University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Florida Gulf Coast
Last-Second Series Sends FGCU to Win over UMass
December 13, 2015 | Men's Basketball
FORT MYERS, Fla. - University of Massachusetts men's basketball rallied from a double-digit points deficit at Florida Gulf Coast in a Sunday matinee game but was unable to hold on down the stretch against the Eagles in a 77-76 loss at Alico Arena. Jabarie Hinds led for Minutemen in double-figures with 15 points.
Seth Berger tied his career high as he scored 14 while Donte Clark also had 14 points, all of which came during the decisive second half. Trey Davis added 13 with a pair of steals.
Tyler Bergantino provided a career-high seven rebounds to go with two steals in his second consecutive game playing back in his home state of Florida. C.J. Anderson totaled nine points with four boards and a team-best four assists against only one turnover during a personal-best 31 minutes played.
The game came down to the final two plays. Trailing by two points with 10 seconds to go, Florida Gulf Coast's Rayjon Tucker hit a driving layup and went to the line for the bonus after the officials called a foul on UMass. Tucker converted to turn the 76-74 FGCU disadvantage into the 77-76 final score. Massachusetts had one last look as time wound down, but Davis' left-side 3-pointer fell short to seal the contest.
Tucker finished with 15 points while Christian Terrell added 14. Marc-Eddy Norelia led both sides with 20 points to go with eight boards, though Norelia had 18 of his points and seven boards during the first half.
After the squad struggled in the first half, Massachusetts responded following the break with five consecutive points on a Rashaan Holloway layup and Zach Coleman 3-pointer one minute into the frame to pull even at 42-42 for the first time since the opening tipoff.
UMass and Florida Gulf Coast went back and forth the rest of the way as neither side was able to build a lead larger than five points during the remainder of the game.
FGCU led by four points, 72-68, with 2 minutes, 32 seconds to go following a Demetris Morant tip-in at the rim, but a six-point swing saw the Minutemen earn their one-basket advantage.
Davis sank two at the foul line with 2:17 to go before Clark hit the front end of a pair to cut the deficit to one. After Clark missed his second freebie, Bergantino corralled the loose ball and fed it back to Clark who dished to Davis for a triple and the 76-74 advantage with 92 seconds to play.
Down by 10 less than five minutes in, Hinds ignited the offense with a fastbreak layup as he fought through a foul to score and hit the ensuing free throw. Berger added back-to-back Minuteman scores at the hoop before Holloway put his name in the scoring column to close the gap to 16-11 and force an FGCU timeout with 10 minutes, 37 seconds to go in the first.
UMass started 1-of-12 from the floor, but created six Florida Gulf Coast turnovers to stay close as it worked through its shooting struggles. The frantic, up-and-down pace continued through the remainder of the half as Massachusetts closed within one point of tying twice but was unable to pull even.
Berger, who went 5-for-5 on field goals in the half, hit a layup with 4:01 to go in the frame to close it to 28-27, but the Eagles responded with a 16-9 run to push it back to an eight-point margin entering the final seconds of the half.
Davis prevented the Minutemen from entering the break down eight with late heroics from 3-point territory. The senior guard from Dallas, Texas, caught a pass near midcourt, dribbled toward the top of arc and beat the clock with a deep 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 42-37.
The Minutemen return to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for their next contest, a Wed., Dec. 16 tilt against New Orleans at 7 p.m. The game will feature a banner raising ceremony honoring former head coach and recent Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee John Calipari. Ticket information is available at UMassAthletics.com/tickets or via 866-UMASS-TIX.
