Dec 21, 2002

Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - A 3-pointer from Rob Dill, followed by one from the line from Andrew Pleick, all in the final seconds, boosted Lafayette past Massachusetts 54-52 on Saturday.

UMass (2-6) trailed most of the game before going ahead three times late in the second half. The loss was the second straight for the Minutemen, while Lafayette, which dropped its first five games of the season, has won its last three.

The Minutemen were ahead 52-48 with 2:03 to play after Jackie Rogers and Anthony Anderson both scored, but Dill made the next five points and Pleick the last one to complete the conquest for the Leopards.

Lafayette (3-5) led 29-26 at halftime.

DeBerry led Lafayette with 20 points, while Pleick had 10.

The Minutemen shot a lowly 35.8 from the field for the game. Micah Brand led UMass with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Rogers added 15 points and eight rebounds.

Lafayette virtually led for the entire first half, using an early 9-0 run to a 12-4 advantage. The Leopards later led by as many as 12 points, before UMass used a 10-0 run to pull within two at 27-25. Rogers had five points in the uprising.

Lafayette was 52.2 from the field in the first half, with DeBerry the leader with 9.

UMass shot 30 percent in the first half, despite 11 points from Brand.