National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Massachusetts 77, Temple 71
When: 12:00 PM ET, Friday, March 9, 2012
Where: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Officials: # Eric Anderson, # Ken Clark, # Brent Hampson
Attendance: N/A
By SportsDirect Inc.

Massachusetts 77, Temple 71: Jesse Morgan scored 21 points and Chaz Williams added 20 points and 10 assists as the Minutemen upset the Owls in the Atlantic-10 tournament quarterfinals in Atlantic City, N.J.

Williams and Morgan combined for eight points during an 11-3 run that put No. 8 seed UMass (22-10) up for good 68-64 with 4:13 remaining. The Minutemen forced top-seeded Temple into 22 turnovers, 14 in the second half.

UMass ran off the first 15 points of the second half – seven by Morgan – to take a 48-38 lead. The Owls (24-7), ranked 24th nationally, battled back to take a 61-57 advantage after a Juan Fernandez 3-pointer with 8:06 remaining.

The Minutemen, who made 9 for 16 from 3-point range, will play the winner of Friday’s St. Bonaventure-St. Joseph’s game at 1 p.m., Saturday in the semifinals.

Khalif Wyatt, who did not start for disciplinary reasons, had 15 points and Ramone Moore 14 to lead Temple.

Temple led by as many as nine in the opening 20 minutes, but settled for a 36-31 lead at halftime. Massachusetts made just 12 for 32 from the field in the first half.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Temple had four or more players scoring in double figures for the 17th time this season. …The Owls beat UMass 90-88 in overtime Feb. 29. … Micheal Eric had 11 rebounds for Temple.
Top Game Performances
 
Massachusetts   Temple
Jesse Morgan 21 Scoring Khalif Wyatt 15
Chaz Williams 10 Assists Juan Fernandez 6
Sean Carter 8 Rebounds Michael Eric 11
Chaz Williams 8 Free Throws Made Khalif Wyatt 5
Terrell Vinson 4 Steals Khalif Wyatt 5
Sean Carter 2 Blocks Anthony Lee 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Massachusetts 77 43.5 9-16 14-20 14 27 4 14 13
Temple 71 45.6 7-17 12-15 18 36 5 10 22