Men’s Hoops Begins Atlantic 10 Play Saturday At St. Bonaventure

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 13	Massachusetts (9-3 Overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10) at St. Bonaventure (6-7 Overall, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Date \| Time	Saturday, December 31 \| 2 p.m.
Location	St. Bonaventure, N.Y. \| Reilly Center
Tickets	Tickets
Watch	ESPN+
Game Notes	Massachusetts
Listen	WEEI (105.5 FM) \| WCRN (830 AM) \| Varsity Network App
Twitter	@UMassAthletics \| @UMassM BB
Instagram	UMass Basketball
Facebook	UMass Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team opens its 18-game Atlantic 10 slate tomorrow afternoon at St. Bonaventure. The Minutemen and the Bonnies tip-off at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ from the Reilly Center.

Atlantic 10 Opener
Saturday's matchup at St. Bonaventure marks the fourth consecutive year that the Minutemen have begun their conference campaign on the road.

Finding His Rhythm
Matt Cross is averaging 16.5 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per contest over the last four games. Cross has scored 19 twice during the span, including a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double against North Texas. The forward is shooting 44-percent from the field during the four-game stretch and 92-percent from the line. Cross also added 12 points and nine rebounds in the Hall of Fame Invitational win over Hofstra at the Barclays Center on his way to earning game four MVP honors.

A Win Would…
A win on Saturday would mark the first time that UMass has defeated St. Bonaventure since a 55-53 win in the Reilly Center on Feb. 11, 2015.

Bench Boost
The Minutemen rank seventh nationally and lead the Atlantic 10 in bench points per game at 34.1. Dyondre Dominguez leads the bench scoring with 9.3 points per game while RJ Luis adds 7.9 points per contest.

Hitting The Glass
UMass averages just under 13 offensive rebounds per game at 12.9 to rank second in the Atlantic 10 and 34th in the country in the category. Matt Cross leads the Minutemen in rebounding at 6.5 per game and averages 2.4 offensive rebounds a night.

Approaching Win No. 300
Head coach Frank Martin is three wins away from reaching 300 for his collegiate coaching career and holds a 297-204 (.593) record. Martin recorded 171 of his wins in 10 seasons at South Carolina and posted 117 victories in five seasons at Kansas State.

The Non-Conference Slate
UMass wrapped up non-conference play with a 9-3 record to rank tied for third-most among Atlantic 10 teams in wins. The Minutemen rattled off six consecutive wins for the first time since the 2014-15 season and got off to its best start through 10 games since 2013-14. UMass began the streak with three wins at the Myrtle Beach Invitational to claim the championship and posted a 6-1 record away from the Mullins Center.

Looking Ahead
The Minutemen return to the Mullins Center on Wednesday, Jan. 4 for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Saint Louis as part of a doubleheader with the women's team. UMass travels to George Washington on Jan. 7 before a pair of consecutive home games against La Salle (Jan. 11) and Rhode Island (Jan. 14).

Scoreboard

Men’s Hoops Begins Atlantic 10 Play Saturday At St. Bonaventure

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Players Mentioned

Matt Cross

Dyondre Dominguez

RJ Luis

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics