The UMass Minutemen trail the Stanford Cardinal, 36-33, in the Semifinals of the 2012 NIT at Madison Square Garden.
UMass and Stanford traded blows early before the Cardinal were able to build a lead. Turnovers and missed shots from the Minutemen allowed the Stanford lead to grow to 28-16 with 9:56 left to play. UMass' defense allowed them to settle down and claw back into the game as the half wound down. UMass had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer after a steal, but Javorn Farrell's three-point attempt hit back iron.
A potential turning point in the game came late in the half when UMass point guard Chaz Williams picked up his third foul.
UMass was led by 8 points from Raphiael Putney. Williams chipped in 7 points for the Minutemen. The Cardinal was led by 11 points from Josh Owens.
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