Nov 18, 2006, 16:05 GMT
Pittsburgh, PA - The fourth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers will take on the UMass Minutemen as part of the Colonial Classic.
UMass began play at this event yesterday against Oakland, and the result was a 65-56 victory. The Minutemen are now 2-0, as they posted a blowout victory over Dartmouth in the season opener. UMass finished in the middle of the Atlantic 10 Conference pack last season, but the return of four starters have fans a bit more optimistic this year.
As for Pittsburgh, it began the season with back-to-back double-digit victories over Delaware State and Western Michigan. Then, in yesterday's contest, the Panthers rolled to a 78-52 decision over Northeastern. The team won 25 games last season and has a wealth of quality returnees from that squad.
Pittsburgh owns a 9-4 advantage in the all-time series with UMass.
UMass connected on 50 percent of its field goal attempts in the victory over Oakland yesterday, and the club was able to limit the Golden Grizzlies to 35.7 percent shooting. The Minutemen also forced 18 turnovers, helping the squad to overcome its own high total of 22 giveaways. The game would not have been as close if not for a horrendous effort from the foul line by UMass, which was only able to connect on 8-of-22 free throws. James Life and Gary Forbes led the way in the win with 15 points apiece, while Stephane Lasme and Rashaun Freeman pitched in 11 points apiece. Lasme was a force at both ends of the court, as he totaled 14 rebounds and five blocks as well. Freeman is considered the best player for the Minutemen, and he posted 25 points and 10 rebounds in the victory over Dartmouth in the opener. UMass shot 61.9 percent from the floor in that clash.
It comes as no surprise that Pittsburgh center Aaron Gray was dominant against Northeastern last night. The Big East Preseason Player of the Year hit 11- of-16 shots en route to 24 points, and he also ripped down 14 rebounds. Antonio Graves pitched in 15 points in the victory, and Keith Benjamin contributed 11 points. The win for Pitt was its 14th in a row against non- league competition, and the program is now 60-1 at home against non-conference foes since the Petersen Events Center opened in 2002. Through three games this season, Gray is scoring 17.0 ppg on 62.2 percent shooting from the floor, and he is ripping down 11.7 rpg. Mike Cook is netting 12.7 ppg on 62.5 percent efficiency from the field, and Graves checks in with 11.3 ppg. The Panthers are netting 77.0 ppg while limiting opponents to 56.3 ppg, and a rebounding advantage of over 10 boards per outing has certainly helped the cause.
© 2006 The Sports Network
Your Talkback on this Story