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JERREY ROBERTS

Anthony Gurley of the University of Massachusetts, center, moves the ball between Jeremy Baker of Quinnipiac and another defender Wednesday at the Mullins Center.

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JERREY ROBERTS

Javorn Farrell of the University of Massachusetts, left, shoots after getting past James Feldeine of Quinnipiac Wednesday at the Mullins Center.

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JERREUY ROBERTS

Ricky Harris of the University of Massachusetts, left, keeps the ball away from Dave Johnson of Quinnipiac Wednesday at the Mullins Center.

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University of Massachusetts forward Matt Hill, left, and guard Ricky Harris, right, pressure Deontay Twyman of Quinnipiac Wednesday at the Mullins Center.

AMHERST - The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team survived a late Quinnipiac rally and a beating on the boards the whole game to get a much-needed victory at the Mullins Center Wednesday night.

After two straight losses, the 62-58 win gave the Minutemen a lift.

"We needed that one bad, just to get our confidence back up," senior guard Ricky Harris said. "After losing to Michigan State the way we did (106-68), a couple guys got down on themselves."

Wednesday night "was a good win," he added. "That was a good team we played. I feel good about that win."

The Bobcats (3-3) might have pulled out the victory if not for their struggle to make shots near the basket.

Justin Rutty, who entered the game shooting 60.8 percent from the field, was 2-for-13, all from close range. He missed his first eight shots, negating his nine offensive rebounds (13 total).

Of the 43 shots missed by Quinnipiac, 27 were in the paint, including 13 layups. The Bobcats outrebounded UMass 46-29, and they had almost as many offensive rebounds (28) as the Minutemen's total boards.

"If anyone had told me that we would have 28 offensive rebounds against their length and athleticism, I don't think I would have thought that was possible," Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said. "One of the reasons we struggled to finish inside was their size and athleticism."

Rebounding was a black mark on a game that UMass coach Derek Kellogg otherwise said he was pleased with.

"I think it's effort and we have to get more guys crashing to the boards," Kellogg said. "Defense is on my mind. Rebounding is on my mind and toughness is on my mind. We have to continue to get better at that."

Despite their shooting woes, the Bobcats controlled the game early by opening an 18-11 lead and led for most of the first half. Four straight free throws - two each by Anthony Gurley and Sampson Carter - started a 9-0 run that put the Minutemen ahead 31-26, and they held a lead the rest of the way.

UMass led 35-29 at halftime and stretched its edge to 12 on a basket by Sean Carter with 6 minutes, 18 seconds left. Quinnipiac took advantage of some sloppy play by the Minutemen down the stretch to cut the lead to four but never got closer.

Harris had his best balance of scoring and passing since he began playing point guard in the second half against Rutgers on Friday.

He scored the first seven points for UMass and 15 of its first 19. Harris finished with 19 points, six assists and three turnovers.

"At first I thought it was just a halftime adjustment we made against Rutgers. I didn't know it was going to become like this," Harris said. "I accept the challenge. I like the position."

Kellogg said he was pleased with Harris' progress at the position.

"Ricky is playing well at the point," Kellogg said. "Ricky is dangerous with the ball and now he doesn't have to work as hard to get open."

Gurley added 15 points and six rebounds, while Sampson Carter added 11 points.

James Feldeine had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Bobcats.

UMass (3-4) will play Holy Cross at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the DCU Center in Worcester.

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.