Minutemen get first hoop win
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AMHERST - As senior Ricky Harris jogged over to high-five the University of Massachusetts student fans under the southwest basket at the Mullins Center Saturday night, he smiled and pumped his fist.
"Finally," he shouted.
The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team got its first win of the season and an infusion of confidence as Arkansas-Fort Smith, a transitional Division II team, offered little resistance as the Minutemen outscored them 94-68.
"I wouldn't say we played a perfect game or a great game, but it does feel good to get a W," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. "We obviously have a long way to go, but I do see some signs that this team could do some good things."
The Minutemen (1-2) return to action against St. Francis (N.Y.) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Mullins Center.
The Lions (1-1) stayed with UMass early. They led 15-11 and still were ahead by one with 8 minutes, 33 seconds left in the first half.
But Anthony Gurley's second basket of the game gave the Minutemen a 19-18 lead and sparked a 13-2 run that put UMass in control.
It was the start of a hot first half for the junior from Newton, who had 21 points and a career-high five assists. His 16 first-half points seemed to put the Minutemen over the top.
"I was just going with the flow and trying to knock down open shots," Gurley said. "Thankfully the ball just happened to go in tonight."
This was the type of performance envisioned by Kellogg when he decided to make Gurley, the team's second leading returning scorer, a sixth man coming into this season.
"He gave us a great boost when we were a little bit stagnant in the first half," Kellogg said. "He did it within the context of the offense. He didn't force a lot of stuff. He got some good things in transition."
Gurley said all the bench players are just trying to provide a lift.
"We have to make sure when we go in the game that the score goes up in our favor and not down," Gurley said. "I'm just trying to be a leader for the young guys as well."
Sean Carter suffered a cut to his chin in the first half and bled on his No. 23 jersey. He finished the game wearing No. 42. The new digits seemed to bring him good luck. He had season highs in points (13) and rebounds (eight).
"I think Sean did some nice things tonight," Kellogg said. "Hopefully, he continues to get better."
Nine Minutemen scored and five of them reached double figures. Harris added 18, while freshman Freddie Riley (17) and Terrell Vinson (14) each had their career highs.
Aaron McHenry led Arkansas Fort-Smith with 18 points.
"A game like this is a good confidence booster," Gurley said. "... We got the win, but we obviously have a lot to work on still. We have to keep making progress every day."
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. For more UMass coverage, including a UMass sports blog, go to http://www.gazettenet.com/blog/umass-sports.
