University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
La Salle
Men's Hoops Heads To La Salle On Wednesday Night
January 29, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen kickoff two-game week in Philadelphia against the Explorers.
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information | |
| Game 21 | Massachusetts (8-12, 1-6 A-10) at La Salle (4-14, 2-4 A-10) |
| Date // Time | Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019 // 7:00 PM (ET) |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pa. // Tom Gola Arena |
| Live Statistics | Sidearm Live Stats |
| Game Notes | vs. La Salle (PDF) |
| Watch | TV: None // Digital: ESPN+ |
| Listen | 105.5 FM WEEI, 830 AM WCRN, Tune-In App |
| @UMassAthletics // @UMassBasketball | |
| UMass Basketball | |
| UMass Basketball | |
| UMass Home Tickets | 866-UMASS-TIX //Â Single Game, Season Ticket, Mini-Plan, Parquet Pass Info |
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball - La Salle Preview |
• UMass kicks off a two-game road swing in the City of Brotherly Love starting Wednesday evening against La Salle at Tom Gola Arena (7 PM). This will be the second match-up of the year between the two clubs after the Explorers picked up a 69-60 road win in Amherst to start the Atlantic 10 season at the beginning of the month.Â
• Wednesday's game will be available digitally on ESPN+ on desktop and mobile devices (subscription).Â
• 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 former player Tim Collins.
• Overall, UMass holds a 23-18 advantage in the series, but the teams have split the last four contests. Last year UMass was 2-1 against La Salle including a win in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. In the first meeting of the season last year, Luwane Pipkins scored 44 points in an 86-79 overtime win setting a new single-game scoring record.
• The Minutemen have played in a number of close games this year with 11 games being decided by seven-or-fewer points. The Minutemen are 4-7 in those contests. Three of UMass' seven league games were decided by five-or-fewer points with the Minutemen in position to tie or go ahead late in each game.
• 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 1,373 career points, Pipkins needs 15 more points to pass Marcus Camby (14th, 1,387 pts, 1993-96) 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. Â
• Pipkins also ranks 12th in career scoring average (16.2 pts), 5th for career three-pointers (221), 15th in assists (315), and 11th in steals (137).
• Through 20 games played, UMass has the third best scoring average (73.0 pts) in the Atlantic 10, ranks fourth in field goal percentage (45.1) and is first in three point field goal percentage (34.9). Defensively, UMass 13th in the league giving up 73.2 points per night - though in league play that number has fallen to 68.1 points allowed which ranks 8th overall. While the defense has improved during league play, the offense has averaged just 61.4 points in seven games which ranks 13th.
• Individually, Rashaan Holloway leads the A-10 for field goal percentage (74.3) while Pipkins ranks second in the league for points per game (18.2) and fourth in assists per game (5.3). Jonathan Laurent remains the top three-point shooter in the A-10, connecting on 45.5 percent of his attempts from range while Carl Pierre is tied for 11th (37.3 percent).
• On the season, Pipkins' 17.9 points per night leads the Minutemen. Pierre ranks second with an 10.5 point per game average, while Laurent rounds out the top scorers with a 9.7 point average. Holloway and Curtis Cobb are just shy of double figures as well averaging 9.2 and 8.5 points, respectively, per night.
• Pierre is coming off his best overall game of the season where he scored 22 points in the win over Rhode Island - his second 20-plus point performance this season and the fifth of his career. His 7-of-10 shooting effort from the floor was the best of his career for a game with 10 attempts which was highlighted by going 6-of-9 from beyond the arc.
• Djery Baptiste, who joined the Minutemen in December prior to the Georgia game and will also be eligible in 2019-20, has made an instant impact on the defensive side for UMass with 15 blocked shots in his first eight games. He had a career-high five blocks against La Salle. His 15 blocks are 2nd-best on the team and already account for nearly 1/4th of UMass' swats this season.
