UMass men's basketball rallies after early deficit to defeat Saint Joseph's
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AMHERST - Seven minutes into Saturday's game, the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team looked like it was headed for a rough night as it trailed Saint Joseph's by 17 points.
But the Minutemen spent the rest of the half digging out of the hole, and the comeback gave them the momentum they needed for a 71-62 win over the Hawks at the Mullins Center.
"I was really proud the way the guys responded after going down," said UMass coach Derek Kellogg. "They kept their composure. Our defensive intensity was a constant after that stretch, and we finally made some offensive plays.
"It was a very entertaining college basketball game, where both teams got up and down and played, and our team showed some wherewithal to come away with a victory in a game that really could have went either way," he added. "They made some big plays down the stretch, knocked down free throws again."
The teams were close for most of the second half. After the Minutemen pulled ahead 56-47 on a Jesse Morgan 3-pointer that hit the back of the rim, caromed straight up and dropped in with 7 minutes, 29 seconds remaining, the Hawks answered with an 8-1 run that brought them back within 57-55 with just under five minutes left.
Terrell Vinson (11 points, six rebounds), who had key baskets in the final minutes against Charlotte on Wednesday, delivered another Saturday with a mini-jump hook in traffic with 2:54 left to put UMass ahead by four. But after Halil Kanacevic tipped in the rebound of a Langston Galloway miss, Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli called time-out as the Hawks seemed to have some momentum.
But on the next play, Saint Joseph's over-defended Vinson on the perimeter, leaving Sean Carter open underneath. Chaz Williams alertly zipped an overhand pass to the senior big man and Carter dunked it, sparking applause from the 4,616 fans as the Minutemen led 63-59 with 2:02 left.
"I thought that was a game-winning play," Kellogg said. "That's one that, as much as coaching goes on, the ... kids made that play."
On the ensuing possession by the Hawks, Carter stripped C.J. Aiken and the officials called a held ball with 58.1 seconds left. The arrow gave the ball to UMass (14-4, 3-1 Atlantic 10) and Saint Joseph's was forced to foul.
Williams was 10-for-10 from the line, including eight in the last minute to seal the win. He led the Minutemen with 22 points, six rebounds, seven assists and just one turnover.
Raphiael Putney added 17 points, seven rebounds, three steals, two blocked shots and two assists for UMass.
Hawk junior guard Carl Jones came in leading the Atlantic 10 at 18 points per game and Galloway was third at 16.4. But the Minutemen contained both of them. Jones finished with a season-low four and didn't score a point in the first half, while Galloway, who battled foul trouble, had eight.
Ronald Roberts led Saint Joseph's (12-6, 2-2 A-10) with 16 points off the bench.
"I thought our defense was fantastic," Kellogg said. "They did a fantastic job on Galloway and Carl Jones."
The Hawks led 20-3 with 13:13 left in the first half as UMass was one-for-13 from the field and had turned the ball over four times. But Putney had eight points on a 13-0 run on two 3-pointers and a tomahawk dunk that brought energy to the Mullins Center.
Saint Joseph's held onto the lead until late in the half when Putney scored to give the Minutemen a 30-29 edge with 1:48 left until intermission. They took a 33-32 edge into the break to set up the entertaining second half.
UMass is at Duquesne at 7 p.m. Wednesday
"We've just got to recuperate and be ready to battle on the road," Vinson said. "We played a few games on the road, we lost them, and now it's time to try to get a couple wins."
Kellogg said his team can still improve.
"I still think we've got a long way to go, as far as where we can get to," Kellogg said. "But they're playing at a pretty good pace and they seem to have a will to win, which is the best thing you can ask your team to have."
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Follow UMass coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/GazetteUMass. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at http://www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.
