Minutemen March Past Rider

Despite trailing the Rider Broncs 24 to 45 at the end of the first half, the UMass Minutemen overcame the deficit by scoring 53 points in the second half.  Senior Anthony Gurley deserves a great deal of the credit for the Minutemen's 76 to 67 victory, since the six-foot-three guard contributed 31 points while shooting 12 for 20 from the field.  Anthony "Agent" Gurley transferred to the University of Massachusetts after attending Wake Forest for his freshman year.  Sophomore Freddie Riley, the only other Minuteman to reach double-digits, chipped in 28 points while shooting 10 for 15 from the field.  The six-foot-five Fla. native made six buckets from beyond the arch, including a few clutch three-pointers that sparked the comeback.  The Minutemen now prepare to square off against TCU at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. 


                                         (Courtesy of Umass Athletics)

Season Starting Soon

With the season opener only five days away, the UMass men’s basketball team squares off against the Division III Brandeis team in the Mullins Center at 7 p.m.  Admission will not be charged at this exhibition game, however two cans of food are required to be donated to The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in order to attend.  Brandeis finished last season with a solid 22 wins and seven losses.  The Brandeis Judges advanced all the way the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III basketball tournament, their second time making it there in the past four seasons.  Brandeis is lead by their one returning senior, six-foot-five Chirstian Yemga.  The Cameroon native was the team’s leading rebounder and shot blocker, but he only averaged four points and one assist per game. 

            The Minutemen expect to march right past Brandeis as they prepare for the Rider Broncs on Friday, Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mullins Center.  Rider is relying upon six-foot-six Ryan Thompson of Mount Laurel, N.J. to carry the majority of the workload for the Broncs.  The senior averaged 17 points and three assists per game.  


                                                                    Ryan Thompson

                                                         (Courtesy of Google Images)