This story originally ran in The Standard-Times on Nov. 23, 2002.

By Nick Tavares
Standard-Times correspondent

DARTMOUTH -- Going into last night's opener in the Hampton Inn Classic at UMass Dartmouth, Corsairs head coach Brian Baptiste was understandably worried about his inside game due to a rash of injuries.

As it turns out, it might not be such a problem after all.

Big men Sean Walsh, Jason Wiggins, Mike Lapriore and Ryan Surprenant all stepped up to fill the shoes of Brian Cagle and Chris Lapriore as UMD blew out Salve Regina, 78-56.

"When the season started, we had a lot of big guys," said Baptiste after the game. "Now we're a little bit shorthanded in that area, but the four guys we rotated in there I thought did a great job tonight."

Walsh led the four going 6-for-9 from field-goal range with 13 points and pulling down eight rebounds.

"I thought Walsh played a great game," said Baptiste. "He missed some easy shots, but he went right back after them and got his offensive rebounds."

The other forwards who filled in also drew praise from Baptiste.

"Mike Lapriore did a nice job. He's only 6-4 if he's lucky, but he plays very strong. He plays more of a power position than (Walsh) or Jason.

"Supe's (Surprenant) like Mike, he's a little bit of a bull. He sets good screens, he plays smart and he did nice job. All four of 'em."

Cagle is currently academically ineligible and Chris Lapriore is out with a broken jaw.

The Corsairs were able to build an early lead quickly, going into half-time leading the Seahawks, 44-20.

Senior guard Tim Gaspar lead the way with 11 points in the first half and 16 total to go along with five assists.

"The first half was fantastic," said Baptiste. "I thought Timmy did a good job of controlling the team, going by his man when he should have."

The Corsairs will play Wheaton tomorrow at 3 p.m. in an effort to capture their fourth consecutive Hampton Inn Classic title. Wheaton defeated Bowdoin 82-78 yesterday.

This story appeared on Page B1 of The Standard-Times on November 23, 2002.