Amherst, Mass. - The American International College men's basketball team dropped a 103-66 exhibition contest to the University of Massachusetts Thursday night at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen led 50-38 at halftime and opened the second half with a 14-3 run to put the game out of reach.
The Yellow Jackets held their own against UMass in the opening 10 minutes of the game, taking an early 12-5 advantage and led the Minutemen 23-21 after a layup from senior center
Tal Cohen (Hadera, Israel/Tichon Hadera) with 9:33 remaining in the first half.
UMass regained the lead for good just four seconds later on a three-pointer from senior forward/guard Gary Forbes (Brooklyn, N.Y./Benjamin Banneker Academy), which also started a 12-0 run for the Minutemen and gave them a 33-23 lead with 6:42 left in the opening period.
A three-pointer from sophomore forward
Ryan Leak (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bayside) and a layup from junior forward
Colson Senat (Montreal, Que./Vanier College) cut AIC's deficit to five at 33-28 with 6:13 left in the half, but UMass canned three straight three's in the next 1:10 to take control of the game at 42-28.
The Yellow Jackets struggled against the Minutemen's press all game, which resulted in 26 AIC turnovers that led to 35 UMass points. The Minutemen committed 11 turnovers in the game that resulted in 10 points for the Yellow Jackets. UMass was also able to run on AIC's defense and held a 30-3 advantage in fast break points.
Freshman forward
Byron Richards (Adelphia, Md./DeMatha Catholic) led AIC with 12 points, going 4-4 from the field and 3-3 from three-point range in the final seven minutes of the game. Junior forward
Lucius Millinder (Belleville, N.J./Belleville) added 11 points and six rebounds for the Yellow Jackets.
Sophomore guard Ricky Harris (Baltimore, Md./Winchendon School) led all scorers with 25 points and was one of six UMass players to score in double figures. Forbes finished with 17 points, five assists and four rebounds.
AIC will open the regular season Nov. 17 at Bridgeport University at 7 p.m.
