A-10 Opener As Men's Hoops Hosts La Salle On Saturday

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 14	La Salle (2-10, 0-0 A-10) at Massachusetts (7-6, 0-0 A-10)
Date // Time	Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019 // 1:00 PM
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center
Live Statistics	Sidearm Live Stats
Game Notes	vs. La Salle
Watch	NBC Sports Network
Listen	105.5 FM WEEI, 830 AM WCRN, Tune-In App
Twitter	@UMassAthletics // @UMassBasketball
Instagram	UMass Basketball
Facebook	UMass Basketball
Tickets	866-UMASS-TIX // Single Game, Season Ticket, Mini-Plan, Parquet Pass Info

UMASS MEN'S BASKETBALL - LA SALLE PREVIEW
• The Minutemen return to the Mullins Center hardwood after nearly two weeks away from home to open up Atlantic 10 play against La Salle on Saturday afternoon. UMass last opened up league play against the Explorers on Jan. 3, 2016, picking up a 74-67 road win.
• The game will be televised on NBC Sports Network with Kyle Draper (play-by-play) and Tim McCormick (Analyst) calling the action. Fans can also watch digitally on NBCSports.com or with the NBC Sports app for mobile devices.
• 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.
• The contest marks the fourth meeting with the Explorers under second year head coach Matt McCall as the Minutemen went 2-1 against La Salle last season with a 69-67 win in the first round of the A-10 Championship. In the Jan. 10 meeting at the Mullins Center, Luwane Pipkins scored 44 points in an 86-79 overtime win to set a new UMass single game scoring record while becoming just the sixth Division I player to go 44/5/5 in a game since 2010-11.
• Overall, UMass is 23-17 all-time against La Salle. Including last year's meeting, the teams have met four times in the A-10 Tournament splitting those games.
• UMass is led again this season by Luwane 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 1,274 career points, Pipkins needs just three more points to pass Terrell Vinson (20th, 2009-13, 1,276) and move into the top-20 on the all-time scoring list at UMass after passing Doug Grutchfield (21st, 1958-61, 1,257) with 22 points against Georgia on Sunday. If Pipkins maintains his current scoring average, he could finish among UMass' top-10 all-time scorers as a junior. He currently trails Vinson and Billy Tindall (19th, 1965-68, 1,277) and would pass both with just four points against La Salle.
• Through 13 games played, UMass has the best scoring average (79.2 pts) in the Atlantic 10 and ranks third in field goal percentage (47.3) and first in three point field goal percentage (36.4). Defensively, UMass 13th in the league giving up 75.8 points per night.
• Individually, Holloway leads the A-10 for field goal percentage (74.0) while Pipkins ranks tied for second in the league in both points per game (19.9) and assists per game (5.9). Jonathan Laurent remains the top three-point shooter in the A-10, connecting on 52.8 percent of his attempts from range while Carl Pierre ranks 12th (39.1 percent).
• On the season, four Minutemen are averaging double figures led by Pipkins' 19.9 points per night. Laurent ranks second with an 12.0 point per game average, while Curtis Cobb is third (10.7 points). Pierre rounds out the top scorers with a 10.2 point average, while Holloway is just shy of the mark averaging 9.8 points 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.

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Players Mentioned

Djery Baptiste

Curtis Cobb

Jonathan Laurent

Carl Pierre

Luwane Pipkins

Randall West

Scoreboard

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