Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

Esho bringing depth to decimated frontcourt

Jeff Bernstein/Collegian

After injuries to Cady Lalanne and Sampson Carter, the Massachusetts men’s basketball team found itself in dire need of frontcourt depth. The Minutemen may have found their answer on Saturday night in Maxie Esho.

The freshman had his fingerprints all over the contest, leading UMass with his career-high 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting and made a number of plays in the final minutes that nearly lifted the Minutemen (18-8, 7-5 Atlantic 10) to a come-from-behind win over La Salle.

Esho’s performance earned him A-10 Rookie of the Week honors, which made him the first UMass player to win the award this season.

Just when the game appeared to be out of reach for the Minutemen, Esho delivered. The freshman completed an old-fashioned 3-point play to turn a four-point deficit into a one-point contest with 13 seconds remaining, giving UMass one last chance to send the game to overtime. Esho did most of his damage in the second half, dropping 10 points, providing energy and putting relentless pressure on La Salle in the full-court pressure.

UMass coach Derek Kellogg was impressed with the rookie’s play, but was frustrated that his production couldn’t yield a different result for the team. The usual cast struggled at times for the Minutemen, as Chaz Williams scored 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting and Jesse Morgan shot just 2-for-9 in his four-point night.

“You would think that if he has 18 points and six rebounds, that huge boost would give us the victory,” said Kellogg. “I thought he changed the complexion of the game with his energy and his athleticism.”
But while Esho soared in some regards, timely misses at the free throw line deflated UMass’ comeback bid. The rookie missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with the Minutemen trailing by a pair with 36 seconds left to play in the game.

Instead of a possible tie, the Explorers converted a free throw at the other end of the floor to make it a 3-point deficit. Esho went just 4-for-9 from the charity stripe –

part of UMass’ 9-for-18 performance as a team – a pivotal statistic, especially in such a close game.

The Minutemen and Esho were also on the wrong end of a pair of borderline whistles that loomed large in the end result. After converting an and-1 to give UMass its first lead in almost eight minutes at 63-62 with 3:54 remaining, Esho went to double team the Explorers’ Ramon Galloway deep in their own end. Galloway tried to escape the pressure by splitting the double team but knocked down an established Esho in the process. The referee whistled for a blocking foul instead of an offensive foul, sending the Mullins Center into complete disarray.

“We really can’t control the refereeing,” said Terrell Vinson. “They’re [going to] call it the way they [want to] call it so it was tough. We practice that every day and we know that when somebody’s stepping in between the trap, that’s a charge.”

Just a minute and 13 seconds later, Esho drove to the lane and cashed in a lay-in that would have given UMass a 68-66 advantage. However the freshman was whistled for an offensive foul to wipe away the lead, keeping the game knotted at 66.

In a game decided by one point, every possession is crucial and the Minutemen could have benefited from the extra possessions afforded to them had the calls gone the other direction.

“Sometimes the plays you don’t make and also a few things here or there lead to not coming away with a victory,” said Kellogg.

Despite the offensive foul call, Esho nearly catapulted UMass to a much-needed victory. The energy and spark he brought to the floor completely altered momentum and gave the Minutemen a chance at the end. And with a frontcourt decimated by injuries, it comes at an opportune time.

“This is great for our team that he’s playing the way he’s been playing as of late,” said Williams.

Kellogg agreed, saying Esho “needs to play more.”

With a difficult four-game stretch to close out the regular season and the A-10 tournament looming in March, Esho will likely see more time on the floor to help spare fellow big men Sean Carter, Vinson and Raphiael Putney from wearing down late in the year.

Saturday was a big night for the freshman, but he might just have more up his sleeve down the stretch to help maintain UMass’ playoff dreams.

Stephen Sellner can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Sellner.

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