Minutemen Fall To Dukes In A-10 Home Opener, 78-74

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team jumped out to an early lead but came up short in the Atlantic 10 home opener to Duquesne, 78-74, on Saturday afternoon in the Mullins Center. The Minutemen (7-7 Overall, 0-2 Atlantic 10) were led offensively by C.J. Kelly's 19 points while Rich Kelly added 16.

Michael Steadman helped the Minutemen jump out to an early lead in his first UMass start. The forward scored seven of his 13 points in the first four minutes as UMass built a 10-2 lead at the first media break and eventually extended the lead to 12 at 20-8 with 8:41 remaining in the opening half.

Defensively, the Minutemen held Duquesne (6-7 Overall, 1-0 Atlantic 10) to a 3-of-13 start from the field in the first eight minutes and change before the Dukes manufactured a 15-2 scoring run to take their first lead of the day with 2:31 left in the first. Duquesne finished the half shooting 40-percent from the field and shot 46-percent for the game.

Duquesne led by as many as eight points with 8:31 remaining in the game before UMass chipped away at the deficit to pull within a point following a pair of Rich Kelly free throws with just over two minutes on the clock. The graduate guard finished the game 7-for-8 from the line while the Minutemen went 19-of-20 from the stripe on the day.

The Dukes scored consecutive buckets following the UMass free throws to push the lead to five before a Steadman layup with :39 left got the Minutemen back within a possession. Duquesne's Jackie Johnson III hit a jumper with :10 left to help secure the win for the Dukes as he finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-14 from the field.

Noah Fernandes added 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Minutemen while Trent Buttrick pitched in seven points to go along with a game and career-high 10 boards.

The Minutemen head back out on the road for a Tuesday night matchup at Davidson before returning home to the Mullins Center for games against Rhode Island and Saint Louis.

For complete coverage of the UMass men's basketball team, follow the Minutemen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassBasketball and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

C.J. Kelly

Rich Kelly

Noah Fernandes

Michael Steadman

Players Mentioned

Trent Buttrick

Noah Fernandes

C.J. Kelly

Rich Kelly

Michael Steadman

Players Mentioned

Trent Buttrick

Noah Fernandes

C.J. Kelly

Rich Kelly

Michael Steadman

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics