Cross’s Career Night Power Massachusetts To Dominate Win Over CCSU, 89-60

AMHERST, Mass. - Led by Matt Cross and Josh Cohen, Massachusetts (3-1) overwhelmed Central Connecticut (1-4) on both ends of the floor claiming an 89-60 victory on Wednesday afternoon at the Mullins Center.

Thanksgiving Eve Dub ??#Flagship ?? pic.twitter.com/YND9tJFv3N
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) November 22, 2023

The senior duo of Matt Cross (31 points) and Josh Cohen (26 points) combined for 57 of the Minutemen's 89 points while shooting an impressive 21-of-24 from the field. The performance marked the first time since Jan. 10, 2018 that two players have each scored 25-plus points. Luwane Pipkins (44 points) and Carl Pierre (25 points) were the last teammates to achieve the feat, doing so in overtime vs. La Salle.

Cross set a new career-high with his performance, shooting a gaudy 11-of-13 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from three-point range. The Beverly, Massachusetts native also led the Minutemen in rebounding with nine boards, one away from what would have been a second consecutive double-double.

Matt is making it look TOO EASY!!

That's 29 points and a new career-high for @mcsnipes33 tonight #Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/avnUA1osiP
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) November 22, 2023

Junior Rahsool Diggins played the role of distributor on the night, leading the team with six assists without a single turnover.

Freshman Jaylen Curry continued to build on positive momentum, scoring 11 points on an efficient 5-of-7 from the field. The point total marks the second consecutive game that Curry has set a new career high. Curry also added four assists and two rebounds on the afternoon.

Jaylen just gets buckets??@Jaylencurry0 filling it up for his first double-digit scoring game!!#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/inRRgreT61
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) November 22, 2023

Overall, the Minutemen shot an efficient 35-of-58 from the field, marking the first time since January 29, 2020 vs. Saint Joseph's that a Massachusetts team has shot 60 percent or better from the field.

The Blue Devils were led by junior Jayden Brown who recorded 15 points and three rebounds on the night.

Breaking Down The Action

Matt Cross opened the scoring for the Minutemen, sinking a long two to make it 2-1 in the first minute of action.
Massachusetts began action on a 9-1 run as two baskets for Cross and Josh Cohen combined to bolster the Minutemen to an early advantage.
The Blue Devils responded with a run of their own, cutting it to a 14-13 UMass lead before Jaylen Curry sunk a three to snap the scoring drought, making 17-13 lead with 11 minutes left in the first half.
Rahsool Diggins hit a contested three as the shot clock expired, giving the Minutemen a 32-22 lead, their largest to that point.
Two Massachusetts steals led to back-to-back three-point makes from Cross, pushing the UMass lead to 39-25 with 10 seconds left in the half.
The Blue Devils hit a pair of free throws to end the half with Massachusetts in front by 12, 39-27.
The Minutemen opened the second half on a 16-0 run to build a 55-27 lead with 16:42 left.
A Cross three made it 62-30 with 15 minutes left, giving him 29 points on the afternoon to surpass his previous career high of 28 points (ended the game with 31).
Back-to-back baskets from Cohen and freshman Marqui Worthy gave the Minutemen a 74-43 advantage and their largest lead at that stage with 7:45 remaining in regulation.
A scoop and score from Keon Thompson extended the Massachusetts advantage to 81-48 with 4:23 left in the second.
A three-point basket from Tarique Foster pushed the Massachusetts lead to 87-50, the largest of the night.
The final buzzer sounded with the score 89-60.

New Kids On The Block

Tarique Foster matched his career high in points with six, going 2-3 from deep.
Mathok Majok made his first collegiate appearance, finishing with two points, a pair of rebounds and a steal in seven minutes.
Jaylen Curry led all newcomers in scoring, posting a career-high 11 points while shooting an efficient 5-7 from the field.
Jayden Ndjigue finished the contest with a plus/minus of 35 in 26 minutes, dishing out five assists, grabbing two rebounds and blocking a shot.

Numbers To Know

6: Rahsool Diggins matched a career high six assists with no turnovers to help UMass maintain a 2.5 assist/turnover ratio this season.
11: Freshman Jaylen Curry scored double digits for the first time, finishing with a career high 11 points.
31: Points were a career high for Matt Cross, besting his 28-point performance against Davidson (2/4/23) last season.
48: Points came in the paint while UMass held CCSU to just 22.
50: UMass scored 50+ points in a half for the second time this season, scoring exactly 50 in the second frame.
60: The Minutemen shot above 60% from the field (60.4%) for the first team since 2020 where they went 38-60 (63.3%) in a win over Saint Joseph's.

Year Two Under Coach Martin

Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 18-17 record at the helm of the Minutemen.
Martin now holds a 306-218 collegiate career mark.

Series History

With the victory Massachusetts now holds a 9-4 all-time series advantage.

Up Next

The Minutemen return from Thanksgiving to host South Florida on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 1 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