University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Saint Joseph's
Philly Road Swing For Men's Hoops Concludes Saturday At Saint Joseph's
February 01, 2019 | Men's Basketball
Minutemen and Hawks tip at 4:30 PM on NBC Sports Network.
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information | |
| Game 22 | Massachusetts (8-13, 1-7 A-10) at Saint Joseph's (9-12, 2-6 A-10) |
| Date // Time | Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019 // 4:30 PM (ET) |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pa. // Hagan Arena |
| Live Statistics | SJUHawks.com Live Stats |
| Game Notes | vs. Saint Joseph's (PDF) |
| Watch | TV: NBC Sports Network // Digital: NBCSports.com |
| Listen | 105.5 FM WEEI, 830 AM WCRN, Tune-In App |
| @UMassAthletics // @UMassBasketball | |
| UMass Basketball | |
| UMass Basketball | |
| UMass Home Tickets | 866-UMASS-TIX // Single Game, Season Ticket, Mini-Plan, Parquet Pass Info |
| University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball - Saint Joseph's Preview |
• UMass closes out its two-game road swing through Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon as the Minutemen take on Saint Joseph's at Hagan Arena with the tip slated for 4:30 PM. Coming off a tough loss on Wednesday at La Salle, UMass is looking to bounce back with a strong performance before returning home for a critical two-game stand at the Mullins Center.
• Saturday's game will be televised on the NBC Sports Network with Rick Allen (play-by-play) and Stan Lewter (analyst) calling the action. It can also be viewed digitally online at www.NBCSports.com/live or through 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.
• Overall, UMass leads the series against the Hawks 38-35 since first playing in 2002. The Minutemen have won four of the last five meetings in the series. In Philadelphia, however, Saint Joseph's has proven to be tougher in recent history winning six of the last seven at Hagan Arena.
• 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' eight 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 1,382 career points, Pipkins needs six 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.
• Pipkins also ranks 12th in career scoring average (16.1 pts), 5th for career three-pointers (222), 15th in assists (319), and 11th in steals (138).
• On the year, UMass has the fourth best scoring average (72.0 pts) in the Atlantic 10, ranks fifth in field goal percentage (43.8) and is second in three point field goal percentage (34.1). Defensively, UMass 13th in the league giving up 72.5 points per night - though in league play that number has fallen to 67.1 points allowed which ranks 8th overall. While the defense has improved during league play, the offense has averaged just 60.1 points in eight games which ranks 14th.
• Individually, Rashaan Holloway leads the A-10 for field goal percentage (71.2) while Pipkins ranks second in the league for points per game (17.5) and third in assists per game (5.4). Jonathan Laurent remains the top three-point shooter in the A-10, connecting on 48.0 percent of his attempts from range while Carl Pierre is ninth (37.3 percent).
• On the season, Pipkins' 17.5 points per night leads the Minutemen. Pierre ranks second with an 10.1 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 9.5 and 8.4 points, respectively, per night.
• UMass has struggled offensively during A-10 play averaging just 60.1 points per game. In the loss at La Salle, the Minutemen connected on just 16-of-71 field goals (22.5%). Despite the shooting struggles, UMass has shown improvement on the defensive side holding league opponents to five fewer points per game compared to the overall season average.
• 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 nine 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.
