Jan. 15, 2011

Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, MA - La Salle rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to draw within three but could not overcome Massachusetts and fell 74-71 on Saturday at the MassMutual Center. Senior Jerrell Williams led the Explorers with 20 points, while sophomore Aaric Murray added 12.

"I am proud of the effort and heart we showed in the second half," head coach Dr. John Giannini said. "If I could just get them performing like that consistently I honestly think we can make a run in this league.

"Our defense was just awful in the first half. It might have been a case of us digging too much of a hole."

The UMass lead became 52-37 with 17:44 to play on Sean Carter's made free throw. La Salle went on a 13-2 run over the next five minutes to cut the deficit to four.

The Minutemen got the lead back up to nine on two separate occasions late in the half, but the Explorers made it interesting and cut it to 69-67 on Williams' foul shot.

La Salle made a pair of steals in the backcourt with under a minute to play but was unable to get any closer than three points.

Freshman Tyreek Duren was the third Explorer in double-figures with 11 points. Anthony Gurley led UMass (10-6, 2-1 A-10) with 20 points, while Carter added 15.

La Salle (8-10, 0-3 A-10) returns to Tom Gola Arena on Wednesday when it hosts Duquesne at 7 PM.