Sampson Carter played a career-high 34 minutes in Lalanne's place.
Raphiael Putney was above the rim on this play for UMass Tuesday, but how did the Minutemen fare defensively without center Cady Lalanne?
BOSTON – Cady Lalanne had started at center in all six of the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team’s games, but after a weekend arrest forced coach Derek Kellogg to suspend him, the Minutemen needed a new man in the middle.
In Tuesday night’s win at Northeastern, fans got their first look at what a Lalanne-less UMass would look like.
Senior Sampson Carter got the start and scored 14 points while pulling down six rebounds in a career-high 34 minutes.
Carter, whose season was still in question in preseason camp because of a torn labrum in his hip, has emerged as a legitimate option at center despite being slightly undersized at 6-foot-8.
“I know Sampson’s been on me since he’s been here about he should be playing more,” Kellogg said. “You know what? He’s got his opportunity and we’ll roll with it and see how things play out.”
Sophomore Maxie Esho also helped out inside with a team-high nine rebounds and six points in 29 minutes.
Despite solid contributions from both players, the Huskies racked up 15 offensive rebounds in the second half, which netted 15 points.
“I think obviously Cady gets us some of those defensive rebounds just because of his size out there, but playing a little undersized and guys playing different positions, that’s just what we do in college basketball,” Kellogg said. “We try to find a way to win games.”
The Minutemen were also outscored 36-24 in the paint.
True freshman forward Tyler Bergantino played just two first-half minutes, and after he failed to catch a low entry pass, Kellogg turned to Carter and said, “Get back in there,” ending Bergantino’s night.
3-POINT DEFENSE
The Minutemen did an excellent job defending the 3-point line, holding the Huskies to 11 percent (3 for 27) from beyond the arc.
“It’s reminiscent of some of the shooting nights we’ve had recently,” Kellogg said of the Huskies' performance. “It’s hard to win when you don’t make shots.”
However, that 3-point defense, a season-best for UMass, came at a price.
“We tried to guard the 3-point line because they were shooting close to 40 percent coming in, and that hurt us a little bit inside,” Kellogg said. “When you’re playing the style that we are, you’re going to give something up a little bit. Unfortunately, I thought we gave up too many easy ones around the rim. But they missed some open 3’s too, honestly.”
ONE-LINERS
Two assists was a season low for Chaz Williams … Forward Terrell Vinson fouled out for the third time in seven games … Wilbraham and Monson Academy graduate Dinko Marshavelski had seven points in less than two minutes for the Huskies, then didn’t score again … Former Minuteman Luke Bonner was in attendance at Matthews Arena on Tuesday … So was former UMass player and Boston College coach Al Skinner.