LEVELAND - Has anyone copyrighted the phrase, ''Back to the old drawing board''? If not, the University of Massachusetts men's basketball team could adopt it as its slogan. The Minutemen's motto of ''Refuse to Lose'' doesn't apply anymore. Not when the team continues to suffer defeats against foes they could have beaten and leave the court searching for clues as to why they broke down in crunch time.
Last night's defeat, a 74-66 overtime setback to Cincinnati in the fourth Rock and Roll Shootout, was one of the most disappointing of the season. Cincinnati, which entered the game without the services of four players - including three starters - because of NCAA and academic suspensions, rallied from a 6-point deficit over the last 2:59 of regulation to send the game into overtime, then took control in the extra frame to stun the Minutemen, now 6-5 overall.
UMass's previous four losses all came against ranked teams. It led Kansas, then No. 3, most of the way before losing, 73-71, a defeat that left many members of the team in tears. UMass battled No. 6 Purdue nip and tuck before losing, 82-69. But coming off a humiliating 72-55 loss to No. 11 Connecticut, the Minutemen had hoped to rebound with a solid performance in their last game before the Atlantic 10 slate begins.
Instead, they were outhustled much of the night by the extremely physical Bearcats (7-3), who shot poorly and turned the ball over often but came from a 6-point halftime hole to take the lead early in the second half, then stayed close late in regulation because the Minutemen misfired from the free throw line.
''I just have to find a way to get us out of these doldrums right now,'' said UMass coach Bruiser Flint, who sat with his head in his lap after his postgame press conference. ''I've got blank stares looking at me in the huddles. We have to get back to basics.
''This is more frustrating than Kansas because at Kansas at least we played well. We didn't play well tonight. And we had the game. We make some foul shots and get a rebound, and the game's over. We didn't come up with the plays.''
Cincinnati took a 65-62 lead in overtime on a 3-pointer by guard Michael Horton (10 points), but UMass battled back to take a 66-65 lead. Then the Bearcats pulled away.
Forward Bobby Brannen (a game-high 32 points) sank two free throws with 1:26 left, and after an airball by Tyrone Weeks with 1:10 to go, Cincinnati guard Shawn Myrick sank a trey with 38.3 seconds left to put the Bearcats up, 70-66.
UMass missed at the other end and was called for an intentional foul with :20.4 left. Guard Melvin Levett sank one of two free throws and, on the ensuing possession, UMass center Lari Ketner fouled Brannen, who sank one free throw.
UMass freshman guard Jonathan DePina, who played solidly but missed five of nine free throws, including two in overtime, then fouled Brannen, who sank two free throws for the final tally.
''I hope they understand [how to finish such games]. If it doesn't come, we're in trouble,'' said Flint. ''We're going to have a lot of games like this. I'm disappointed because we didn't play well, and they [Cincinnati] are missing half their team. We're going into games not ready to play and that's my fault. I have to go back and figure out how to get these guys up to play.''
Trailing, 62-59, with :26.4 left in regulation, Myrick hit one free throw and missed the second, but Brannen got the rebound and Cincy called timeout with :19.7 left.
Levett then drove to the basket and was fouled by Mike Babul with :16.3 left. Levett hit both free throws to tie it, 62-62. On UMass's last possession of regulation, guard Charlton Clarke misfired on a 12-foot jumper from the baseline.
LEVELAND - Bobby Brannen waited a while to become a hero. Melvin Levett waited nearly all night. But with the Cincinnati Bearcats nearly out of bodies and just about out of time, they produced some of the biggest numbers and biggest plays of a 74-66 upset of Massachusetts.
 Monty Mack tries to close the path to the hoop. |
The Bearcats (7-2) rode an incredible effort from Brannen, who recovered from a difficult first half to finish with a career-high 32 points - and a record for Rock 'n Roll Shootout participants.
''I'm glad the team stuck with me,'' Brannen said, ''because I was cold.''
Trailing 62-60, UC called timeout with 19.7 seconds left after Brannen rebounded a missed free throw by guard Shawn Myrick, who supported Brannen's effort with career highs of 17 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
The Bearcats set up a play that isolated forward Melvin Levett on UMass' Mike Babul, and Levett's drive to the goal drew a foul. His two free throws tied the game. To that point, Levett had scored just one point and failed to make a field goal. Huggins called his number, anyway.
''The pressure was on,'' Levett said, ''and I kind of wanted to be in that situation with the problems I had in the game. It shows he has confidence in me, and it feels good when the coach will come to you in the clutch.''
UMass (6-5) had a good shot at winning in regulation, even though it appeared to wait too long to attempt the last shot. Charlton Clarke cleared Levett away near the right block and got off a one-hander that bounced up and off the front rim as the buzzer sounded.
''They played hard, fought the whole game, but I think that was kind of a back-breaker for them,'' Brannen said. ''They kind of dropped after that.''
If the reality of overtime didn't knock back UMass, Levett's three-pointer to open the period surely did. It was his only basket of the game.
After UMass point guard Jon DePina made one free throw, Myrick missed two that could have been costly. He would redeem himself later, after Clarke hit a 14-foot jumper, and DePina followed with a free throw to put the Minutemen in front by one.
UC got Brannen into the lane, where he was fouled and made both free throws to regain the lead for good, 67-66. The Minutemen did not score for the last 1:44 of overtime.
Forward Tyrone Weeks missed a baseline jumper for UMass, and the Bearcats tried to run down the shot clock and nearly ran it too far. Myrick had to throw up another off-balance 25-footer, but it snapped through the net to make it 70-66 with 38 seconds left in overtime.
Levett picked up a steal to end UMass' next trip, then was fouled intentionally on the break. That clinched the win.
''Programs like ours,'' Huggins said, ''are supposed to have guys that step up and make plays.''
UC used three zones, man-to-man and occasional fullcourt pressure to keep the Minutemen uncomfortable. After hitting just 3-of-11 from the field before the break, Brannen made his first four shots in the second half. Brannen's work forced UMass' Weeks into serious foul trouble.
When Weeks nailed UC's Michael Horton on a fastbreak, it was his fourth personal and 12 minutes remained. He finished with eight points and 13 rebounds, but had 10 of those boards in the first half.
UMass cut a four-point UC lead in half when the Bearcats committed a costly error. Out of a television timeout with 7:44 left, they sent six players onto the floor. Levett hustled off the court when the Minutemen's bench protested, but it was a technical foul. Mack made the second of two free throws to make it a one-point game.
That, in a sense, was the difference between a regulation Bearcats win and the necessity for overtime.
UC fell behind with 4:21 left, when DePina hit a top-of-the-key three-pointer. It was part of a run that put UMass in front, 58-52, before the Bearcats rallied.
LEVELAND -- Bobby Brannen scored a career high 32 points, including two crucial late free throws, to lead the Bearcats to a 74-66 win in overtime over Massachusetts Saturday night in the Gatorade Rock-N-Roll Shootout in Gund Arena.
The Bearcats (7-2) won their third straight game this season, their third straight in the Rock-N-Roll Shootout, and their third straight in the series with the Minutemen (6-5), who have lost this season to Kansas and Connecticut.
Brannen hit a pair of free throws to give the Bearcats a 67-66 lead with 1:20 left in overtime. UMass failed to score, and on UC's next possession Shawn Myrick hit a long three-pointer with the shot clock winding down to make it 70-66.
Jonathan DePina missed a shot on UMass's next trip up the floor. Melvin Levett grabbed the rebound and dribbled it down to the other end, where he was fouled. Levett sunk both free throws to clinch the game.
The Bearcats had to rally in the final two minutes of regulation. UMass went on an 8-1 run to claim a 58-52 advantage with three minutes to play. UC rallied behind Myrick, who converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to 61-59. DePina made one of two free throws, then Myrick drew a foul on UC's next possession. He made the first of two to make it 62-60, then missed the second, but Brannen grabbed the offensive rebound and UC kept possession. Levett drove to the basket and was fouled, and made both free throws to tie the game with 16 seconds left. UMass had a chance to win, but Charlton Clarke barely missed a 15-foot jump shot as time expired.
Myrick, who had sprained his knee in UC's previous game a week ago, notched career highs of 17 points and eight rebounds. He was 6-of-8 from the field and 3-of-3 from the three-point line. One week after his 42-point performance against Eastern Kentucky, Levett scored seven points and was 1-of-13 from the field. His only field goal came at crunch time, however, as he hit a trey to lift UC to 65-62 advantage in overtime.
UC plays Winthrop 8:05 p.m. Tues., Dec. 30 at Shoemaker Center on WXIX-TV. The Bearcats play their Conference USA opener Jan. 4 at Houston at 7 p.m. Eastern.
NEWS AND NOTES: Two other Bearcats achieved career highs. Michael Horton had 10 points to set a personal best at UC and Ryan Fletcher pulled down a career-best eight rebounds ... The victory was UC's first overtime game since an 85-84 win over Marquette in the championship game of the Conference USA Tournament March 9, 1996 ... UC has won four straight overtime contests, with the last loss coming at Memphis in a 74-69 defeat Feb. 3, 1995 ... The Bearcats are now one victory away from two milestones -- the 1,300th win in the school's history and Bob Huggins' 200th as UC head coach. UC will be the 26th school to win 1,300 games ... UC improved to 3-0 all-time vs. UMass and has also won all three of its appearances in the Rock-N-Roll Shootout ... Xavier defeated DePaul 73-56 in the opening game of the doubleheader ... Two-sport stars Brad Jackson and Brent Petrus combined for six points in 47 minutes. The duo left the football team to play in the UMass game and were scheduled to return to Boise Dec. 28 to resume preparation for the Humanitarian Bowl Dec. 29 ... senior guard D'Juan Baker and sophomore forward Kenyon Martin served the second game of their three-game suspension for making illegal phone calls using UC access cards.
oul trouble for
Massachusetts forward Tyrone Weeks
was the straw that broke the camel's
back for the Minutemen in their
overtime loss to Cincinnati Saturday.
The Bearcats pulled out a 74-66 win in
the Gatorade Rock-N-Roll Shootout
in Cleveland.
Weeks was limited to just 31 minutes in the overtime contest due to foul woes.
He went to the bench with his third foul with 16:40 left to play. He was barely back in the game when he picked up his fourth. Twelve minutes remained.
Weeks finally returned with 5:51 to go, and Cincinnati holding a three-point lead. The Minutemen were sparked by his return, and rallied to retake the lead at 58-52 with three minutes to go.
However, Cincinnati came back down the stretch to tie the game at 62 and send the contest into overtime.
In the extra period, the Bearcats outscored UMass 12-2 for the win.
Freshmen Monty Mack and Jonathan DePina led UMass with 16 and 15 points respectively. Mack made some clutch plays in the contest before fouling out late in regulation.
DePina struggled with his shot, hitting just 5 of 12. He was 4-9 from the free throw line, and his misses included some key opportunities late in the game.
"I've just got to get us out of the doldrums right now," said UMass head coach Bruiser Flint. "I'm looking in their faces during the huddles and seeing blank stares. We've just got to get back to the basics."
Weeks' foul trouble disabled much of the UMass game. Defensively, UC's inside game opened up with Weeks on the bench. Offensively, the Minutemen had to work twice as hard to get good looks.
Bearcat forward Bobby Brannen scored 15 of his game-high 32 points while Weeks was out of the game for nearly eight minutes of the second half. Fourteen of Brannen's points came from the foul line, a result of UMass having to compensate for getting beat by the 6-foot-7-inch Bearcat.
"We came into the game with the idea that we were going to get the ball inside to Bobby and have him take it at their big people," said Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins.
Brannen used his versatile attack to make the most of Weeks' absence He hit several 8- to 10-foot jump shots early, and UMass reacted by coming out on him when he set up for them later in the contest.
"I noticed in the second half that when I was squaring up, they were coming out hard on me," said Brannen. "I tried to take one or two dribbles to get around them."
Having Weeks on the floor shored up the UMass defense down low, and made it harder for Brannen to penetrate.
In the first half, Weeks sparked a strong showing from the Minutemen. He grabbed 11 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive end, while scoring six points.
Weeks also blocked one shot and recorded three steals, holding Cincinnati's starting big men to a combined 10 points on 4-20 shooting.
UC's starting forwards, Melvin Levett and Brannen, came into the game averaging 15.6 rebounds per game, but mustered just four against UMass in the first half. The Weeks-led Minutemen outrebounded the Bearcats 24-16 in the first half.
When Weeks was in the game, UMass came to life. On offense, the Minutemen pushed the ball in to Weeks in the post. When he got double teamed, Weeks kicked the ball right back out, and UMass would swing the ball to the open man for a shot.
Defensively, Weeks was a presence inside, recording a Shootout record six steals. However, upon returning with four fouls, his game grew timid.
Weeks grabbed only two more rebounds after halftime. He ended with eight points and 13 boards. UMass also struggled as a team. The rebounding edge that the Minutemen held in the first half was depleted, and the Bearcats outrebounded them 45-41 in the contest.
UMass has a week off before opening its Atlantic 10 slate Saturday at St. Joseph's.
| Massachusetts Minutemen | 66 | OT |
| Cincinnati Bearcats | 74 | |
| Gatorade Rock 'n Roll Shootout at Gund Arena, Cleveland OH | ||
MASSACHUSETTS (66)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Clarke 44 3-10 0-0 1-3 2 3 6
Mack 33 7-16 1-2 0-2 4 5 16
Babul 25 1-3 1-2 1-1 0 2 3
Weeks 31 4-6 0-0 2-13 0 4 8
Basit 23 3-6 2-3 5-7 0 4 8
Ketner 36 4-9 2-2 1-8 2 4 10
DePina 31 5-12 4-9 0-2 1 4 15
Kirkland 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 225 27-63 10-18 10-36 9 27 66
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.429, FT-.556. 3-Point Goals:
2-9, .222 (Clarke 0-5, Mack 1-3, DePina 1-1).
Team rebounds: 5. Blocked shots: 11 (Basit 6,
Ketner 3, Weeks 2). Turnovers: 14 (Clarke 4,
DePina 3, Mack 3, Basit 2, Babul, Weeks). Steals:
9 (Weeks 6, Clarke 2, Mack).
CINCINNATI (74)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Horton 35 4-7 2-4 0-2 4 3 10
Levett 38 1-13 4-6 2-4 0 2 7
Fletcher 34 1-7 0-0 2-8 2 2 2
Brannen 42 9-22 14-18 5-12 1 3 32
Petrus 34 3-4 0-0 0-5 1 3 6
Jackson 13 0-0 0-0 1-1 0 1 0
Myrick 29 6-8 2-7 2-8 0 3 17
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 225 24-61 22-35 12-40 8 17 74
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.393, FT-.629. 3-Point Goals:
4-11, .364 (Levett 1-7, Fletcher 0-1, Myrick
3-3). Team rebounds: 5. Blocked shots: 2
(Fletcher, Horton). Turnovers: 13 (Horton 9,
Levett 2, Brannen, Fletcher). Steals: 7 (Horton
2, Levett 2, Myrick 2, Fletcher).
_______________________________________
Massachusetts 30 32 4 - 66
Cincinnati 24 38 12 - 74
_______________________________________
Technical fouls: Cincinnati 1 (Bench). A:
12,324. Officials: David Dodge, David Bair, John
Moreau.
