2008 Woodie Awards
UMass falls to Ohio State in NIT final
Michael King, Collegian staff
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Sports
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"It's been a great year; it's been a fun year," UMass coach Travis Ford said. "I thought it took one of Ohio State's best efforts to beat us. I'm just disappointed that there's no practice tomorrow. It's no coincidence that when you have great kids, success follows."
The Maroon and White found itself with an uncharacteristic five-point lead at halftime and the team outrebounded Ohio State. But it was the team's failure to defend the frontcourt against the Buckeyes and make open shots that led to its final loss.
In fact that rebounding edge (49-37) allowed UMass to disguise its poor shooting performance. Senior forward Gary Forbes struggled through a 6-for-21 night, including seven missed 3-point attempts. Junior point guard Chris Lowe shot an abysmal 1-for-12 despite registering 10 assists.
The scoring ability of sophomore guard Ricky Harris kept UMass within reach during the second half. He led all scorers with 27 points and earned himself a spot on the NIT All-Tournament team along with senior center Dante Milligan and Forbes.
Though both teams made the same number of field goals, it took UMass 30 more attempts to reach that figure. Without the Maroon and White's 30 offensive rebounds, the margin of victory would have been much greater for Ohio State.
"Our plan was to let UMass get every offensive rebound and just guard them the second time," Ohio State coach Thad Matta said in jest after the game.
Yet UMass's success on the glass did not translate into excellent low-post defense. In the first half, Milligan (14 points, nine rebounds) successfully adapted the physical play dictated by the officials, holding Buckeye forward Kosta Koufos to one made field goal.
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UMass Alum '75 & '79G
posted 4/06/08 @ 12:01 PM EST
WE'RE NUMBER 67!!!
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