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Richmond runs away from UMass for 84-68 men's basketball victory
Published: Saturday, January 22, 2011, 1:19 PM Updated: Saturday, January 22, 2011, 7:04 PM
AMHERST - It's called the Princeton Offense, a tribute to Pete Carril, the coach who developed it at the Ivy League school decades ago.
The way Richmond plays it, though, takes this methodical, clock-eating style to a different level. The Spiders' 84-68 men's basketball victory over the University of MassachusettsSaturday turned into a clinic that showed what happens when five players play in unison and shoot the ball well.
"There is a continuity in their offense that's tough to defend,'' said Anthony Gurley, who scored 30 points for UMass (11-7, 3-2 Atlantic 10).
"It puts you in a lot of spots where you're forced to help (a teammate defend). It creates bad matchups, and a lot of times when we helped, they were left with open shots.
"That's no excuse, though. We still have to come out with more defensive intensity.''
Richmond shot 51.9 percent in the game at the Mullins Center, and a scorching 63 percent in the second half. Leading 33-27 at intermission, the Spiders shot 8-for-9 to open the second half.
They scored 21 points in the first five minutes of the half. A Fan Appreciation Day crowd of 3,921 had little to cheer about as the Richmond lead grew to as many as 23.
Gurley and Javorn Farrell, who had 16 points, were UMass' only answers to the matchup zone defense by Richmond (15-5, 4-1), which has NCAA tournament dreams.
"Their defense didn't take us out of anything we wanted to do. I credit their offense, and our lack of defense, more for what happened,'' Gurley said.
The Princeton offense relies on constant cuts, spacing, passing and interacting movements by teammates. It was developed for players who might lack the athleticism to go 1-on-1, but are patient and smart enough to systematically break down defenses as a unit.
Richmond's version can be called Princeton Plus, with the same emphasis on basketball intellect, but played at a quicker tempo and with better athletes.
"It's pretty difficult to defend. It's a set offense, but they can do a lot off of it,'' Farrell said.
Fifth-year senior center Dan Geriot scored a season-high 24 points for Richmond, whose coach, Chris Mooney, played for Carril at Princeton.
Forward Justin Harper had 21 points. Darien Brothers, a guard, had 17 - all in the second half.
The Spiders had 19 assists on 28 field goals, and shot 11-for-28 on 3-pointers.
UMass put itself in a hole by missing several layups and putbacks in the game's early minutes. The Minutemen shot 30 percent in the first half.
"I thought we played a decent first half defensively. We never cranked it up offensively,'' coach Derek Kellogg said.
"We missed a couple of (close shots), and from where we are, we can't afford that.
"We just can't miss easy baskets against a team that, if not the best offensive team in our league, is one of the best.''
When Gurley's 3-point shot at the first-half horn cut Richmond's lead to 33-27, the Minutemen were still in the game. But not for long.
"We hadn't done a lot offensively, but we were within six and had a chance,'' Farrell said.
"Even in the second half, we thought we could make a run.''
An 11-1 UMass spurt cut Richmond's lead to 75-62 with four minutes left. With a chance to come closer, UMass missed three free throws and committed a turnover before Harper's old-fashioned 3-point play made it 78-62.
With the end of its two-game winning streak, UMass missed a first chance for its 12th victory. Kellogg's first two UMass teams won 12 games each.
Spiders overwhelm Minutemen despite 30 points by Anthony Gurley
AMHERST - A big game for Anthony Gurley and a tough day for almost everybody else Saturday put an emphatic end to the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team's modest two-game winning streak.
While the Minutemen struggled to get good shots - as they have on so many nights this season - Richmond ran its Princeton-principled, ball-movement offense with impressive precision and pulled away in the second half for an 84-68 win before 3,921 fans at the Mullins Center.
"That's a very untraditional offense. When they're cutting hard and making 3s, it's almost impossible to defend," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. "They're a good team. They're very disciplined."
The Minutemen (11-7, 3-2 Atlantic 10) got good looks but missed six early layups to prevent a strong start and Richmond took advantage. The Spiders (15-5, 4-1 A-10) led throughout the first half, but not by more than five until the last three minutes. Richmond stretched its lead to nine on a layup by Kevin Smith with 25 seconds left, but Gurley responded with a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the UMass deficit to 33-27.
The Spiders essentially finished off the Minutemen at the start of the second half by making nine of their first 10 shots. Richmond scored the first seven points and stretched that into a 19-7 run that extended its lead to 52-33.
"Going into halftime we thought we had a shot, but they came out on fire and were hitting contested shots," UMass sophomore Javorn Farrell said. "We thought we had momentum going into halftime. We thought we were going to come out and take one."
Kellogg said, "In the second half, Richmond put on an offensive clinic. They scored seven straight and against a good team that can't happen. The game got away from us a little bit. I thought we fought back a couple different times, but we never put it together."
The lead reached 74-51 on a jumper by Dan Geriot, who had a season-high 24 points to lead Richmond. Gurley had seven of his 30 points in a 11-1 run that turned a potential rout into a closer game, but the Minutemen seemed to run out of gas from there.
"We played a terrific game on offense," Richmond coach Chris Mooney said. "When you shoot the ball like that, everything looks good."
Gurley was one shy of his career scoring high.
Farrell added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists for UMass. But the rest of the Minutemen shot 9-for-28 from the field.
Justin Harper had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Spiders.
UMass will play at St. Bonaventure at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Gurley now 30th among UMass career scoring leaders
AMHERST - Anthony Gurley's second career game of 30 or more points for the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team was not much to celebrate for the senior guard because it came in Saturday's 84-68 loss to Richmond.
Gurley, as he's been for much of the season, was the Minutemen's only reliable scoring option and scored 30 points on 9-for-22 shooting. His six 3-pointers (on 12 attempts) were a career high. It was the 93rd 30-point or more game in school history.
Gurley now has 1,130 points in his UMass career, moving him into the top 30. The total pushed him past Mike Williams (1,122) and Gary Forbes (1,128). Next up is Lari Ketner, who scored 1,148 from 1996-99.
Richmond coach Chris Mooney was impressed. "Anthony Gurley is a great player. It's the second time in a row he's had a lot of points against us," said Mooney, who watched Gurley score 24 against the Spiders in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
LASME IN ATTENDANCE - Former Minuteman Stephane Lasme was among the 3,921 fans at the Mullins Center. Lasme is still recovering from a foot injury he suffered early in the season as a member of the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League.
FOUL WOES - Foul trouble in the front court slowed UMass in the first half. Sean Carter and Terrell Vinson, who both had breakout games against Charlotte, each had two fouls in the first half which forced them to the bench.
To protect them, Kellogg kept Hashim "Big City" Bailey in the game with three fouls. Bailey picked up his fourth late in the first half and did not enter the game after intermission.
Matt Hill, who did not play in the last two games, came in for three minutes Saturday.
NEXT UP - UMass returns to the road Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game against St. Bonaventure at the Reilly Center in Olean, N.Y. The Bonnies are 10-8, (2-3 A-10) after defeating George Washington 62-49 Saturday.
UMass meets match
Richmond victory is never in doubt
Terrell Vinson of UMass gets the ball, but also a lot of Francis-Cedric Martel, who was fouled. (Michael Beswick/The (Springfield) Republican via Ap) AMHERST -- There are all kinds of reasons a team can lose.
Sometimes you don't perform well. Occasionally, the effort isn't there -- the dreaded "not coming to play'' cliché. Once in a while you get bad breaks: an injury, a poor call, an infestation of bed bugs in the team hotel.
And then there are times when the other team is simply better.
It was hard to conclude otherwise yesterday, after the University of Massachusetts was thoroughly outplayed by Richmond. The 84-68 score looked to be a fair assessment of where the teams stand.
UMass, at 11-7 (3-2 Atlantic 10), is clearly a much-improved team over a year ago, when the Minutemen lost 20 games (12-20) for the first time in 26 years. They are in legitimate contention for a winning record and a postseason berth of some kind other than the NCAA Tournament.
But the Minutemen do not yet seem to be at the level of a veteran Richmond squad that improved to 15-5, 4-1 in the conference. The Spiders were an NCAA Tournament team a year ago with a 26-9 record, and returned all but two players. That includes last year's A-10 Player of the Year, Kevin Anderson.
"They're a good team,'' said UMass coach Derek Kellogg. "They're very disciplined. They have a very good indication of what they're trying to do on both ends of the floor.''
The Minutemen stayed in range for a half thanks to Anthony Gurley. The senior continued his season-long stellar play with 13 of his game-high 30 points before intermission, including a buzzer-beating three to leave UMass within 33-27.
But in the second half Richmond took UMass apart with its more uptempo version of the classic Princeton offense that coach Chris Mooney learned when he was a four-year starter for Hall of Famer Pete Carril. The spread, the backcuts, and kickouts led to an aesthetically impressive series of baskets to start the half with the Spiders hitting eight of their first nine shots to open the lead to 19. Ultimately, they pushed it to as many as 23. Though UMass would cut the margin to 13, the outcome was never in doubt.
"The continuity of their offense, it's tough to defend,'' said Gurley, who lifted his season scoring average to 19.9 ppg. "They put you in a lot of spots where you are forced to help, and that creates matchup problems.''
The Minutemen also had a strong effort from Javorn Farrell, who scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds, and handed out four assists, while turning the ball over just once.
The Spiders had four players in double figures, led by Dan Geriot with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, and Justin Harper with 21 on 8-of-13. Richmond shot 51.9 percent from the field, including a blistering 63 percent in the second half. The Spiders also assisted on 19 of 28 field goals, bringing a big smile to Mooney's face.
"Certainly we played a terrific game on offense,'' said Mooney. "When you shoot the ball like that, everything looks better. We moved the ball very well. We were comfortable. We found ourselves open and not hesitant.''
The continued development of Harper has Spiders fans hoping for a long run in March. The agile 6-foot-10-inch senior has been probably the league's most improved player, averaging 18 points per game after netting 10.6 ppg as a junior. In league play he has been dominant, averaging 25.6 points.
"He's truly a great player,'' said Mooney. "He can do so many things well. And he's such a difficult matchup problem for anybody. He can score inside. He can score outside. He can run the floor. He has a beautiful shooting stroke. He's just very, very difficult to guard. The biggest ingredient he has added is confidence.''
UMass leaves snowy Amherst this week for even whiter pastures, traveling to St. Bonaventure on Wednesday night.
But the Spiders' unwillingness to miss at the start of the second half was too much for the Minutemen to overcome, and UMass fell, 84-68, at the Mullins Center.
"In the second half, Richmond put on an offensive clinic," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. "I didn't know if they'd miss for the entire second half."
Richmond (15-5, 4-1 Atlantic 10) shot a remarkable 73.7 percent (14 of 19) in the first 12:30 of the second half, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range. Despite decent shooting in that span by the Minutemen (47.4 percent), the Spiders ended the stretch ahead, 72-51.
"We played a terrific game on offense," Richmond coach Chris Mooney said. "When you shoot the ball like that, everything looks better, but we moved the ball very well, we were comfortable, we found ourselves open and not hesitant, and we really played a great game offensively."
Leading at intermission, 33-27, Richmond started the second half with nine straight points and a 19-7 run. Justin Harper accounted for seven of those points, Dan Geriot six. The pair led the team in scoring with 21 and 24 points, respectively.
UMass (11-7, 3-2) tried to stay in the game, led by Anthony Gurley (30 points) and Javorn Farrell (16), but couldn't manage to get closer than 13.
"It kind of put us in a hole," Gurley said of Richmond's run. "It was an uphill battle for the rest of the half, and we weren't able to withstand it."
"Everyone on the team felt like we had a shot to win this game," Farrell said. "Even going into halftime, we thought that we had a shot to win this game. But they came out on fire, and they were hitting contested shots."
While the Minutemen had quality scoring opportunities in the first half, they were unable to capitalize on most, missing several easy layups. The Spiders maintained a small lead and appeared on the verge of a run at the end of the half. Six consecutive points gave Richmond a 33-24 lead with 26 seconds left.
"We've had a couple of occasions in the last couple games where we're just missing too many easy baskets, especially when I thought we were doing a very good job against them defensively in the first half," Kellogg said. "I figured they'd make a run (eventually) because of how good they are offensively, and we gave away a couple of opportunities to have a cushion to withstand a couple of the blows they threw."
The Minutemen got decent performances from Sean Carter and Terrell Vinson (eight points each). Darien Brothers (17) and Kevin Smith (11) rounded out Richmond's top scorers.
Minutemen entangled
No escaping Spiders' web
Sunday, January 23, 2011 -
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ShareAMHERST -- UMass' disruptive grind-'em down style was no match for a disciplined Richmond machine yesterday.
The Spiders opened the second half with a 19-6 run and coasted to an 84-68 Atlantic 10 victory against the Minutemen at the Mullins Center.
Center Dan Geriot led the way for Richmond (15-5, 4-1 A-10) with a season-high 24 points followed by forwards Justin Harper (21) and Kevin Smith (11) and guard Darien Brothers (17). Anthony Gurley's game-high 30 points prevented a lopsided loss from becoming an odorous one for UMass (11-7, 3-2).
"They are very disciplined, they have a very good indication of what they are trying to do on both ends of the floor, and they have a bunch of seniors that have been there for four and even five years," Minutmen coach Derek Kellogg said. "That's difficult to overcome sometimes. They are going to play their style, their game.
"They are a very good team when they are making shots."
The Spiders run an unorthodox offense rooted in the schemes Richmond coach Chris Mooney executed at a slower pace as a Princeton player in the early 1990s. Richmond shot 51.9 percent from the floor, including 11 3-pointers and 19 assists on 28 field goals. The Minutemen shot 37.7 percent from the floor and were 7-of-18 from behind the arc.
In the opening seven minutes of the second half, the Spiders broke open the game with backdoor cuts and open 3's that culminated in a 57-38 lead with 13:44 to play. Kellogg rotated players and employed full-court pressure, but nothing he tried contained Richmond, which hit nine of its first 10 shots. Harper's high-low game was the force behind Richmond's second-half run that Brothers finished with a trey from the baseline.
"That's a very untraditional offense and, with guys that have been in it four years or more, can be very effective," Kellogg said. "When they are cutting hard and making 3's it's almost impossible to defend. When they are knocking down 3's and sliding guys into the post it is difficult to stop them. In the second half, Richmond put on an offensive clinic."
The Minutemen enjoyed a brief spurt after Smith made it 60-41 on a 3 with 12:17 remaining.
Javorn Farrell (16 total points), Sean Carter (eight) and Gurley led the Minutemen during a 21-15 run that cut the Spiders' lead to 75-62. Harper crushed the UMass run by converting a three-point play with 3:01 remaining.
"They put us in a hole, and it was an uphill battle for the rest of the second half," Gurley said.
The Minutemen's pugnacious defense and stagnant offense produce a manageable 33-27 deficit at the break.
Geriot blitzed UMass with a pair of long balls and a jump hook to produce an opening 12-6 run. Gurley and Freddie Riley rallied the Minutemen with a collection of 3's and hard drives to cut the Spiders' lead to 21-18 with 5:22 to play.
Harper began asserting himself with medium-range jumpers and layups, and the Spiders hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line to take a 31-24 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the half.
Gurley salvaged the half by hitting a deep trey at the buzzer.
The Minutemen were 9-of-30 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, while the Spiders hit 11-of-27 shots.
Richmond 84, Massachusetts 68
Team Stat Comparison
2010-11 Season
AMHERST, Mass. -- Dan Geriot scored 24 points, leading four Richmond players in double figures as the Spiders defeated Massachusetts 84-68 on Saturday.
The Spiders (15-5, 4-1 Atlantic 10 Conference) got 21 points from Justin Harper, 17 from Darien Brothers and 11 from Kevin Smith to win for the 11th time in their past 13 conference road games.
Anthony Gurley scored 30 points for Massachusetts (11-7, 3-2), including a career-high six 3-pointers. He passed two players on the school's all-time scoring list to reach 30th place with 1,130 career points.
The Spiders shot 51.9 percent from the field (28 of 54) and 85 percent at the free-throw line (17 of 20) while the Minutemen struggled. UMass shot only 37.7 percent from the field (23 of 61) and 57.7 percent at the line (15 of 26).
Javorn Farrell added 16 points for UMass, which saw its two-game winning streak end.
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