SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) UMass point guard Chaz Williams is at least 13 inches shorter than Eric Mika, yet that didn't stop him from going nose-to-uniform number with the BYU forward.

"Once guys started pushing and shoving, I just told them to keep it together," Williams said after supplementing his career highs for points and assists by stepping into the middle of a minor skirmish and leading No. 21 UMass to a 105-96 victory over Brigham Young. "I think it carried over. The energy got us fired up."

Williams scored 32 points and added 15 assists, and Sampson Carter scored 20 points Saturday to lead the Minutemen to their eighth straight victory. Raphiael Putney added 15 points for UMass (8-0) in the third annual Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase, played down the street from the basketball shrine in the town where James Naismith invented the sport.