The Massachusetts Minutemen are 20 minutes away from advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2012 NIT Tournament after controlling the first half with the Seton Hall Pirates Saturday morning at Walsh Gymnasium. UMass seized a 36-30 advantage at intermission with a fast-paced first half that suited the Minutemen well.

Chaz Williams paced UMass with six points, six rebounds and three assists, repeatedly breaking down the Seton Hall defense by getting into the paint. Maxie Esho added nine points, Raphiael Putney had seven and Sean Carter chipped in with five points and nine rebounds.

The victor meets the winner of Sunday's Drexel-Northern Iowa matchup in the 2012 NIT quarterfinals.

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