MHERST -- Regardless of what happens from here on in - NCAA, NIT, happy ending or sad -
the University of Massachusetts Minutemen will always have the memory of Saturday's game against
Temple. This was one to treasure.
MHERST -- Regardless of what happens from here on in - NCAA, NIT, happy ending or sad -
the University of Massachusetts Minutemen will always have the memory of Saturday's game against
Temple. This was one to treasure.
Sure, the 59-53 victory advanced the NCAA tournament lobbying power of the 18-12 Minutemen. Mostly, though this vintage UMass-Temple battle provided an appropriate sendoff to a trio of seniors who have won a tremendous number of hearts (and games) in the past four years.
All three knew that this regular-season finale was a game UMass needed in the worst way. ``We didn't even think about losing,'' said Carmelo Travieso. ``It was like win, or it was the end of the world.''
All three rose to the moment.
Travieso kept UMass in the game in the first half by knocking down four of five 3-pointers for 12 of his 15 points.
Edgar Padilla, fighting through sore hamstrings that had him a step slow all day, played 40 gutty minutes. He hit the shot that put UMass ahead to stay, a 3-pointer with 9:43 left. And then, in a critical sequence, he became the catalyst for one of the season's most stirring moments.
With just over four minutes left and UMass ahead 52-48, Padilla made a bad entry pass from the right wing that was picked off by Temple's Pepe Sanchez. Dribbling diagonally to the right, Sanchez crossed over to the far side of the foul line and appeared to have a clear path upcourt, when suddenly Padilla launched himself at full extension, becoming a human floor burn to somehow poke the ball away.
Audio clip: Brent Musberger & Dick Vitale call this play. 37k WAV |
Weeks has nobly fought through a host of ankle and heel injuries through his college career that kept him from ever doing something he used to do with regularity in his more nimble, high school days: dunk. This time, filled with adrenaline, he soared up and rammed the ball home with savage authority.
"It was just the emotion," said Weeks.
For all the contributions of the seniors, though, the UMass party would have been spoiled without the contributions of a pair of sophomores. Clarke shook off a recent slump to lead UMass with 16 points. And Lari Ketner stepped forward with a big game in the middle when UMass desperately needed it.
Besides some physical and very smart defense on Temple star Marc Jackson (also provided by Inus Norville off the bench), Ketner came up with the clinching basket -- one that came in a fashion both dramatic and emphatic.
| Audio clip: Lari Ketner shocks Musberger & Vitale on this play. 63k WAV |
On the play Jackson had established his position on the far side of the rim, the typical carom for a ball missed from the corner. He did not react quickly enough to adjust.
"He became a victim of sight and flight of the ball," said Temple coach John Chaney.
Temple got a great performance from its precocious backcourt tandem of Sanchez (a game-high 17 points with some silky drives to the hoop and a Tim Wakefield-like 3-point stroke - no rotation) and Rasheed Brokenborough (15 points).
 Charlton Clarke has his eye on the prize: a 2 point layup. |
The Atlantic 10 Tournament picture is now in place. With Saturday's win, UMass finishes third in the A-10 East with an 11-5 league record. The Minutemen will play the West's sixth seed, La Salle, on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Philadelphia. The winner takes on the West's second seed, George Washington, on Thursday night at 9 p.m.
Earlier in the year in an ugly game, UMass barely scraped by La Salle, 56-50. On Saturday the Explorers showed that they could be a dangerous team despite their 10-16 record when they took nationally ranked St. Joseph's to the buzzer before losing.
"We've just got to go out and play," said UMass coach Bruiser Flint.
Temple, also very much in the hunt for an NCAA tournament berth, finishes up in fourth place at 17-9, 10-6. The Owls open the A-10 Tournament on Wednesday night against Duquesne, the No. 5 seed from the West.
MHERST - On the eve of yesterday's University of
Massachusetts-Temple matchup, UMass coach Bruiser
Flint didn't emphasize the game's NCAA tournament
implications. But then, he didn't have to.
``They knew what they had to do,'' he said of his players. ``They said it to me: `If we win, we get into the NCAA tournament.' I said, `OK, let's win this game, then.'"
It remains to be seen whether UMass' 59-53 Atlantic 10 victory over its rival was enough to earn the Minutemen (18-12, 11-5) their sixth consecutive tournament appearance. But it undoubtedly helped their cause, as it gave UMass a sweep over the tough Owls and earned the Minutemen 17 Division 1 wins, usually a prerequisite for Big Dance consideration.
UMass sophomore guard Charlton Clarke had a team-high 16 points and senior guard Carmelo Travieso added 15 to lead the Minutemen, who finished in third place in the A 10 East Division and will meet LaSalle, which finished sixth in the West, in the first round of the conference tournament in Philadelphia Wednesday night at 7. The Minutemen beat LaSalle, 56-50, Jan. 8.
The winner will meet George Washington, which finished second in the West, Thursday at 9.
Despite their 18 wins, the Minutemen could jeopardize their spot in the postseason if they lose in the first round. It marks the first time since the 1990-91 season that the Minutemen have entered the A 10 tournament with a seed lower than first.
``In the last four years, we would say, `Let's just go to the A 10 tournament and go onto the NCAA tournament,' because we didn't feel anyone could beat us,'' said Flint, whose team shot 57 percent in the first half, led, 35-32, at halftime and outplayed the Owls in the second half despite shooting 29 percent from the floor after intermission.
``Our thought pattern is much different now. Back then the only team we thought had a shot at beating us was Temple. Now, the league is much different. Now we go into it as a tossup.''
The loss probably won't hurt Temple's (17-9, 10-6) chances of making the tournament. Still, it made the Owls 0-7 at Mullins Center, and was its 13th defeat in its last 15 games against UMass.
The Owls were much improved from the first meeting this season against UMass, which hit a school record 15 treys in a 78-66 win. At one point during that game, UMass' guards had outscored Temple's, 47-0. When UMass scored its first two baskets on treys by Clarke and Travieso, it appeared the Minutemen would stage a repeat performance.
Instead, Temple guard Pepe Sanchez frustrated the Minutemen backcourt, taking them off the dribble for off-balance layups and connecting on 7 of 14 shots from the floor for a game-high 17 points.
Sanchez scored on a goaltend call against UMass sophomore center Lari Ketner with 11:55 left in the game to give Temple a 44-40 lead. Then the Minutemen, who went the first 7:38 in the second half without a field goal, took charge. Clarke hit a running jumper to cut the lead to 2. Ketner sank two free throws to tie it. Then senior guard Edgar Padilla (5 points, 4 assists) and Travieso sank consecutive treys to give the Minutemen a 50-46 edge with 8:15 left.
``Travieso hurt us with his outside shooting,'' said Temple coach John Chaney. ``They always have one guy who hurts us. I think I'm going to go out and get me a guy like that.''
With 5:20 left, Inus Norville came in for Ketner and rejected Temple center Marc Jackson (11 points on 5-for-13 shooting) and the Minutemen finished the transition break with a layup by Clarke, making the score 52-48.
After a miss by Jackson at the other end, UMass senior forward Tyrone Weeks (9 points, 13 boards, 3 blocks) took a feed from Clarke and threw down a one-handed slam, his first as a collegiate player. That gave UMass a 54-48 lead. Weeks added two free throws with 3:15 left for a 7-point Minuteman advantage, and Temple never came closer than 3 points.
``I wanted to laugh about the dunk at that point, but there were still about six minutes in the game, so I waited until there were only two seconds,'' said Weeks. Before the game, Padilla and Travieso were honored during Seniors Day ceremonies for playing what should be their last game at the Mullins Center - unless the Minutemen fail to make the NCAA tournament and go to the National Invitation Tournament.
Travieso said yesterday's win should void that scenario. ``We weren't even thinking about losing,'' he said. ``For us it was win or the end of the world.''
MHERST, Mass. -- It was the type of epic matchup college
basketball is all about, with everything from bragging rights to a possible NCAA tournament berth
on the line.
After riding the shoulders of its starting backcourt for most of the game, Temple, plagued by foul trouble on Marc Jackson, surrendered a pivotal 10-2 run midway through the second half, then allowed Lari Ketner to score on a thunderous follow slam with 15.4 seconds left. The result was a 59-53 victory for Massachusetts at the Mullins Center.
The win completed a two-game season sweep for the Minutemen, who improved their chances for an NCAA bid and gained sole possession of third place in the Atlantic Ten's East Division. They'll face La Salle on Wednesday in the first round of the conference tournament at the CoreStates Spectrum.
Temple (17-9 overall, 10-6 league) dropped to fourth and will play Duquesne in its tournament opener. But the Owls resembled top seeds for most of the game yesterday.
``I'm very proud of Rasheed [ Brokenborough ] and Pepe [ Sanchez ] ,'' Chaney said of his starting backcourt. ``Those guys showed me something special today. They've got heart.''
And they left every bit of it on the floor.
Up against a packed, raucous house, the Owls could have been sitting ducks. Playing their last home game for UMass were Carmelo Travieso, Edgar Padilla, and Philadelphia native Tyrone Weeks. The Minutemen (18-12, 11-5) had lost two straight and needed a victory to keep their NCAA hopes alive.
``It's all we talked about all week,'' Travieso said. ``It was that or die. That was our attitude.''
Temple didn't give an inch.
Brokenborough had his way with Travieso, scoring 15 points and committing just one turnover. Sanchez hit numerous crucial shots to quell UMass runs, scoring 17 points and committing just two turnovers in 40 minutes. Both did everything they could to keep Temple in the game. But they were unable to do the same for Jackson.
With 6 minutes, 4 seconds left in the first half, Jackson had two fouls and headed to the bench. Temple was within 24-23. With 2:53 to go in the half, the score was 30-30. UMass couldn't shake the Owls.
Temple shot decently in the first half, going 12 for 29 (41 percent). UMass shot better, going 13 for 23 (56 percent). And it got some help going into the intermission when Brokenborough was mugged on a three-point attempt at the buzzer but didn't get a foul call.
Chaney went ballistic and wouldn't calm down.
``What do you want me to say?'' he said, shaking his head despondently.
Not quite two minutes into the second half, he had plenty to say when Jackson was hit with his third foul. Still, layups by Brokenborough and Sanchez had Temple up by 44-40 with 11:55 remaining.
However, two free throws by Ketner, a short jumper by Charlton Clarke, a three-pointer by Padilla and another by Travieso provided the scoring in the 10-2 run that put the Minutemen in front by 50-46 with 8:16 left.
Temple never led again. And Jackson's absence may have had everything to do with it.
Jackson was whistled for an offensive foul -- his fourth personal -- with 6:01 left, after putting a gorgeous baseline spin move on Ketner.
Jackson would play just 24 minutes.
By the time 3:16 remained, UMass had used Jackson's absence to turn its 10-2 run into a 16-5 spurt that basically ended matters. Ketner's slam was just dressing.
``I knew he wasn't athletic, so he would just try and back me in and throw pump fakes at me,'' Ketner said of Jackson. The referees obviously thought it worked.
``I'd love to say something [ about the referees ] , but I'm not allowed,'' said Chaney, who said he was fined $10,000 earlier this season after criticizing the referees at St. Bonaventure. ``Believe me, I'd love to.''
|
Edgar Padilla can't believe he picked up the foul. (16 k) Carmelo Travieso hits one of his 5 three-pointers. (17 k) Bruiser Flint tries to pump up his team. (10 k) Padilla buries a 3 of his own. (13 k) Dick Vitale praises the senior guards. (24 k)
|
| Temple Owls | 53 |
| Massachusetts Minutemen | 59 |
| at the Mullins Center | |
TEMPLE
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Barnes 34 1-3 0-0 3-7 1 2 2
Stewart 40 1-9 3-4 2-4 1 1 5
Jackson 24 5-13 1-2 2-6 1 5 11
Sanchez 40 7-14 1-1 1-8 1 2 17
Brokenborough 40 5-14 3-4 1-3 0 1 15
Futch 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Dunkley 12 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 3
Sanders 4 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 0 0
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 200 20-55 8-11 10-30 4 12 53
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.364, FT-.727. 3-Point Goals:
5-12, .417 (Sanchez 2-5, Brokenborough 2-5,
Dunkley 1-2). Team rebounds: 14. Blocked shots: 2
(Barnes 2). Turnovers: 10 (Jackson 2, Sanchez 2,
Stewart 2, Barnes, Brokenborough, Dunkley,
Sanders). Steals: 5 (Barnes 2, Jackson 2,
Sanchez).
MASSACHUSETTS
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Clarke 39 7-16 1-2 2-5 2 1 16
Weeks 39 2-6 5-6 0-13 2 3 9
Ketner 29 4-5 4-5 2-4 1 3 12
Padilla 39 2-7 0-0 0-2 4 2 5
Travieso 39 5-12 0-0 1-2 4 0 15
Maclay 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Smith 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Kirkland 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Babul 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Norville 11 0-1 2-2 0-2 0 2 2
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 200 20-47 12-15 5-28 13 11 59
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.426, FT-.800. 3-Point Goals:
7-16, .438 (Clarke 1-2, Padilla 1-5, Travieso
5-9). Team rebounds: 1. Blocked shots: 6 (Weeks
3, Norville 2, Ketner). Turnovers: 10 (Travieso
4, Padilla 3, Norville 2, Ketner). Steals: 7
(Padilla 3, Weeks 3, Travieso).
__________________________________
Temple 32 21 - 53
Massachusetts 35 24 - 59
__________________________________
Technical fouls: None. A: 9,493. Officials: Tom
Clark, Reggie Greenwood, Larry Lembo.
