University of Massachusets Athletics
Wednesday, January 8
Amherst, Mass.
7:00 p.m.
University of Massachusetts
77
vs
69
La Salle
Minutemen Close Out La Salle, 77-69
January 08, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Carl Pierre drops 20 to become the 52nd player in team history to reach 1000 career points
AMHERST, Mass. – Captain Carl Pierre had 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting to reach 1000 career points, leading four Minutemen in double-figures as the UMass men's basketball team (7-8, 1-1) picked up its first conference win of the season, pulling away from La Salle on Wednesday night at the Mullins Center, 77-69.
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Pierre, who started the game 7-of-7 and 5-of-5 from deep, picked up a loose ball in the final seconds of the first half before burying a deep three at the buzzer to become the 52nd player in team history to reach 1000 career points and give Massachusetts a six point lead at recess.
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Sophomore Samba Diallo recorded his second straight double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while adding six assists and three steals. Tre Mitchell (19 points, six rebounds) and Sean East II (11 points, five assists, four rebounds) also reached double-figures. Isiah Deas had a game-high 25 points (8-of-18 shooting) and nine rebounds to keep the Explorers, who cut the UMass lead to as little as four in the second half, in the game all night.
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Leading 41-35 at halftime, the Minutemen came out of the break with a 50% shooting performance in the second half on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor while limiting La Salle to a 12-of-37 showing in the final 20 minutes. After the Explorers opened the half with five straight points to make it a one-point game, UMass responded with an 11-1 run over the next 3:42 from the likes of Mitchell, Diallo, Pierre and Keon Clergeot to take its largest lead of the night, 52-41.
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The Explorers wouldn't go away, though, chipping away to get within six with an Isiah Deas lay-in, but an 8-3 Minuteman run down the stretch brought it back to a three-possession game late.
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Overall, UMass shot 40% on the night (24-of-49) and 9-of-16 from deep, while La Salle was 26-of-65 from the floor and 6-of-27 from deep.
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Neither team lead by four in the first half as both squads got off to a slow start, but Pierre got hot as the half wore on, and connected on three-straight three attempts in the final 3:30 of the opening 20 minutes on his own 9-3 run to send the teams into the locker room.
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The Minutemen will head back out on the road this weekend when UMass travels to No. 15/15 Dayton for a 12:30 p.m. tip on NBCSN.
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Tickets for the 2019-20 UMass men's basketball season are now on sale for all remaining home games in the Mullins Center. Tickets can be purchased now online through the UMass Athletics Ticket Central page, by calling the ticket office at 866-UMASS-TIX, or by visiting the Mullins Center Box Office.
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Pierre, who started the game 7-of-7 and 5-of-5 from deep, picked up a loose ball in the final seconds of the first half before burying a deep three at the buzzer to become the 52nd player in team history to reach 1000 career points and give Massachusetts a six point lead at recess.
Â
Sophomore Samba Diallo recorded his second straight double-double with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds while adding six assists and three steals. Tre Mitchell (19 points, six rebounds) and Sean East II (11 points, five assists, four rebounds) also reached double-figures. Isiah Deas had a game-high 25 points (8-of-18 shooting) and nine rebounds to keep the Explorers, who cut the UMass lead to as little as four in the second half, in the game all night.
Â
Leading 41-35 at halftime, the Minutemen came out of the break with a 50% shooting performance in the second half on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor while limiting La Salle to a 12-of-37 showing in the final 20 minutes. After the Explorers opened the half with five straight points to make it a one-point game, UMass responded with an 11-1 run over the next 3:42 from the likes of Mitchell, Diallo, Pierre and Keon Clergeot to take its largest lead of the night, 52-41.
Â
The Explorers wouldn't go away, though, chipping away to get within six with an Isiah Deas lay-in, but an 8-3 Minuteman run down the stretch brought it back to a three-possession game late.
Â
Overall, UMass shot 40% on the night (24-of-49) and 9-of-16 from deep, while La Salle was 26-of-65 from the floor and 6-of-27 from deep.
Â
Neither team lead by four in the first half as both squads got off to a slow start, but Pierre got hot as the half wore on, and connected on three-straight three attempts in the final 3:30 of the opening 20 minutes on his own 9-3 run to send the teams into the locker room.
Â
The Minutemen will head back out on the road this weekend when UMass travels to No. 15/15 Dayton for a 12:30 p.m. tip on NBCSN.
Â
Tickets for the 2019-20 UMass men's basketball season are now on sale for all remaining home games in the Mullins Center. Tickets can be purchased now online through the UMass Athletics Ticket Central page, by calling the ticket office at 866-UMASS-TIX, or by visiting the Mullins Center Box Office.
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Players Mentioned
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