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.
• All-time, George Mason holds a 6-3 advantage in the series between the two clubs after winning all three meetings last year. The Patriots won both regular-season meetings in overtime and defeated the Minutemen in the A-10 Tournament. The series has been a relatively close one with six of the last seven meetings having been decided by six-or-fewer points, though the two overtime games last year were the first games not decided in regulation.
• Speaking of close, the Minutemen have played in a number of close games this year with nine games being decided by seven-or-fewer points. The Minutemen are 3-6 in those contests.
• 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 1,326 career points, Pipkins needs six more points to pass Anthony Gurley (18th, 2008-11, 1,331) on the all-time scoring list at UMass. If Pipkins maintains his current scoring average, he could finish among UMass' top-10 all-time scorers as a junior. He needs 61 more points to reach Erving (15th, 1,370 pts, 1969-71) and Camby (14th, 1,387 pts, 1993-96).
• Through 16 games played, UMass has the best scoring average (76.2 pts) in the Atlantic 10, ranks third in field goal percentage (46.8) and is first in three point field goal percentage (36.1). Defensively, UMass 13th in the league giving up 74.5 points per night - though in league play that number has fallen to 68.7 points allowed which ranks 9th overall.
• Individually, Rashaan Holloway leads the A-10 for field goal percentage (77.5) while Pipkins ranks second in the league for points per game (19.4) and fourth in assists per game (5.5). Jonathan Laurent remains the top three-point shooter in the A-10, connecting on 50.0 percent of his attempts from range while Carl Pierre ranks 6th (40.5 percent).
• On the season, three Minutemen are averaging double figures led by Pipkins' 19.4 points per night. Laurent ranks second with an 11.1 point per game average, while Pierre rounds out the top scorers with a 10.6 point average. Holloway and Curtis Cobb are just shy of double figures averaging 9.6 and 9.1 points, respectively, per night.
• UMass added some more depth to its front court over the last month as Randall West suited up for the first time after the conclusion of the football season while Djery Baptiste made his first appearance for the Minutemen at Georgia on Sunday. West, a quarterback for the UMass football team, and the Vanderbilt transfer Baptiste will be available for the remainder of the season plus all of next year.
• Djery has made an instant impact on the defensive side for UMass with 10 blocked shots in his first four games. He had a career-high five blocks against La Salle. His 10 blocks are 2nd-best on the team and already account for nearly 1/5th of UMass' swats this season.

Scoreboard