University of Massachusets Athletics
Tuesday, February 18
Amherst, Mass.
7:00 p.m.
University of Massachusetts
67
vs
63
Saint Louis
Minutemen Storm Back To Knock Off Saint Louis, 67-63
February 18, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Tre Mitchell scored 22 points in the second half to erase a 10-point deficit
AMHERST, Mass. – Trailing by 10 points early in the second half, the UMass men's basketball team (11-15, 5-8) responded with a 58% shooting performance and got 22 second half points from freshman Tre Mitchell to fight back and knock off Saint Louis (18-8, 7-6) on Tuesday night at the Mullins Center, 67-63.
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The victory marks the first for Massachusetts over the Billikens since the 2014-15 season, and is the 10th win of the season at the Mullins Center.
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In a second half that saw five ties and five lead changes, it was a three-pointer from captain Carl Pierre that put the Minutemen up for good with less than two minutes to play before a Mitchell bucket in the final seconds gave the hosts a two-possession lead.
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Mitchell finished the night with 24 points after exploding in the second half, going 9-of-16 overall along with three rebounds, two assists and three blocks. It is the ninth 20-point game of the season for the Pittsburgh, Pa. native, who led three Minutemen in double figures including 14 points from Dibaji Walker off the bench (6-of-10 shooting) and 13 from Preston Santos. Sean East II led the way with a game-high seven assists.
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Jordan Goodwin led the Billikens with 22 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals, and was joined in double-figures by Javonte Perkins (19 points) and Demarius Jacobs (10 points).
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Saint Louis used three 10-0 runs during the opening 20 minutes to lead by as many as 16 points in the first half, with Perkins going 5-of-6 from the floor (3-of-3 from three) for 13 points to lead all scorers, while Goodwin added eight points and seven boards for the visitors.
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After Santos got UMass started early with the first six points of the game, Walker and the Minutemen went to work with seven minutes left in the half, going on a 9-0 run over 3:56, highlighted by seven straight points from Walker to bring Massachusetts within seven at the break.Â
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Despite the Billikens going up by 10 less than three minutes into the second half, the Minutemen continued to chip away until using a 9-0 run over 2:38 to take a 50-49 lead with 9:18 to play, their first lead since the 17:05 mark of the first half (6-4).Â
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The teams went punch-for-punch from there, with neither squad leading by more than four points the rest of the way in a second half that saw five ties and five lead changes until a three from Pierre to make it 65-62 with 1:49 to go put the hosts up for good.
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The Minutemen will head out on the road on Saturday when UMass travels to Fordham for a 4 p.m. tip on ESPN+.
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Tickets for the 2019-20 UMass men's basketball season are now on sale for all remaining home games in the Mullins Center. Tickets can be purchased now online through the UMass Athletics Ticket Central page, by calling the ticket office at 866-UMASS-TIX, or by visiting the Mullins Center Box Office.
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The victory marks the first for Massachusetts over the Billikens since the 2014-15 season, and is the 10th win of the season at the Mullins Center.
Â
In a second half that saw five ties and five lead changes, it was a three-pointer from captain Carl Pierre that put the Minutemen up for good with less than two minutes to play before a Mitchell bucket in the final seconds gave the hosts a two-possession lead.
Â
Mitchell finished the night with 24 points after exploding in the second half, going 9-of-16 overall along with three rebounds, two assists and three blocks. It is the ninth 20-point game of the season for the Pittsburgh, Pa. native, who led three Minutemen in double figures including 14 points from Dibaji Walker off the bench (6-of-10 shooting) and 13 from Preston Santos. Sean East II led the way with a game-high seven assists.
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Jordan Goodwin led the Billikens with 22 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and four steals, and was joined in double-figures by Javonte Perkins (19 points) and Demarius Jacobs (10 points).
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Saint Louis used three 10-0 runs during the opening 20 minutes to lead by as many as 16 points in the first half, with Perkins going 5-of-6 from the floor (3-of-3 from three) for 13 points to lead all scorers, while Goodwin added eight points and seven boards for the visitors.
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After Santos got UMass started early with the first six points of the game, Walker and the Minutemen went to work with seven minutes left in the half, going on a 9-0 run over 3:56, highlighted by seven straight points from Walker to bring Massachusetts within seven at the break.Â
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Despite the Billikens going up by 10 less than three minutes into the second half, the Minutemen continued to chip away until using a 9-0 run over 2:38 to take a 50-49 lead with 9:18 to play, their first lead since the 17:05 mark of the first half (6-4).Â
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The teams went punch-for-punch from there, with neither squad leading by more than four points the rest of the way in a second half that saw five ties and five lead changes until a three from Pierre to make it 65-62 with 1:49 to go put the hosts up for good.
Â
The Minutemen will head out on the road on Saturday when UMass travels to Fordham for a 4 p.m. tip on ESPN+.
Â
Tickets for the 2019-20 UMass men's basketball season are now on sale for all remaining home games in the Mullins Center. Tickets can be purchased now online through the UMass Athletics Ticket Central page, by calling the ticket office at 866-UMASS-TIX, or by visiting the Mullins Center Box Office.
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Players Mentioned
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