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).
Massachusetts
Massachusetts orders DraftKings to pay $934K after it botched MLB parlay bets
A costly sportsbook screwup left DraftKings on the hook for nearly $1 million after Massachusetts regulators ordered the payouts tied to a botched MLB parlay scheme.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 5-0 on Thursday to reject DraftKings’ bid to void $934,137 in payouts stemming from a series of correlated parlays placed during MLB’s 2025 American League Championship Series, according to Bookies.com.
A Massachusetts customer wagered $12,950 total across 27 multi-leg parlays on Toronto Blue Jays player Nathan Lukes, exploiting an internal DraftKings configuration error that allowed the bettor to stack multiple versions of the same bet into one wager.
DraftKings told regulators the bets should never have been accepted and argued the patron acted unethically by taking advantage of an obvious error.
Commissioners flatly rejected that argument.
The wagers were tied to DraftKings’ “Player to Record X+ Hits in Series” market during the seven-game ALCS between Toronto and Seattle.
Because of a misclassification inside DraftKings’ trading tools, Lukes was incorrectly labeled a “non-participant” rather than an active player.
That designation disabled safeguards designed to block bettors from parlaying correlated outcomes from the same market.
As a result, the bettor was able to combine multiple Lukes hit thresholds — including 5+, 6+, 7+ and 8+ hits — into single parlays, functionally creating an inflated wager on Lukes recording eight or more hits at dramatically enhanced odds.
The bettor also added unrelated, high-probability legs, including NFL moneyline bets, to further juice payouts.
Lukes ultimately appeared in all seven games and finished the series with nine hits, clearing every threshold.
Of the 27 parlays placed, 24 hit cleanly. Only three lost due to unrelated college football legs involving Clemson, Florida State and Miami.
During a heated exchange at Thursday’s commission meeting, DraftKings executive Paul Harrington accused the patron of fraud and unethical conduct.
Commissioners bristled. One of them, Eileen O’Brien, blasted DraftKings for casting aspersions on the bettor without evidence and said the situation did not meet the standard of an “obvious error.”
“An obvious error is a legal and factual impossibility,” O’Brien said. “This is an advantage that the patron took.”
She added that DraftKings’ internal failures — not the bettor’s conduct — created the situation.
“We need to seriously consider giving voice to the consumer and getting their half the story,” O’Brien said. “The compulsion to pay will in fact encourage compliance.”
Other commissioners echoed that view, emphasizing that it is the operator’s responsibility to ensure the integrity of its markets.
The commission noted that DraftKings acknowledged the root cause was internal — a configuration failure within its own trading tools — and not the result of a third-party odds provider or external data feed.
Upon discovering the error, DraftKings pulled the affected markets, left the wagers unsettled pending regulatory guidance and implemented corrective fixes.
The company said no other Massachusetts customers were impacted, though the same issue appeared in two other jurisdictions.
The Post has sought comment from DraftKings.
Massachusetts
Deadline nears for Massachusetts Health Connector enrollment
SPRINGFIELD — With just days left before the Dec. 23 deadline, state and local leaders are urging uninsured residents to enroll in health coverage through the Massachusetts Health Connector to ensure they’re protected in the new year. The cutoff applies to anyone who wants coverage starting Jan. 1.
The Health Connector — the state’s official health insurance marketplace — is the only place residents can access financial assistance and avoid misleading “junk” policies that often appear in online searches, according to a statement from the agency.
Officials say the enrollment period is especially critical for people without job-based insurance, gig workers, newcomers to the state and anyone seeking affordable, comprehensive health plans.
At a press conference Wednesday at Caring Health Center’s Tania M. Barber Learning Institute in Springfield, health leaders emphasized that most people who sign up through the Connector qualify for help paying premiums through its ConnectorCare program.
Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, said the state has spent nearly two decades committed to ensuring access to health care and offering the most affordable coverage possible for everyone.
”And despite the federal challenges, we continue to do everything we can to offer coverage to everyone who needs it. Now is the time for people who don’t have coverage to come in, apply, and find out what kind of plan for which they qualify,” she said.
Open enrollment also gives current members a chance to review their coverage, compare options and make changes.
Recent changes in federal policy have caused shifts in coverage and higher premiums for many Massachusetts residents, creating uncertainty and concern, said Cristina Huebner Torres, chief executive vice president and strategy and research officer at Caring Health Center.
“During times like these, trusted, local support becomes even more essential, and our Navigators have been on the very front lines, helping residents understand their options, maintain coverage, and navigate a complex and evolving system,” Huebner Torres said.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts woman charged with DUI after Simsbury crash
SIMSBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — A Massachusetts woman was arrested Wednesday and charged with DUI after a crash in Simsbury, according to police.
The crash happened at around 2:15 p.m. on Hartford Avenue and Elm Street. Police responded to reports that one of the operators of the vehicles was unconscious, later becoming conscious.
Upon arrival, police found that operator, who was identified as 39-year-old Allison Beu of Southwick, Massachusetts, outside of her vehicle and interacting with the other involved parties.
The two occupants in the other vehicle were not transported to the hospital.
Beu was charged with DUI and failure to drive in proper lane.
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