After multiple games this season filled with heartbreak in the final minute, UMass (19-8, 10-7 A10) triumphed again with a 69-67 victory against the Davidson Wildcats (15-14, 5-11). The Minutemen picked up their fourth road win of the season, their highest mark since 2014-15.
Forward Matt Cross led UMass in points, but guard Rashool Diggins was another key player nabbing 13 points and hitting four out of UMass’ five total triples. Forward Daniel Hankins-Sanford picked up 10 points and 12 boards giving him his second double-double of the season.
Davidson opened the game with the first basket, a layup off the hands of guard Connor Kochera. Forward Josh Cohen followed back with two points of his own on the next possession and both teams were off to the races.
UMass’ frontcourt was dominant once again today. Collectively they scored UMass’ first 17 points of the day.
Both squads were cold from beyond the arc all day long. Both teams shot a combined 3/19 from long range in the first half. Together they only hit five in the entire game. UMass picked up four from Diggins and another from guard Jaylen Curry. Villanova transfer Angelo Brizzi knocked down one in each half for the Wildcats.
Another player who showed out throughout the game for Davidson was guard Grant Huffman. His nine assists on the day were his second-highest total of the season which he paired with 14 points. UMass defense struggled to defend the Wildcats cutting to the basket and Huffman’s passing ability was a key contributor.
Despite a 10-0 run for Davidson early in the half, UMass went into the locker room with a 35-31 lead. With their victory, they are now 15-4 this season when leading at halftime. The key for UMass in the first half was winning the rebounding battle 20-14 and getting second-chance opportunities.
Guard Reed Bailey started the second half hot for the Wildcats. He picked up seven of Davidson’s first 12 points of the half. Overall, he led the team with 22 points on the day.
Forward Jayden Ndjigue had a quiet afternoon on the offensive end with just four points, but on the defensive end, he had three blocks including a crucial one on Kochera that allowed Cross to score a layup in transition.
Hankins-Sanford had a tremendous day overall but was pivotal in the second half on the glass picking up eight rebounds including four on the offensive end.
Down the stretch, UMass was never able to build a lead of more than three points and with just under 90 seconds to go, Davidson took a three-point lead off of a Kochera layup. Cross countered immediately and drilled four straight free throws on back-to-back possessions to give UMass a 67-66 lead.
Davidson got a chance to shoot late free throws but fell short giving UMass their 19th victory of the season their most since 2014-15.
Looking ahead, UMass will return to Amherst for their final home game of the regular season against the Fordham Rams (12-17, 6-10). Fordham has struggled as of late losing five of their last seven.
The Rams are not elite on offense scoring 71.7 points per game this season which ranks 13th in the conference. On the other end of the floor, Fordham is allowing 73.6 points per game, 11th in the conference.
Fordham allows their opponents to hit 36.6 percent of their shots from three, the highest number in the A10. However, UMass is the worst three-point shooting team in the conference.
Fordham is led on offense by guard Kyle Rose. After a slow start, Rose has found his groove averaging 10.8 points per game. He is coming off a season-high 31-point performance against St. Josephs last weekend. Rose can be dangerous from deep as well averaging two triples per game.
Fordham also boasts one of the best rebounders in the conference, Abdou Tsumbila. He averages 2.5 offensive boards per game which is tied for first with UMass’ cross and forward Josh Cohen. Tsimbila is also second in the conference with 2.4 blocks per game.
With a victory, UMass will pick up their sixth season with 20 or more wins since the 1998-99 season. The Minutemen will need a bounceback game from Cohen who only scored eight against Davidson. UMass could also benefit if Diggins, Curry or Cross can get hot from long range against the worst three-point defending team in the A10.
