Chris Lowe fumbled away the Massachusetts men's basketball team's opportunity to play No. 5 Duke at Madison Square Garden next week, turning the ball over 10 times in a 80-73 loss to Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals of the 2K Sports Classic Wednesday night.
The Minutemen (1-1) had a 15-point lead in the first half and an 11-point advantage at halftime, but an 8-0 run to open the second half by the Salukis cut the lead to three. The teams were tied at 67 with three minutes remaining, but two Lowe turnovers and two 3-pointers by SIU resulted in a 10-0 run and the Saluki victory.
The SIU run began right after UMass appeared to re-gain the momentum after a thunderous dunk by Tony Gaffney off of a missed 3-point shot.
"I thought they fought their buts off and competed at a high level," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said after the game. "Southern Illinois made some great runs and I felt like our guys were wearing down a bit."
Kevin Dillard led the charge early in the second stanza for the Salukis, hitting four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of the half. A 3-pointer by Wesley Clemmons with under five minutes remaining gave SIU its first lead (63-61) since a 2-0 lead less than a minute into the game.
UMass guard Ricky Harris led all scorers with 24 points - connecting on four 3-pointers. Lowe had 17 points, but had no assists and 10 turnovers. Anthony Gurley had 15 for the Minutemen, while no other player had more than six.
The Salukis (2-0) were more balanced offensively, with four players in double figures and Clemmons with nine. Carlton Fay led SIU with 17.
"The one thing you realize is that it is very, very difficult to win on the road against a team that is a perennial NCAA tournament team," Kellogg said. "They have lost in [SIU Arena in Carbondale, Ill.] nine times since 2001 and we had them at the half and midway through the second half. We were right there with them."
UMass used Harris' hot first-half shooting and tough defense by Tony Gaffney (seven blocks) and Tyrell Lynch. Gaffney added nine rebounds and two steals.
Game notes
Luke Bonner left the game with a left knee injury midway through the first half. He did not return … Southern Illinois played 11 different players within the first four minutes of the game.
Kellogg signs recruit
Prior to Wednesday night's game, Kellogg announced the signing of Javorn Farrell to a National Letter of Intent.
Farrell, a 6-foot-5 swingman from Upper Marlboro, Md. just turned 18-years-old on Nov. 11. He is a junior at Riverdale Baptist High School.
"We are excited to get a player and a person with the character of Javorn Farrell to join our program," said Kellogg in a prepared statement. "I love his versatility as a player. He's a tough, physical hard-nosed player and will be physically ready to come in and help us right away."
Farrell was also recruited by Virginia Tech, George Mason, Florida Atlantic, South Florida and A-10 foe George Washington.
Eli Rosenswaike can be reached at erosensw@dailycollegian.com.
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