Second Half Run Helps Lift Bonnies Over Minutemen, 83-71

OLEAN, N.Y. – UMass knocked down 16 3-pointers but fell to St. Bonaventure 83-71 on the road in the Reilly Center on Wednesday night. The Bonnies (16-7 Overall, 8-4 Atlantic 10) took control with a 13-0 run early in the second half to build its then largest lead of the night.

Nine of the first 10 made field goals from the Minutemen (11-13 Overall, 4-8 A-10) came from 3-point range as they opened the game with their first six made field goals from behind the arc. UMass finished the half 9-of-19 from deep to take a 37-36 lead into the locker room at the break. Weeks led the 3-point barrage with four in the first half on his way to finishing the game with five for a team-high 19 points.

UMass held St. Bonaventure scoreless for nearly five minutes near the halfway point of the first following a flagrant foul that led to a four-point possession for the Bonnies. The Minutemen answered a 7-0 Bonnies run with a 6-0 run of their own to take a 27-23 advantage with 5:14 left in the half following a Rich Kelly triple. Kelly knocked down three from range in the first half and made four to finish with 14 points.

Noah Fernandes scored or assisted on 10 of the first 12 UMass field goals and wrapped up the first half with eight assists. Fernandes dished out a new career-high 12 assists on his way to posting his second career double-double with 14 points.

The Bonnies used a 13-0 run to take a 56-45 advantage after the Minutemen held a 45-43 lead. St. Bonaventure outscored UMass 21-6 over 8:30 of game time and shot 67-percent from the field and 80-percent from range through the first 12 minutes.

UMass followed by outscoring St. Bonaventure 20-6 to pull within seven points with 3:38 remaining on a Fernandes 3-pointer. The Bonnies answered back by making six of their next seven attempts from the field, including three of their last four from deep to stretch the lead back to 10 with just under two minutes remaining.

Trent Buttrick grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to tie his career-high mark. Buttrick's night on the glass gave him his second double-digit rebound game over the last three and the fourth game in the last 11 contests.

The Minutemen return home to the Mullins Center on Saturday for a noon tip against La Salle.

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

Next Event

Team Stats

T.J. Weeks Jr.

Noah Fernandes

Rich Kelly

Trent Buttrick

Players Mentioned

Trent Buttrick

Noah Fernandes

Rich Kelly

Players Mentioned

Trent Buttrick

Noah Fernandes

Rich Kelly

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics