UMass rallies by UM Brand is catalyst behind triumph

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AMHERST, Mass. – Micah Brand scored all of his team-high 17 points in the second half Saturday to lead Massachusetts to a 78-60 come-from-behind men’s basketball victory over the University of Maine.

UMass trailed 35-30 early in the second half and was behind for the last time at 39-38 before Brand, a 6-foot-11 forward, hit his only 3-pointer of the game as the shot clock wound down.

Brand was 7-of-11 from the field and also had a team-high seven rebounds.

The game remained close until UMass, which shot 57 percent in the second half, went on an 8-0 run with Shannon Crooks scoring two baskets and Anthony Anderson and Brand adding one each, to give the Minutemen a 57-47 lead with seven minutes to play.

UMaine drops to 2-8 while UMass improves to 6-3.

UMaine coach John Giannini was pleased with his team’s effort.

“It was a one-, two-, four-point game for a long time, until we totally ran out of energy,” Giannini said. “We just couldn’t do it. I really think we gave our best effort. I thought guys played well. We just couldn’t keep it up.”

Kitwana Rhymer had 16 for UMass, Crooks and Jameel Pugh added 12 apiece and Anderson finished with 11.

Maine got a game-high 23 points from Errick Greene and 12 from Justin Rowe. Rowe also had a game-high 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Joe Campbell made four of his five field goal attempts and finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals while playing the entire 40 minutes.

Crooks’ steal and layup in the final seconds gave UMass a 28-27 halftime lead.

There were four ties in the first half, the last time at 20-20, before Eric Williams and Rhymer hit from in close to put the Minutemen back on top.

Campbell’s 3-pointer and two free throws by Rowe gave Maine its last lead of the half at 27-26.

The Black Bears roared out of the locker room in the second half and reeled off an 8-2 run to take a 35-30 lead with 17:30 remaining.

But the Minutemen answered with an 11-4 run of their own on Brand’s dunk at the 12:15 mark. That made it 43-41.

While the Bears slipped behind by six shortly after that hoop, they were able to rally and pull within two points again – at 49-47 – on a Justin Rowe layup with 8:47left.

The Minutemen took control with an 8-0 spurt and outscored UMaine 29-15 the rest of the way.

Giannini said the Bears got in trouble as fatigue became a factor. Especially vulnerable was Greene, who was forced to work hard just to get the ball all game long.

“He’s never not active,” Giannini said, pointing out that the Minutemen tried to deny him the ball whenever they could. “When he’s in the game he is a constant focal point, and it’s just hard to get through a game against pressure like that.”

And while Greene was able to log 38 minutes, the effect on the Bears when he does get fatigued is obvious, Giannini said.

“When he gets tired, we’re not the same team. It’s just as simple as that,” Giannini told WZON radio after the game. “And of course, he’s gonna get tired when he plays as hard as he does.”

The Bears will take a few days off for the holiday before returning to campus on Wednesday. They’ll resume practice on Thursday and return to action against Brown on Sunday at Alfond Arena.

MINUTEMEN 78, BLACK BEARS 60

Maine (2-8) Massachusetts (6-3)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Campbell 4 5 0 0 10 Lamb 1 2 2

White 2 8 2 3 6 Brand 7 11 17

Rowe 3 10 6 11 12 Rhymer 7 12 2 16

Petkus 3 8 0 0 9 Anderson 5 11

Greene 8 21 7 11 23 Crooks 4 10 12

Wallingford 0 0 0 0 0 Martin 0 0 0

Tibbetts 0 0 0 0 0 Blizzard 0 0

Dubois 0 2 0 0 0 Wilson 0 4 2

Croom 0 1 0 0 0 Kotardis 0 0

Williams 3 6 6

Killings 0 0 0

Pugh 5 12 0 12

Totals 20 55 15 25 60 Totals 32 66 10 14 78

Maine 27 60

Massachusetts 28 78

3-pt. goals: Maine (5-13): Campbell 2-3, White 0-1, Petkus 3-7, Greene 0-2; Massachusetts (4-15): Brand 1-1, Anderson 1-3, Crooks 0-2, Blizzard 0-1, Wilson 0-4, Williams 0-1, Pugh 2-3

Attendance: 4,651