November 12, 2008 | AP Press

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Despite opening up a 15-point first half lead, the UMass men’s basketball team couldn’t hold off a charging Southern Illinois Salukis squad, which used a late 12-0 run to turn a two-point deficit into a 10-point advantage on its way to an 80-73 win on Wednesday night. With the loss, the Minutemen have been eliminated from the 2K Sports Classic, falling one win shy of a return trip to Madison Square Garden where last season’s memorable NIT run culminated. Junior Ricky Harris was the offensive star for the Minutemen while senior Tony Gaffney shined on the defensive end with a career-high seven blocks. UMass now looks ahead to a meeting with former bench boss John Calipari and his Memphis Tigers in a game slated to begin at midnight following the Nov. 17 Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills Monday Night Football game.

UMass shot 45% from the field (23-for-51), including 40% from three-point range. The Salukis used a hot second half to reach 48% shooting for the game (30-for-64), 41% from long distance (9-for-22). The Minutemen won the battle of the boards, 38-26, including 12 on the offensive end.

Harris impressed with a 7-for-14 shooting night, including 4-of-9 from behind the arc and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Anthony Gurley chipped in with 15 points (5-for-10), 10 of which came in the first half.

Gaffney finished with six points and nine rebounds to go along with the seven blocks. He continued his high-energy pace from the get-go with a blocked shot less than five minutes into the game, springing freshman David Gibbs for a layup and the 14-4 lead. Gaffney later cleaned up freshman Tyrell Lynch’s miss and scored on the put back to make it 30-20 in favor of the Minutemen.

After Southern Illinois’ Bryan Mullins scored the game’s first points, UMass responded to close out the first half with a bang. The Minutemen went on to score seven-consecutive to make it 7-2 capped off with one of Harris’ four threes. UMass opened up a double-figure lead, with its biggest advantage being 15 after a Lowe three-pointer at the 3:08 mark which made it 39-24.

Trailing by as many as 15, the Salukis used an 11-0 run spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second to pull right back within four at 39-35 with 18:26 still remaining. The Minutemen responded with two Lowe free throws and a Harris three pointer to reopen a nine-point advantage, 44-35.

Southern Illinois’ hot streak continued, culminated by its first lead since it was 2-0, as Kevin Dillard’s fourth three-point field goal of the second half made it 53-51 in favor of the Salukis with 11:55 remaining in the contest.

The back-and-forth half continued as the Minutemen responded with a 7-0 run to retake a five-point advantage at 58-53. The Salukis then used a run of their own (7-1) to retake a one-point lead at 60-59 with 6:42 remaining in the game.

The score was later tied at 60, 63, 65, and 67 before the Salukis took over with three minutes remaining to open up a 10-point lead at 77-67 after two Dillard free throws.

November 11, 2008 | AP Press

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Behind double-doubles from seniors Chris Lowe and Tony Gaffney, the Minutemen kicked off a new era of UMass men’s basketball with a 90-71 win over Arkansas-Monticello in Derek Kellogg’s head coaching debut on Tuesday evening. Lowe (18 points, 11 assists) finished just four assists shy of tying the school-record of 15 while Gaffney’s double-double (16 points, 13 rebounds) was the first of his collegiate career. The final three minutes of the first half proved to be the difference as the Minutemen erased a two-point deficit with a 15-4 run to take a nine-point advantage heading into the locker room. With the win, the Minutemen advance to face the winner of California (Pa.) and host Southern Illinois in the regional final of the 2K Sports Classic on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with a trip to Madison Square Garden on the line.

Junior Ricky Harris avenged a slow start to pour in 22 points, two rebounds, and three steals. He finished 7-of-19 from the floor and 5-of-9 from behind the three-point arc despite the NCAA moving back the three point line a foot this year.

Ricky, what are your thoughts on the 3pt line being pushed back a foot this year?

“I don’t think it changes things that much,” UMass guard Ricky Harris said. “If I’m open, I still have the confidence. It doesn’t change the shot selection.

“It wasn’t like our toes were always on the line when we shot them last year,” said Harris, who scored 22 points and went 5-of-9 from 3-point range.

For the game, the Minutemen shot 46% (31-67) and 44% (12-27) from three-point range. Rebounds were even at 41-41, a number coming on the offensive end (18 for UMass and 19 for Arkansas-Monticello).

After surviving a first-half scare, the Minutemen came out strong out of the locker room to seal the victory in the second. Arkansas-Monticello wouldn’t go away, pulling back within 11 at 67-56. Freshman David Gibbs responded with a three-pointer, the first collegiate points of his career, to make it 70-56.

Gaffney’s alley-oop from freshman Tyrell Lynch was icing on the cake, making it 83-64 with three minutes remaining in the second half. The Minutemen would go on to open up two 21-point leads, their largest leads of the game, at 88-67 and 90-69.

UMass controlled play early in the first half, taking an 11-point advantage at 14-3 after senior Luke Bonner’s three-pointer at the 16:06 mark. Arkansas-Monticello hung tough, eventually taking a 33-31 advantage, but the Minutemen answered with a 13-0 run (and 15-4 to end the half), for the 47-38 halftime lead.

The Minutemen now look ahead to a date with either Southern Illinois or California (Pa.) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. The winner of the Southern Illinois region faces the winner of the Duke region in the 2K Sports Classic Semifinals held next Thursday, Nov. 20, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.