AMHERST, Mass. – The La Salle men's basketball team will travel to UMass for a matchup on Wednesday at 7 PM against the Minutemen. The game will be televised nationally on CBS Sports Network

La Salle Explorers (12-9, 4-3 A-10) at Massachusetts Minutemen (17-4, 4-3 A-10)
Wednesday, February 5, 2014 | 7 PM | William D. Mullins Memorial Center

TV: CBS Sports Network (Sean Grande, Steve Lappas)
Radio: 990 AM WNTP (Kale Beers, Steve Degler)
Audio Web Stream: CLICK HERE (FREE) 

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Game Notes
La Salle | UMass

Last Time Out
The Explorers completed the season sweep of Duquesne on Saturday afternoon, defeating the Dukes 71-63 at Tom Gola Arena. Junior center Steve Zack played perhaps his best game of the season, scoring a season-high 16 points and pulling down 16 rebounds. Tyreek Duren added 13 points, ten of which came after halftime, as the Explorers took control during the second session.
 
All-Time Series
The Explorers will look to even up their all-time record against Massachusetts on Wednesday evening. The Blue and Gold are 14-15 against the Minutemen in program history. Last season Massachusetts won a tight 61-60 win at Tom Gola Arena, the only A-10 game La Salle lost at home last season.
 
The Explorers swept the Minutemen in both contests in the 2011-12 season. They defeated Massachusetts 82-75 at Tom Gola Arena, buoyed by Earl Pettis who led the Explorers with 19 points. They also defeated the Minutemen at the Mullins Center later in the season 72-71. Four Explorers hit the 15-point mark in that contest, including current team members Tyreek Duren and Jerrell Wright.

Scouting the Explorers
La Salle ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in free throw percentage (.706), fifth in field goal percentage defense (.428), and fifth in offensive rebounds/game (12.3). Defensively, the Explorers have limited A-10 opponents to a 42 percent clip from the field and 31 percent from deep. That ranks third and fourth, respectively, in the conference-only rankings.

Junior Steve Zack, who leads the A-10 with 12 double-doubles and has logged one in five of his last seven games. He also leads the conference in rebounds/game (9.8 ) and ranks third in blocks/game (2.2). His 12 double-doubles are the most by an Explorer since Rasual Butler also had 12 in 2001-02.

Senior Tyreek Duren is averaging 16.7 points/game in conference play, the seventh-highest tally in the league. Duren ranks in the top-15 in the A-10 in scoring (14.6 ppg), assists/game (3.6), free throw percentage (.789), steals/game (1.6), threes/game (1.8), assist/turnover ratio (2.0), and minutes/game (35.8).

Senior Tyrone Garland is second on the team in scoring (14.1 ppg) and has been in double figures in four of the last five games. He tied a career-high six assists in La Salle's win over Duquesne on Saturday.

Redshirt sophomore Khalid Lewis continues to play a big factor in the Explorer's rotation, seeing double-figure minutes in 14 straight games. He has recorded nine steals over the last five games. 

Scouting the Minutemen
Massachusetts went 13-1 in non-conference play, including an impressive tournament win in the Charleston Classic, in which they scored victories over then #19 ranked New Mexico and Clemson. Like La Salle, the Minutemen got off to a 3-0 start in Atlantic 10 play.

However, they have been reeling in recent weeks, entering Wednesday night's matchup losers in three of their last four games. The Minutemen will look to snap a two game losing streak, coming off defeats at St. Bonaventure and at Saint Joseph's. They currently have a 17-4 record overall and a 4-3 mark in the Atlantic 10. The Explorers will look to do what no other team has done this season, as the Minutemen are a perfect 8-0 at the Mullins Center.
 
Massachusetts boasts a formidable offense that is tops in the conference in both scoring (77.4 ppg) and assists (16.0 apg). They are second in the A-10 in efficiency, shooting at a 47.1% clip from the field. The Minutemen are also fairly potent from range, ranking third in the conference, knocking down 36.9% of shots from beyond the arc.
 
Senior guard Chaz Williams leads the Massachusetts backcourt. He ranks seventh in the A-10 in scoring, averaging 15.7 points/game. He is also lethal from range, ranking seventh in three-point percentage (42.2%). Williams is a dynamic creator for the Minutemen attack as well. His 156 assists are 50 more than the next closest A-10 player; he currently ranks fourth in NCAA Division I averaging 7.4 assists/game.

While the Minutemen do well on the outside, they make their hay by controlling the paint both offensively and defensively. They lead the Atlantic 10 in rebounding (39.0 rpg) and blocked shots (5.3 bpg).
 
Junior center Cady Lalanne leads the Massachusetts frontcourt. He ranks second on the team and 19^th in the conference in scoring, averaging 13.4 points/game. Lalanne is fourth in the conference in field goal percentage, hitting baskets at a 58.7% rate. He is second only to the Explorers Steve Zack in rebounding, pulling down an average of 8.8 rebounds/game. Lalanne is also second in the A-10 in blocked shots, with 50 on the season and averaging 2.4 blocks/game.
 
Senior forward Raphiel Putney and redshirt senior forward Sampson Carter both join Lalanne to form perhaps the conference strongest frontcourt. Putney averages 10.5 points/game and 5.0 rebounds/game. His ability away from the basket makes him a matchup problem for any team. He is 27-of-69 (39.1%) from three-point range. Carter is right on Putney's heels, averaging 10.4 points/game and 4.8 rebounds/game. He also has shown proficiency away from the basket, sinking 21-of-62 (33.9%) from beyond the arc.

Up Next
The Blue and Gold return home for a Saturday afternoon affair against #13/15 Saint Louis at 5 PM. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with John Saunders and Tim Legler '88 on the call.