AMHERST — After dropping their Atlantic 10 opener, UMass basketball players were eager to get back on the court.

Freshman guard Luwane Pipkins said Friday’s loss to St. Bonaventure raised the bar for the Minutemen as they prepare for tonight’s 7 o’clock game against George Mason in Fairfax, Virginia.

“Conference play is totally different than nonconference play,” he said. “I knew it was going to be harder in conference, but I didn’t know it was going to be that hard in conference. I have to get ready and play my role. I’m very eager. We took a major L so we have to come back with a major win.”

UMass hasn’t lost two in a row all season.

“We didn’t want to start out that way at all. We’ve had a couple tough practices against each other and we got our rhythm back. We hope when we go to George Mason we show up,” sophomore Rashaan Holloway said. “None of us like losing. When we lose, we find a way to get back to winning.”

Playing on Friday gave the Minutemen an extra practice day than they’d have in a usual Saturday-Wednesday conference routine. Coach Derek Kellogg was glad to have it after having only a day between Georgia State and St. Bonaventure.

“We needed practice time. Some things showed against St. Bonaventure. I think the guys are more in tune with how hard we want to play and the things we want to do,” he said. “Offensively we needed some work to be sharing the basketball a little more. We need to be attacking. You can’t really share the ball until you can get in the paint some. Let’s get the ball into the paint one way or another, whether it’s a post up or a drive. We need to get some defensive stops to get our transition game going.”

Kellogg said his team’s room for error during its early slate of Atlantic 10 games is small.

“From the Georgia State game through the next couple of weeks we have a pretty tough stretch,” he said. “To be in those games we have to play well. This will be a good first step toward that (tonight).”

Sophomore center Malik Hines made the trip but his status for tonight won’t be determined until game time.

“He’s getting better. He could be a game-time decision if he goes through shoot-around and moves the right way,” Kellogg said.

Whether or not Hines plays, Kellogg said that freshman big man Chris Baldwin, who played well in extended minutes Friday, will see more playing time.

“He needs to play. He brings energy. At some point, he’ll be a double-double guy,” Kellogg said. “Moving forward in the league, when it gets more half-court oriented and a little rougher, he can help us win games.”

George Mason enters the game in a similar situation as the Minutemen. Both teams are 10-4 overall and 0-1 in the Atlantic 10. GMU fell to VCU, 73-64, on the road, Saturday.

The Patriots opened the season 1-3, with losses to Towson, Mount St. Mary’s and Houston, but have since won nine straight. They need one win to match last year’s 11-21 season.

A big reason for the success is senior guard Marquise Moore. He’s tied for 13th in the nation with 10.7 rebounds per game, which leads the conference by a long shot. Nobody else averages more than 8.5 per game. He’s one of only two guards in the top 20 in Division I. The other, Memphis’ Dedric Lawson, is 6-foot-9. Moore is 6-foot-2.

“He defensive rebounds at a clip of around nine (8.7) per game. Every time he does that, it gives them an opportunity to get in transition, which makes them a little more dangerous than they’ve been,” Kellogg said.

On the strength of Moore’s efforts, Mason leads the conference in rebounding margin, grabbing 9.0 more boards per game than its opponents.

Moore is ninth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring with 17.5 points per game. Sophomore point guard Otis Livingston is second with 14.9 points and 3.6 assists per game.

UMass will stay on the road after the game and visit VCU on Saturday.