UMass could not overcome Central Connecticut on Wednesday, falling to 3-6 on the season after losing in a close 73-69 affair. The game marked the second in the Minutemen’s recent five-game home stand at the Mullins Center.
UMass held the edge in last year’s matchup, boasting an 89-60 blowout victory against the Blue Devils. The Minutemen also entered the game riding high after victories over NJIT and Harvard. Still, Central refused to let up, even after falling behind with less than five minutes to play in the game.
The contest opened up slowly in the scoring department for both teams, with each side struggling to get their offensive rhythm going early on. UMass’ Malek Abdelgowad set the tone early with aggressive drives to the rim on offense which translated into stifling defense on the opposite end of the floor.
Despite the slow offensive start, UMass clawed their way back after trailing early by six. Jaylen Curry ignited the offense, sinking a three and getting to the rack to keep the game close early.
Meanwhile, CCSU’s Jayden Brown dominated early, tallying an impressive nine points and six boards in the first half, helping the away side keep their narrow first-half lead.
Daniel Rivera, one of the Minutemen’s starting forward, helped propel a late 8-0 run in favor of UMass with 10 points of his own in the half on an efficient 4-8 shooting. However, this did not mask the overall shooting woes, as UMass shot 36.7% from the field and 62.5% on free throws, a recurring issue to start the year.
The second half told a different story, one with missed opportunities and momentum swings. The Minutemen began the second half with aggressive rebounding but continued to struggle in transition defense, allowing CCSU to capitalize with fast-break points.
Despite Rasool Diggins’ early shooting struggles (0 points in the first half), he remained a critical presence, eventually finding his offensive groove. Diggins’ two three-pointers brought UMass within one point with under eight minutes remaining and was just one of the bright spots for UMass with Rivera staying hot from the first half.
In the final moments of the game, however, UMass’s offense faltered, failing to score in the last 2:11 minutes of play. CCSU shot perfectly from the field on their last four attempts, sealing the game by forcing the Minutemen to foul with eight seconds remaining. Rivera notched his second consecutive double-double, leading the team in both points and assists in an impressive display despite the result.
Head Coach Frank Martin believes that his team needs to show more fight over the remaining non-conference schedule.
“I don’t worry about made threes,” Martin said. “I’m not worried about double-doubles. I’m worried about us figuring out a way to have guys that want to compete against competitive people.”
The next teams on the schedule, UMass Lowell and UMass Boston, are going to be tough opposition. In the absence of frontcourt powerhouse Daniel Hankins-Sanford, the Minutemen will have to show resilience to finish off their home-court stretch.
Conference play for UMass starts on Dec. 31 against Saint Joseph’s, the start of in-conference rivalries that will hopefully spark the tough, hard-nosed basketball Martin is looking for.
