The UMass Minutemen joined the Washington Huskies in the quarterfinals of the 2012 NIT with a 77-67 second-round win over No. 1 seed Seton Hall. The Minutemen went into historic Walsh Gymnasium and held the Pirates to just 35 percent from the floor and 19 percent from three-point range to pull away in the second half for the ten-point win.
2012 NIT Tournament Bracket Update: UMass Advances To Quarterfinals With 10-Point Win Over Seton Hall
Chaz Williams got consistent penetration and led UMass with 20 points, getting to the line 14 times and hitting 10 free-throws. Raphiael Putney did work on the interior grabbing eight rebounds and adding 15 points on just seven attempts from the floor. While UMass shot poorly from the outside, the defensive pressure at the three-point line held the Hall from getting back in it and threatening down the stretch.
The Minutemen are playing their best basketball of the season after advancing to the finals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament before they were bounced out in the final minute by St. Bonaventure. Their solid play continued in Jersey, knocking off a Big East team that many felt was headed to the Big Dance. They will now face the winner of Drexel and UNI on Tuesday night. A complete NIT bracket below:
For more on the NIT, be sure to check out our NCAA basketball hub. A full bracket can be found here and be sure to check out our 2012 NCAA Tournament hub for more on the Big Dance.
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