Massachusetts
Massachusetts Cruises Past Richmond, 69-59 – University of Massachusetts Athletics
RICHMOND, VA. – Massachusetts (16-8, 7-5 Atlantic 10) picked up a impactful conference road win against Richmond (17-7, 9-2 A-10), 69-59, on Wednesday night at the Robins Center. The Minutemen defeated Richmond, the no. 1 team in the A-10 standings, in the Robins Center for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.
The Minutemen were led by Matt Cross who recorded his fourth double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Keon Thompson continued to dominate as the sophomore guard posted his seventh consecutive double figure performance. Thompson went 4-8 for 13 points in 33 minutes.
Freshmen Jaylen Curry and Rob Davis Jr. Both had solid outings as the duo combined for 20 points with five three pointers.
The Spiders were led by Jordan King who had a team high 11 points. Dji Bailey and Isaiah Bigelow each had 10 in the loss.
Breaking Down The Action
- After both teams struggled to score the first basket of the game, Keon Thompson found Matt Cross wide up underneath the basket for an easy layup at 17:08.
- Thompson put UMass up 6-2 at the 15:34 mark with a strong take to the rim.
- Jaylen Curry scored his first bucket of the game to give the Minutemen an 8-6 lead.
- After Thompson knocked down a pair of free throws, Curry blocked a Mikkel Tyne jumper to keep UMass out in front.
- Less than a minute later, Tyne fouled Curry on a three-point attempt and the freshman calmly made all three giving UMass a 15-9 lead.
- Robert Davis Jr. Pulled down a defensive rebound and hit a three in transition for his first points of the game.
- On the next possession, Curry hit the second three in a row for UMass to give them their first double-digit lead of the game.
- After checking in, Tyler Mason scored his first collegiate basket, forcing Richmond to take a timeout as UMass led 23-11 with 8:47 remaining in the half.
- Davis Jr. And Curry each hit their second three while Daniel Hankins-Sanford scored his first bucket to give the Minutemen a 14-point advantage over the Spiders.
- After nearly a four-minute scoring drought for UMass, a Thompson layup and a pair of Cross buckets gave the Minutemen 37-24 advantage going into the break.
- In the second half, Davis Jr. hit Josh Cohen with a beautiful pass for the first basket for UMass in the half. On the next possession, Davis Jr. knocked down his third three of the game and the Minutemen were up 44-27.
- After a tough shooting first half, Rahsool Diggins hit his first three to put UMass up 16.
- The Spiders would eventually go on a run, cutting the UMass lead to eight and forcing the Minutemen to call a timeout.
- UMass however would reclaim their double-digit lead as Cross made three free throws to go up 54-43 at the under-eight media timeout.
- At 3:38, Curry hit a pull up jumper to put UMass up 63-50.
- Cross converted a three-point play with 1:18 to give UMass a 66-54 lead.
- UMass would go on to get one of their biggest wins of the season, taking down Richmond 69-59.
New Kids On The Block
- Freshman guard Jaylen Curry led the newcomers with 13 points, 11 of which came in the first half. Curry also had a pair of steals and a block.
- Saint Francis transfer Josh Cohen had a solid outing, scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
- Robert Davis Jr. went 3-4 from downtown to give him nine points in 25 minutes.
- Tyler Mason scored his first collegiate basket in the win.
Numbers To Know
- .875: UMass had their second-best night from the charity stripe, going 21-24.
- 4: The Minutemen held Richmond to just four second chance points
- 6: The Spiders only had six offensive rebounds, tied for the least amongst UMass opponents.
- 4: Senior forward Matt Cross notched his fourth double-double of the season on 16 points and 13 rebounds.
- 7: Keon Thompson scored in double figures for the seventh game in a row, finishing the contest with 13 points and nine rebounds.
- 17: UMass dominated on the glass, having a +17 differential in rebounds (46-29), their largest of the season.
Year Two Under Coach Martin
- Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 31-24 record leading the Minutemen.
- Martin now sits with a 319-225 collegiate career record.
Series History
- UMass now holds a 9-17 record all-time versus the Spiders, claiming/dropping the 26th matchup between the two programs.
Up Next
- The Minutemen stay on the road for a Saturday night showdown with La Salle on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Tom Gola Arena. The broadcast can be found on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).