Saturday, December 14, 2002

UMass outshoots FIU, 67-62

assachusetts hits eight three-pointers defeating FIU, 67-62, in Amherst, MA. Junior Matias led FIU with 21 points. Eulis Baez recorded his fifth double-double, scoring 15 points, all in the second half, and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Matias helped FIU jump out on top to open the game, 11-9, hitting four consecutive field goals, including a three-pointer. He followed that by getting fouled from three-point range and making two.

Junior Belco Bamba made his first appearance as a Golden Panther, hitting his first basket at 14:07.

Taurance Johnson had his much anticipated sophomore debut at the ten-minute mark in the first half, abruptly blocking a shot. He scored his first points on free throws at 5:23, helping FIU pull even at 23.

UMass' Anthony Anderson nailed his third three-pointer to put the Minuteman up 26-23 with three minutes left in the half. Anderson was not done, scoring from 16-feet for a five-point lead. He would end the half with 16 points and a buzzer-beating three-point basket for a 33-26 Minutemen halftime advantage.

The Minuteman held FIU's leading scorer Baez to no points in opening half. Matias led the Golden Panthers with 11 points.

FIU held Massachusetts to one field goal in the first four minutes of the second half and Matias scored the first eight Golden Panther points as FIU pulled to within two at 43-41.

The Minutemen came back on a 6-0 run thanks in part to Gabe Lee scoring four of his 10 points. Carlos Morban stopped the run hitting a jumber, then Baez got fouled on a dunk and made the foul shot for a 49-46 deficit with eight minutes to play in the contest.

After UMass' Anderson nailed his fifth three-pointer three minutes later for a 54-48 lead at the five-minute mark.

Baez closed the gap to four on a lay-up with just under three minutes to play.

The Minuteman would hit nine free-throws down the stretch, but FIU hung strong, making four field goals, including two three-pointers, to end the game at 67-62. Fab Fisher scored all seven of his points in the final 35-seconds.

Anderson scored a game-high 22 points for UMass, as the Minuteman shot 51-percent (23-for-45) from the field, including 61-percent (11-for-18) in the second half. UMass also went 8-for-15 (53-percent) from three-point range.

FIU ended the night at 43-percent (22-for-51).

"When it came down to critical situations, we didn't make the stops or the shots," said FIU head coach Donnie Marsh. "We need to make better decision in game-deciding situations."

FIU continues its five-game road trip against DePaul in Chicago, IL on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m.