News Release

— Behind Kipphut's Late Basket, Warriors Post Key LEC Victory

February 14, 2004 6:27 PM

Michael Kipphut... game-winner (Ken Sayers photo)
Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth erased a ten-point deficit in the final five minutes but senior forward Michael Kipphut (MERIDEN) spoiled the comeback by scoring the game-winning basket with 3.8 seconds left in a 65-63 Little East Conference victory Saturday afternoon at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.

Entering the game tied for fourth place in the conference, Eastern (13-10, 7-5 little east) moves into a three-way tie for third place with Western Connecticut State University and Rhode Island College. Western dropped into a tie following a 96-76 loss to conference leader Keene State College Saturday and Rhode Island kept pace with a 77-61 win over Southern Maine Saturday. UMass Dartmouth (11-12, 4-8 little east), a 12-time regular-season conference champion, remains in sixth place in the eight-team conference.

Each team has two regular-season games remaining before the first round of the playoffs Feb. 24, which has the top four seeds hosting the bottom four seeds in quarterfinal action.

Before sweeping the season series from UMass for the second time in three years, Eastern watched a ten-point lead evaporate in the final minutes when freshman forward Paul Pawlowski dropped in a baseline drive to pull the Corsirs even, 63-63 with 13 seconds left. Following a timeout, the Warriors inbounded from next to their own bench with 10.5 seconds left and got the ball on the block to Kipphut, who pump-faked twice and had his layup in traffic roll in with 3.8 seconds remaining.

In mid-January, Eastern had won 82-81 over UMass when senior forward Mike Bartunek (DURHAM) stole and inbound pass and scored in the final seconds.

Following Kipphut's go-ahead basket, UMass drove the length of the floor with time winding down but Eastern senior guard Christopher Morgan (NEW BRITAIN) stuffed sophomore guard Devon Maiorano's lunging three-point from the top of the key as the horn sounded.

Kipphut led all players with 18 points and also added a team-high ten rebounds. Senior guard Gordon Shepard (WATERBURY) had 12 points with just two turnovers in 34 mnutes, Morgan 11 points (three three-pointers) and seven rebounds and junior forward Jeroy Smith (NEW HAVEN) ten points and seven rebounds.

Trailing by ten, 58-48 with just under five minutes left, the Corsairs held Eastern scoreless from the floor, outscoring the hosts 11-1 to pull even 59-all with 1:24 left. Morgan drilled a long three-pointer to give Eastern a three-points 62-59 lead seconds later and the Warriors clung to a slim advantage until Pawlowski's game-tying bucket with 13 seconds left.

In holding UMass nearly 17 points under its scoring average, Eastern improved its home record to 10-3 with its sixth straight win at Geissler Gym. Six of the team's home wins have come by a combined total of 13 points and three have come on its final shot of the game in the closing seconds.

Junior forward Chris Lapriore led UMass with 17 points and all players with 11 rebounds. Lapriore had just six points and four rebounds in the first half but sparked the Corsairs after the break with 11 points and seven rebounds. Pawlowski added 12 points and eight rebounds for UMass, which has lost three straight.

Eastern hosts Keene State Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.