Play of big men disappointing at UMass
Tim Bontemps
Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: Men's Basketball
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Coming into this season, the talk of the St. Bonaventure men's basketball program was the inside tandem of Paul Williams and Michael Lee. The pair adorned the cover of The Bona Venture basketball preview supplement, as well as other publications, and came into the season hyped as one of the best 1-2 combinations in the low post in the Atlantic 10.
In a season of inconsistent performances from the pair, however, none may have been more disappointing than Wednesday night's 83-44 throttling at the hands of Massachusetts in the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. Williams and Lee went up against the real premier pair of big men in the conference, seniors Stephane Lasme and Rashaun Freeman, and proved to be a lot closer to duds than the studs they were expected to be this season.
As he always seems to do, Williams managed to put up solid numbers Wednesday night, dropping 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. However, after being fourth in the A-10 in free throw percentage through the first 11 games of the season, Williams has gone 5-for-18 (28 percent) from the charity stripe over the last 60 minutes of action, including a dreadful 1-for-7 performance against the Minutemen.
While Williams at least put up some numbers against UMass, Lee simply failed to show up. The junior forward went a dismal 3-for-11 from the field, finishing the game with six points and two rebounds in 24 minutes. In a season full of up-and-down performances from the talented but inconsistent Lee, this ranked as one of his worst.
Meanwhile, Lasme and Freeman dominated the game. While they combined for just nine rebounds, they tore the Bonnies' big men apart on the offensive end, as each went 8-for-9 from the field. Lasme finished with 17 points, while Freeman ended up pouring in 16 for UMass.
A look at the combined statistics for the two big men for each team tells the story. For the Minutemen, Lasme and Freeman combined for 33 points on 16-for-18 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, two assists, three turnovers, a block and three steals. Williams and Lee, on the other hand, finished with 17 points on 8-for-22 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds, had no assists, six turnovers, no blocks and a single steal.
In a season of inconsistent performances from the pair, however, none may have been more disappointing than Wednesday night's 83-44 throttling at the hands of Massachusetts in the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass. Williams and Lee went up against the real premier pair of big men in the conference, seniors Stephane Lasme and Rashaun Freeman, and proved to be a lot closer to duds than the studs they were expected to be this season.
As he always seems to do, Williams managed to put up solid numbers Wednesday night, dropping 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. However, after being fourth in the A-10 in free throw percentage through the first 11 games of the season, Williams has gone 5-for-18 (28 percent) from the charity stripe over the last 60 minutes of action, including a dreadful 1-for-7 performance against the Minutemen.
While Williams at least put up some numbers against UMass, Lee simply failed to show up. The junior forward went a dismal 3-for-11 from the field, finishing the game with six points and two rebounds in 24 minutes. In a season full of up-and-down performances from the talented but inconsistent Lee, this ranked as one of his worst.
Meanwhile, Lasme and Freeman dominated the game. While they combined for just nine rebounds, they tore the Bonnies' big men apart on the offensive end, as each went 8-for-9 from the field. Lasme finished with 17 points, while Freeman ended up pouring in 16 for UMass.
A look at the combined statistics for the two big men for each team tells the story. For the Minutemen, Lasme and Freeman combined for 33 points on 16-for-18 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, two assists, three turnovers, a block and three steals. Williams and Lee, on the other hand, finished with 17 points on 8-for-22 shooting while grabbing 11 rebounds, had no assists, six turnovers, no blocks and a single steal.
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