3/13/10 Boston Herald: UMass falls in A-10 quarterfinals
UMass falls in quarters
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – After halting an eight-game Atlantic 10 tournament slide with Tuesday night’s opening-round upset of Charlotte, UMass was back among the losers in this Casino City by falling to Richmond, 77-72, in the A-10 quarterfinals last night.
No. 11 seed UMass (12-20) has now lost six straight at Boardwalk Hall, and have failed to reach the semifinals since 2001.
Third-seeded Richmond (25-7), which has won 11-of-12 games, will meet second-seeded Xavier, a 78-73 winner over Dayton, today in the semifinals. Temple plays Rhode Island in the first semifinal.
UMass couldn’t defend the perimeter in the first half, allowing nine 3-pointers, and trailed by 17 points at the break. Anthony Gurley and Ricky Harris keyed a second half comeback that fell short.
“We played an NCAA tournament team on a neutral court and they shot lights-out tonight,” said UMass coach Derek Kellogg. “That was one of my biggest worries. They didn’t shoot the ball fantastic when we played them down at Richmond, and to go 9-for-13 in the first half combined with our 1-for-10.
“They are a very good team and I think they’ll do very well in this tournament and also the NCAA tournament.”
Gurley was a bright spot for the Minutemen, tallying 24 points off the bench. Leading scorer Harris had only nine points heading into the final minute, but scored 10 in the final 62 seconds to make things interesting.
UMass pulled within seven (71-64) on Gary Correia’s 3-pointer with 50 seconds left. After a steal on Richmond’s ensuing possession, Harris drained a 3 to pull within four, 71-67.
A layup from Terrell Vinson (10 points), and three free throws from Harris got UMass as close as 75-72 with seven seconds left. But the Spiders broke pressure for a Kevin Smith dunk to seal the victory.
“It was tough. They got a lot of good looks and took advantage of them,” said Harris. “That kind of put us in a hole early, and when you’re playing a team like that you have to take advantage of each possession. Richmond took advantage of their offensive opportunities and made plays.”
Smith was the only Spiders starter in double figures with 14, but four came off the bench to do so – David Gonzalvez had 15, while Ryan Butler had 14 and Kevin Anderson and Justin Harper 13 apiece.
Just as in the 70-63 regular-season loss to the Spiders on Jan. 13 when they trailed by 14, UMass was in a double-digit hole in the opening half. Helped by six 3-pointers, Richmond raced out to a 24-11 lead, and took a 38-21 lead into halftime.
In other A-10 tourney action, Lamonte Ulmer had 16 points and Akeem Richmond hit four 3-pointers early, as No. 5 Rhode Island kept its NCAA tournament hopes alive by beating No. 4 Saint Louis, 63-47. Also, Temple remained the favorite with a 69-51 win over St. Bonaventure.
