AMHERST, Mass. – Cady Lalanne just might be the missing link for UMass. His play of late seems to indicate as much, and on Saturday, he was a difference-maker in the Minutemen’s 76-66 win over Dayton. He showed what they’ve needed from him all year in a season that has been hampered by things outside of performance on the court.
Lalanne scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds on Saturday to help the Minuteman out-rebound a Dayton team that is pretty good on the glass. The Flyers entered the day with the fourth-best rebounding margin in the Atlantic 10, while the Minutemen held the slightest of edges on the season. But the Minutemen had a 36-27 edge on the glass on the afternoon, including 13 rebounds, and that made a big difference.
“I thought the game was starting to turn the side as the second shots accumulated late in the second half,” said Dayton head coach Archie Miller.
The big reason UMass won the game was their second chances. They were able to keep Dayton playing from behind most of the afternoon despite not shooting as well as the Flyers and giving the ball away an additional time. Lalanne had seven of their 13 offensive rebounds, while Terrell Vinson had three to go along with two clutch three-pointers that helped seal the game late. UMass turned the extra possessions into just a 15-8 edge in second-chance points, but that was enough in the end.
Lalanne had help, but he was the key. He showed plenty of promise last season in averaging 6.7 points and 5.6 assists per game in less than 15 minutes a night. A foot injury shelved him for the second half of the season, so he didn’t get to show it much more. This season, he started the first six games, then got suspended after an off-court incident and has been banged up of late. He didn’t start again until Wednesday night’s loss to St. Bonaventure, but leads the team in rebounding and showed what he’s capable of on Saturday.
“It was nice to see Cady solidify the middle for us, especially on the boards,” said head coach Derek Kellogg. “I actually think he still has another gear or two that he can play at.”
He’s not alone in that regard, as point guard Chaz Williams expects more.
“20 and 20 guy every night,” said the junior point guard, who handed out nine assists on the afternoon, with a laugh. “That’s what I expect from him.”
Lalanne not only healed from his injury, but also dropped his body fat from 11 to 9 percent in the off-season. With some key players gone in the frontcourt, he was likely to get plenty of chances this season. Javorn Farrell’s ankle injury that has sidelined him all season, along with Izzy Freeman needing more time to develop before an academic issue arose, has added to the opportunity – and the responsibility.
Kellogg was mindful of the minutes Lalanne could play given that he’s been banged up, but kept him out there for 35 minutes. It probably helps that they don’t play again for a week.
“I had it going through my head about four or five times to get him out for a blow, and then I decided to go with my gut instinct and said, forget it,” said Kellogg. “He’s going to mature real fast this game. He’s going to learn to play hard for 35 minutes.”
Lalanne, who is averaging 12.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in his last five games, said he felt fine after the game. Of course, the result probably helps – a little.
“Anytime you score the ball and get a win, it’s always a good pain killer,” said the sophomore big man.
UMass heads to Xavier before returning home to host Butler and end the regular season at Rhode Island. An NCAA Tournament at-large bid won’t be coming, so the only way they reach the NCAA Tournament is by winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament. They will be tested at the end as they jockey for tournament seeding and try to head to Brooklyn playing well. Lalanne will be an X-factor in this, as he showed on Saturday that he might be just what this team has needed.
