The University of Massachusetts Basketball

[Chief Bstn]

WORCESTER, Mass. -- After starting their season 0-7, the Massachusetts Minutemen have won their first game of the postseason, topping Fordham 63-51.

Massachusetts held the lead for most of the game, but Fordham brought it within two in the second half. That's when Ricky Harris turned it up.

"Ricky was everywhere tonight," said Travis Ford. "He didn't make a bad shot all game. What did he hit, like 10 shots? He couldn't have attempted more than 15."

Harris was even more efficient than that. The off guard was 10-of-13 from the floor, leading all scorers with 21 points. Gary Forbes also scored in double figures, adding 15.

"Everyone executed the game plan perfectly," added Ford. "We played team basketball all night and it showed."

Massachusetts topped Fordham earlier in the season when they were ranked 23rd. With this win, they end the Rams season. Fordham moved past Charlotte the day before in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

The Minutemen shot a blistering 61 percent from the floor, but made just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. However, UMass once again dominated in the paint, scoring 63 points.

Trey Lang had three blocks for the Minutemen, leading the charge on defense. He also pulled down seven rebounds in the game, a game high.

With the win, Massachusetts plays Xavier in the third round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Xavier is coming off an impressive 92-60 win over St. Joseph's. The other A-10 semifinal pits 19 ranked Dayton against 23 ranked Rhode Island.

[Chief Bstn]

WORCESTER, Mass. -- It came down to a last second shot, but Gary Forbes was blocked and time expired as Xavier moved past Massachusetts, 63-62.

"I was mauled," said Forbes after the game. "I don't know how the ref doesn't blow his whistle there."

Forbes scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds in the Minutemen's final game at Massachusetts.

"It's just a really tough way to end my college career," Forbes said. "Seriously. That's a foul 11 times out of 10."

The game was neck and neck for both halves, but Xavier pushed to a six point lead with less than a minute left. Max Groebe did what Max Groebe did all year and hit two big shots, and when Xavier split free throws, UMass found themselves down a point with six seconds left.

"The game plan was to have Gary drive and lay it in," said Travis Ford. "He got in the paint and got wrecked. These officials were solid all night until that call. That was the worst no call I've ever seen."

Ricky Harris had 14 points for the Minutemen, bringing his tournament average to 17.5 a game.

With the Minutemen's season officially over, Gary Forbes, Etienne Brower, Dante Milligan and Nana Ampin careers have come to a close.

Forbes had a solid season for Massachusetts, leading the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game and four rebounds. He is likely to be headed into the NBA, likely as a second round draft pick.

[Chief Bstn]

AMHERST, Mass. -- Papa Lo was named to the Atlantic 10 All Freshman team by the conference.

Lo was a force down...lo for the Minutemen this past season, averaging 6.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He had career highs of 22 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 5 blocks over the past year.

"It's an honor to be recognized by the conference," said Lo. "I wish we could have went dancing, but I'm certainly glad to be named to the team."

GAFFNEY TRANSFERRING

Junior Tony Gaffney announced that he was transferring after the season ended. He will be attending the University of New Hampshire for his final collegiate season.

Gaffney played sparingly at UMass, but averaged 1.5 points per game for the Minutemen. He scored 10 points, his career high.

[Loki]

Disappointing end, but you came a long way from where you starter. Do better next season and return to the tournament!

[Chief Bstn]

AMHERST -- Basketball season is again among us as the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team tipped off its annual Midnight Madness event in front of a sell-out crowd at the Mullins Center on Friday night.

The exhibition featured a split-squad matchup, with half the team wearing maroon and the other half donning white. White's team consisted of Kenneth Attaway, Papa Lo, Ricky Harris, Trey Lang, Sredrick Danley, Chris Lowe, Curtis Jack, and Matt Glass. The Maroon squad featured M Hill, Luke Bonner, Patrick Blizzard, Max Groebe, Nicchaeus Danelius, Gary Correia, J.B. Matsui, and Stephen Sood.

After a low-scoring first half, in which White took a 14-12 lead into the half, the newly named head coach Derek Kellogg said some rust was knocked off. "The guys took a bit to get going," Kellogg said. "Neither side hit many open looks, but they played with a lot of energy in front of this great crowd."

Papa Lowe and Gary Correia each finished with a game-high 12 points, while Lowe pulled down eight rebounds. Attaway showed to be a force in the paint for the Minutemen, scoring five points and coming away with nine boards in the center position.

"It was my first taste of college action," said Attaway. "It was pretty great to get on the court in front of some fans, even if it was a scrimmage."

When the final whistle blew, White came home as winners for the second season in a row in a 45-39 game.

The Minutemen will unite and take on Morgan State in the opening game of the season on November 7.

[Chief Bstn]

AMHERST -- The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team topped the Morgan State Bears, 67-51, on Friday night at the Mullins Center in Amherst. The game marked the opening contest of the 2008 season and the first career game for newly-named head coach Derek Kellogg.

"This was a great game for us to start the season with," Kellogg said in his postgame interview. "The team did everything right tonight. They shared the basketball, took open shots, played tough defense and played well as a unit."

Both teams shot the ball well in the game, but the Minutemen connected on a blistering 65 percent of shot attempts, including 7-for-13 from beyond the arc. UMass also scored 36 points in the paint, compared to Morgan State's 24 inside points.

Sophomore forward Papa Lo had a strong start to his the year. Lo led all scorers with 18 points, including 10 second-half points. Playing just sparingly in the second half, Lo shot 9-for-11 from the floor in the season-opening victory.

"Chris [Lowe] did a good job of feeding me in the paint," Lo said. "I got a lot of great looks up close and was able to keep converting."

Lowe finished a point shy of a double-double, scoring nine points and assisting on 10 Minuteman baskets. He shot a perfect 4-for-4 and hit his only long-range attempt versus the Bears.

In his collegiate debut, Kenneth Attaway had a strong showing out in the Mullins Center. Attaway finished with six points and seven rebounds. The freshman was a perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.

Sophomore guard Rickey Harris scored 14 points for the Maroon and White. Harris connected on five shots on nine attempts and was 4-for-8 from deep.

The win moves the Minutemen to 1-0 on the season. Last year, UMass started the season 0-9 before earning their first victory. The team stays home to host the Delaware State Hornets on Monday night.

[Chief Bstn]

AMHERST - The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team won its second-straight game to open up the 2008-09 campaign, topping the Delaware State Hornets 55-21 in front of 7,296 fans at the Mullins Center on Tuesday night in Amherst.

UMass held Delaware State to just nine first-half points as the Hornets shot just 22 percent from the floor and missed all 11 shots from behind the 3-point line.

"Our defense stepped up," said UMass coach Derek Kellogg. "Chris [Lowe] just clamped down on DSU's point guards and really did a good job of preventing anything from going inside. We forced them to take deep shots and they didn't connect."

10 different Minutemen scored, led by freshman Kenneth Attaway's 11 points and nine rebounds. Attaway played in just 20 minutes versus the Hornets and also came away with a steal. In the first half, the freshman big man scored nine points and had seven rebounds.

"It felt good to get out and run," Attaway said postgame. "I love to battle on the boards and felt like I got to do that tonight, but the whole team just executed all night."

Rickey Harris scored nine points and didn't miss a shot all night. Harris went 3-for-3 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free throw line, also connecting on his only long-range shot.

UMass begins the season 2-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season when the team finished 30-9 and advanced to the second round of the NIT.

The Minutemen head to Orlando, Fla. to take on the UCF Golden Nights on Saturday, Nov. 15. UCF has yet to play a game this season.

[Chief Bstn]

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The University of Massachusetts' men's basketball team dropped its first game of the season on xx, falling to the UCF Golden Knights by a score of 59-52. The Minutemen drop to 2-1 on the season, while UCF improves to 1-1.

"The kids battled hard today," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. "UCF is a good, good team and they have the first NBA-caliber player in Jermaine Taylor that we've seen so far this season. But we were outhustled on the boards today, and that's really what cost us the win."

Taylor was too much for the Minutemen to handle. The senior scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor, also connecting on a pair of long-range attempts.

The Golden Knights out-rebounded the Minutemen, 25-13. UCF's Andre Thornton and Chris Baez each pulled down a game-high seven boards. Trey Lang was UMass's leader on the glass, coming away with just four rebounds.

Kenneth Attaway led the Minutemen in scoring for the second-straight game, scoring a career-high 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Papa Lo also entered double figures, scoring 10 points.

"Our bigs did a good job of creating space on the offensive end," Kellogg said. "UCF is just so athletic that they were able to outmaneuver when it counted."

Down 10 with a minute left to play, UMass was able to bring the score to within three before resorting to fouling. UCF was able to convert on all free throws upon entering bonus, putting the game out of reach for UMass.

One bright spot for UMass was Max Groebe. The sophomore scored seven points, all in the first half, shooting 3-of-5 from the floor and connecting on 1-of-2 from beyond the 3-point arc.

UMass is back in action on Tuesday when the Minutemen travel out to North Dakota to take on the North Dakota State University Bison at 7 p.m. NDSU is 0-2 entering Tuesday's game.

[Chief Bstn]

FARGO, N.D. -- The University of Massachusetts' men's basketball team dropped it's second consecutive game, falling to the North Dakota State University Bison 49-40 on Tuesday night in Fargo.

The Minutemen trailed by as many as 25 points in the game but managed to scrape back and finish the game with a nine-point deficit.

"Obviously I'm not happy with the result," UMass head coach Derek Kellogg said. "We didn't do a lot right. The end of the game, we showed some fight and both Papa [Lo] and Kenny [Attaway] were able to do some good things in the post.

Lo finished with 14 points for the Minutemen, scoring 12 points in the second half on 6-of-7 shooting. Attaway reached double-figures for the third straight game, scoring 10 points and coming away with four rebounds. Each player had a block against the Bison.

Junior guard Rickey Harris filled in at the point guard position in the second half. Harris dished out five assists and only turned the ball over once. The sophomore was 2-for-8 from the floor in the loss, finishing with five points.

NDSU's Mike Nelson led all scorers with 15 points. Eric Carlson also finished in double figures, scoring 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor. Each player connected on three 3-pointers in the game.

The 2-2 Minutemen return home on Saturday when they host the 1-0 Marist Red Foxes at the Mullins Center.

[Chief Bstn]

AMHERST -- After beginning the season 2-0, the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team dropped its third-straight game, falling to the Marist Red Foxes 76-49. Marist outscored the Minutemen, 46-20, in the first half to put the game out of reach at the intermission.

"This one hurts," Minutemen head coach Derek Kellogg said postgame. "We were ice cold in that first half. I don't think we showed any type of urgency or want until it was too late."

Just one Minuteman scorer reached double figures on Saturday: sophomore point guard Gary Correia. Correia scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, including 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.

"I hit some shots, yeah," Correia said. "We still got beat by a team that I think we should have come out on top against."

Freshman center Kenneth Attaway scored nine points and had three rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Minutemen, continuing his strong play to begin his collegiate career. However, on the other end of the court, Marist freshman center Jitim Assel had a career game for the Red Foxes. The 7-footer scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and had two steals, two assists and swatted two shots.

"What a talent," Kellogg said of Assel after the game. "He really played well for that team and I think he'll continue to have a strong season."

The Minutemen are next in action on Friday, November 28 when the team heads to Drake University to take on Pacific in a neutral site matchup as the Minutemen enter the Drake Iowa Realty Tournament. Incidentally, Drake is not in the tournament, but instead, the field consists of UMass, Pacific, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Bradley. Both the consolation and championship games will be played the next day.

[Chief Bstn]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Junior guard Rickey Harris drilled a long 2-pointer as time expired to lift the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team over the Pacific University Tigers, 61-60, in the opening round of the Drake Iowa Realty Tournament on Thursday night.

Harris scored 25 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-10 from long range. He connected on his last five shots, including four 3-pointers, to help the Minutemen come back from being down as many as 15 points.

"I got some good looks and my shots kept falling," Harris said. "My teammates kept finding me and I was able to come through for them."

"What a game by that kid," head coach Derek Kellogg said postgame. "He shot lights out and played big minutes. He deserved to win this game and he put us on his back to do it."

The frontcourt pair of Papa Lo and Kenneth Attaway each scored eight points. Lo finished with a team-high six rebounds, while Attaway grabbed four. Lo also finished a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

UMass takes the court again tomorrow in the championship game of the Drake Iowa Realty Tournament, taking on Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 7 p.m.

[Chief Bstn]

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team took home the hardware on Friday, topping the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions by a score of 64-51. Junior guard Rickey Harris was crowned the Drake Iowa Realty Tournament MVP, averaging 19 points, 3.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2 steals per game in the tournament.

UMass, after a game in which they shot lights-out from 3-point range, dominated the paint versus UAPB. The Minutemen scored 44 points in the paint, led by Papa Lowe's 14 points. Kenneth Attaway also scored eight points for the Minutemen.

"Great team performance," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said after the game. "It's great to get a win and take home the championship of this great tournament, especially after last night's win. Rickey played out of his mind both games, and the team really did a good job of sharing the basketball."

The Minutemen assisted on 17 of the team's 27 baskets and shot 66 percent from the floor. The Maroon and White also kept UAPB to just 18 percent shooting from 3-point range (2-of-11).

Sophomore Trey Lang had one of his most complete games in a UMass uniform versus the Golden Lions. Lang scored nine points, had four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a blocked shot. He shot 80 percent from the floor.

"Trey's a guy who does whatever is asked of him," Kellogg said. "He might not score in bunches for us every night, but he will absolutely give everything he has while he's on the court. It was nice to see him really fill the stat sheet for us."

UMass, now 4-3 on the season, will host the University of Cincinnati Bearcats on December 3 in Amherst. Cincinnati is a perfect 6-0 on the season, coming off of an 84-74 win versus Ball State.

[Chief Bstn]

AMHERST -- Freshman center Kenneth Attaway poured in 19 points to lead all scorers as the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team topped the 21st ranked Cincinnati Bearcats, 62-51. The win marked the third in a row for the Minutemen, who improve to 5-3 on the season.

Attaway finished with game highs in points (19), rebounds (7), field goals made (eight) and blocks (one, tied with four other players). The freshman shot 8-of-13 from the floor in the win over the Bearcats.

"I came to UMass because I wanted to play against top competition," Attaway said. "I think we proved tonight that we can hang with anyone in the country."

Also in double figures for the Minutemen was sophomore forward Papa Lo. Lo finished with 10 points and five rebounds, also coming away with an assist, block, and steal.

"Our bigs just continue to produce," UMass head coach Derek Kellogg said. "If we can dominate the paint, that opens up outside shots for us that we can connect on. If we can continue this paint presence, we'll be a tough team to beat."

UMass shot 65 percent from the floor as a team. Lo connected on all five of his shot attempts, and sophomore forward Trey Lang was also perfect from the floor. Lang scored seven points on 2-of-2 shooting from the floor and 3-of-3 shooting from the charity stripe.

The Minutemen head south to Tampa to tango with the USF Bulls, who are 5-1 on the season.

[Chief Bstn]

25-22 um
lang 11 pts 5 reb 1 stl
harris 5 pts 1 reb 1 stl
attaway 3 pts 3 reb 2 ast
correia 3 ast

TAMPA, Fla. -- Sophomore forward Trey Lang led all scorers with 15 points as the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team topped the University of South Florida Bulla, 59-50, at the USF Sun Dome on Thursday night.

Lang shot 7-of-8 from the floor, and connected on his only free-throw opportunity. The 15 points was a career high for the sophomore out of Columbus, Ga. He also added a game-high seven rebounds, and had one steal, assist, and block for UMass.

"Trey continues to just do everything we need him to," UMass head coach Derek Kellogg said. "USF did a good job of stopping Kenny [Attaway] and [Papa] Lo early, but Trey was able to attack the basket and help us out."

The Bulls led for most of the first half, but the Minutemen connected on 10-straight shots to take a lead with two minutes left in the first frame. The team would not let USF get closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Other Minutemen in double figures were Rickey Harris (10 points) and Attaway, who scored 11 points. Attaway was just 3-of-9 from the floor, but 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

UMass assisted on 16 of its 23 field goals. The team shot above 60 percent for the third straight game (62.2 percent, 23-of-37).

The Minutemen are back in action on December 19, taking nearly two weeks off. The team will play Quinnipiac at home. The Bobcats currently sit at 2-6 on the season.