Three thoughts from courtside in Philadelphia.
Three thoughts from courtside in Philadelphia.
Putney strong
Raphiael Putney looked like a different man — and I'm not talking about his haircut.
The junior racked up a team-high 11 points, and made his first 3-pointer since his last big performance — at Miami (Ohio) on Jan. 2.
Inside Control
One issue UMass has had when it has struggled this season is defensive rebounding and allowing too many second chance points. That has not been a problem through a half against La Salle, as UMass allowed just two second chance points on four offensive rebounds.
The Minutemen managed this without their best inside man in Cady Lalanne for the most part, as Lalanne played just five minutes because of foul trouble.
The Wright Stuff
UMass had a 12-point lead near the end of the second half, but La Salle forward Jerrell Wright went on a 6-0 run by himself in the final 1:33 to pull the Explorers within six, and finish the half with a game-high 12 points on 5 for 5 shooting from the field.