Massachusetts Falls To Harvard In Overtime Nailbiter, 78-75

AMHERST, Mass. - Massachusetts (2-1) fought hard in the paint and on the glass but fell 78-75 in an overtime battle to Harvard (4-0) on Friday evening at the Mullins Center.

Senior Matt Cross led by example both statistically and with his hustle, recording a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double on the night. The performance marks a career-high in rebounds for the Beverly, Massachusetts native.

Cross is ALL OVER the glass!!

That's 6 offensive boards and a double-double for Matt#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/nDaxns6E6L
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) November 18, 2023

The Minutemen traded baskets with Harvard for much of the first 10 minutes of play, as competitive basketball on both sides of the ball created five lead changes. Massachusetts however would turn up the offensive pressure ending the half on a 12-5 scoring run over the final 3:06 of play. The run which was started by and ended with three-point baskets from Robert Davis Jr. and Rahsool Diggins gave the Minutemen a 37-28 advantage going into the halftime break.

Massachusetts endured a physical battle in the second half and overtime, coming out on top in total rebounds (48-45), points in the paint (42-28) and second chance points (22-8). However, inefficient shooting at the free-throw line and missed baskets down the stretch allowed Harvard to stay in the contest and force overtime. The Crimson opened the overtime period on a 5-0 scoring run that the Minutemen were unable to overcome despite two driving layups from freshman Jaylen Curry in the waning moments of the game.

Jaylen Curry recorded a career-high 24 minutes on the night, playing much of the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime. The freshman point guard, set a career-high with nine points on the night including seven points in the last eight minutes of play. The Charlotte, North Carolina native also made an impact on the defensive side of the ball, leading all players with three steals.

CURRY CONNECTS!!!

Big 3 from the freshman and the Minutemen take the lead#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/Ke5soYpsOg
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) November 18, 2023

Harvard was led by freshman Malik Mack who recorded 32 points and six assists on the night.

Breaking Down The Action

Josh Cohen won the opening tip-off for the Minutemen to jump start the regional rivalry.
Cohen followed up with UMass' first basket of the night, sinking a layup off the assist from Keon Thompson at 18:91.
Jayden Ndjigue found Thompson at the three-point range, to garner the Minutemen their first lead of the night, 5-4 with 16:20 remaining in the first half.
After a battle on the offensive glass, Matt Cross' scored a second-chance bucket; extending Massachusetts' lead to three points at the 14:55 mark.
UMass held the Crimson scoreless for nearly four minutes playing a fierce defensive game, before Harvard's Thomas Batties picked up a layup to make it 7-6 with 14:06 remaining in the half.
Harvard went on to mount a 6-0 run, before Cohen hit a pair of free throws as the clock read 11:52.
The graduate transfer added to his stat line, hitting another layup off a Thompson assist, making it 11-12 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the half.
The two teams remained knotted at 11-12 for more than three minutes until Jaylen Curry catalyzed on the fast break, finding Cross at the basket with 7:28 left in the first half.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford continued this momentum, sinking a three-pointer to make it 16-15. He added a layup just 34 seconds later at the 6:23 mark.
Massachusetts' blitz continued by way of a triple from Rahsool Diggins and Curry's steal and layup on the fast-break, the score reading 23-17 at 5:25. The Minutemen went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field during this stretch.
Robert Davis Jr. added a three-pointer to match UMass' largest lead of the night, (5 points) the score 28-23 with 3:06 remaining before halftime.
A Matt Cross steal and offensive rebound led to a Thompson second-chance layup on the other end to further the Massachusetts lead to eight with 1:34 remaining.
Davis Jr. added another successful three-point attempt at 3:06, making it 28-23.
Diggins finished a driving layup in the waning nine seconds to secure the Minutemen's' largest lead of the game, a 37-28 score heading into the break.
The Minutemen ended the first half on a 12-5 run, making their final three field goals.
At the end of the first half, Diggins led the team in scoring, (8 points) while Cohen held down the fort defensively, posting five rebounds. Thompson went perfect from the field, (2-for-2) and at three-point range; collecting five points.
The Crimson struck first in the second half of play, Chandler Pigge making his three-point attempt at 18:39.
Cohen's persistence in the paint was rewarded, banking a pair of low post jumpers to begin the second half scoring for UMass. The baskets made it 41-36 with 17 minutes remaining in the game.
Cross' defensive rebound made way for a subsequent scoring drive capped by him, the score 49-41 at the 13:33 mark.
On the fast-break opportunity, Ndjigue drew the foul for a successful free throw at 9:21; snapping a scoring drought for the Minutemen.
Cross continued to showcase his two-way talent, keying and scoring the entirety of a 5-0 run for the Minutemen. The drive was keyed by a successful first free throw, before he earned the second-chance layup on his latter attempt at 8:37. The drive marked the eleventh point, (seventh of the half) and fifth offensive rebound for the senior.
Davis Jr. snapped the 57-57 game, with a pull-up jumper with 5:30 remaining in the game.
Harvard went on to set a 5-3 run of their own to make yet another even score at 61-61, before Cohen added a point at the line with three-minutes remaining.
The cat and mouse persisted with two back-and-forth three-point scoring possessions between the two teams; both resulting in a tie game.
Cross' offensive rebound gave him an opportunity at the free-throw line to give Massachusetts a crucial lead. The senior sunk both shots, making it 70-68 score with a mere 29.7 seconds remaining in regulation.
Harvard however would not go down without a fight, splashing a last-minute floater at the 18 second mark to bring the score back to a tie, 70-70 forcing the contest to overtime.
Harvard went on a 6-1 run to start the five-minute period, before Curry spearheaded a pair of crucial layups to make it a three-point game, 78-75 with 33.2 remaining in overtime.
The score remained 78-75 at the final buzzer.

New Kids On The Block

Freshman guard Jaylen Curry led the team in assists (4) and steals (3) while posting nine points and grabbing four rebounds.
Robert Davis Jr. achieved a career-high performance, notching seven points on three-of-eight shooting from the field.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford scored seven points off the bench, going 50% on three-of-six shooting.
Jayden Ndjigue knocked down three free throws and recorded a pair of rebounds while leading the Minutemen in plus/minus.

Numbers To Know

2: Matt Cross finished the game with 16 points and 16 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and fifth as a member of the Minutemen.
9: Freshman Jaylen Curry recorded a career-high of nine points.
16: Matt Cross posted a career-high in rebounds, pulling down 16 with nine coming on the offensive side of the floor.
22: Points came on second chance efforts, holding a 22-8 advantage for the night.
23: Points were scored off the bench across the game.
23: The Minutemen grabbed a season-high 23 rebounds on the offensive glass.
42: UMass held a 42-28 advantage in points in the paint.

Year Two Under Coach Martin

Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 17-17 record at the helm of the Minutemen.
Martin now holds a 305-218 collegiate career mark.

Series History

In the 34th matchup against the Crimson, Harvard closed the series gap as UMass now leads 19-15 all-time.

Up Next

UMass hosts Central Connecticut State for a holiday season matchup on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. at the Mullins Center. The broadcast can be found live on NESN with streaming available on ESPN+. Links and live updates are available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Matt Cross

Rahsool Diggins

Josh Cohen

Jaylen Curry

Players Mentioned

Josh Cohen

Matt Cross

Jaylen Curry

Robert Davis Jr.

Rahsool Diggins

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Keon Thompson

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics