Minutemen Host Billikens Tomorrow In A-10 Home Opener

University of Massachusetts Men's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 14	Massachusetts (9-4 Overall, 0-1 Atlantic 10) vs. Saint Louis (9-5 Overall, 1-0 Atlantic 10)
Date \| Time	Wednesday, Jan. 4 \| 7:30 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. \| Mullins Center
Tickets	Tickets
Watch	NESN \| 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 hosts Saint Louis tomorrow in the Mullins Center for the Atlantic 10 home opener. The Minutemen and Billikens tip off at 7:30 p.m. on NESN as part of a hoops doubleheader.

Series Split vs. SLU
The Minutemen split last season's two-game series with the Billikens with the help of a 91-85 win over Saint Louis last January. Noah Fernandes led five Minutemen in double figures with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-11 from the field with six assists. UMass shot 67-percent over the final 20 minutes in the win and 52-percent on the night.

He's Back
Noah Fernandes made his return to the starting lineup for the Atlantic 10 opener at St. Bonaventure on Saturday. Fernandes missed the previous five games as the Minutemen went 3-2 during the span. The guard finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 from the field with three assists in his return to the floor.

Into The Starting Lineup
Isaac Kante entered the starting lineup for the last two contests and is averaging 10.0 points and 7.5 rebounds per game since moving into a starting role. The fifth-year player posted his first UMass double-double and the 21st of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the A-10 opener at St. Bonaventure on Saturday. Kante has averaged 31 minutes per game over the last two.

Bench Boost
The Minutemen rank ninth nationally and lead the Atlantic 10 in bench points per game at 33.1. Dyondre Dominguez leads the bench crew with 8.6 points per game while RJ Luis adds 8.2 points per night.

Offensive Boards
UMass averages 12.9 offensive rebounds per night to rank 32nd nationally and second in the A-10. Matt Cross leads the Minutemen in rebounds with 6.3 per game, including a team-leading 28 offensive boards, as part of six players who average 4.0 or more rebounds per contest.

Kante Among Active Leaders
Isaac Kante ranks 31st among active Division I leaders in rebounds with 776 during his career while his 7.1 career rebound average ranks 50th. Kante has recorded 21 career double-doubles to rank 33rd-most among active players.

Martin's Night
Brandon Martin posted multiple season-high marks in Saturday's game at St. Bonaventure, setting new season-bests in points with 12 and rebounds with eight. Martin also knocked down a career-high two 3-pointers and logged a season-high 27 minutes.

Approaching 300
Head Coach Frank Martin is three wins away from reaching 300 for his collegiate coaching career and holds a 297-205 record. Martin won 171 career games in 10 seasons at South Carolina and picked up 117 wins in five seasons at Kansas State.

Looking Ahead
UMass follows Wednesday's home league opener with a road matchup at George Washington on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Minutemen return home to the Mullins Center for their next two contests beginning with La Salle on Jan. 11 before a rivalry matchup with Rhode Island on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4:30 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Matt Cross

Dyondre Dominguez

Noah Fernandes

Isaac Kante

RJ Luis

Brandon Martin

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics