Massachusetts Powers Through South Florida, 66-56

AMHERST, Mass. - Massachusetts (4-1) gutted out a gritty defensive battle, claiming a 66-56 victory over USF (2-4) on Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center. In a game that mainly featured defensive effort, the Minutemen recorded nine steals, scoring 20 points off of 18 USF turnovers to secure the win.

Gritty Saturday ??

Cohen leads the way with 21 points as the Minutemen secure a tough defensive win??#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/pXf6kKXEgm
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) December 2, 2023

In the back-and-forth effort, senior Josh Cohen led the way, scoring 21 points, his second straight game with 20-plus points and third this season. Freshman Jayden Ndjigue put together a terrific all-around performance tallying seven points, eight rebounds and two steals on the night.

Chef Cohen is cooking?????

18 points for our big guy tonight!!#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/eZ4qfaVGrU
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) December 2, 2023

Despite early foul trouble, senior Matt Cross continued his consistency on the glass, recording a game-high 11 rebounds.

The UMass defense powered the Massachusetts effort on Saturday, as the Minutemen held South Florida to 15-of-55 (27.3%) shooting from the field.

Most notably, the Minutemen held South Florida without a field goal for a staggering 9:01 in the second half; a testament to the defensive toughness shown throughout the night.

The Bulls were led by Selton Miguel, who collected a team-high in points, (16) rebounds, (5), and assists, (4).

Breaking Down The Action

Keon Thompson put the Minutemen on the board at 19:05, his driving layup marking a 2-2 score.
Matt Cross found Rahsool Diggins for a three-pointer, giving UMass its first lead (5-4) of the afternoon at 16:23.
Robert Davis Jr. snapped a 2:06 scoring drought from both teams at 12:36, hitting a three-point jumper to make the score 11-6.
After trading baskets for much of the first half, Cohen hit three of four free throws, giving Massachusetts a tight 19-18 advantage as the clock read 5:06.
Marqui Worthy sunk a turnaround jumper to grant UMass a three-point lead with 4:31 remaining in the first half.
A three-point contribution from Thompson off a pair of free throws and layup marked the final baskets of the first half. The sophomore guard led the team in scoring, (8 points) over the first 20 minutes of play.
The score read 28-23 headed into halftime; signifying the Minutemen's largest lead of the game.
Cohen opened up second half scoring for UMass, making a free throw at 19:47.
Jayden Ndjigue turned a steal into a driving layup, extending the UMass lead to 33-23.
Cohen mounted six-points, elapsed over two minutes to further the Minutemen to an 11-point advantage with 12:13 remaining. The senior emerged as the team-leading scorer with 18 points (finished with 21 points).
The Minutemen continued the momentum building a 7-2 run, keyed by a Cross' jumper at 13:44.
UMass held South Florida to zero field goals across an impressive 9:01 of the second half.
Cross' pair of free throws at 4:51 capped a 9-2 run, highlighted by a Curry three-point jumper. The score read 62-46 at the conclusion of the drive.
Massachusetts' largest lead occurred with 3:01 left on the clock. Two Cross free throws pushed the score to a game-high, 16-point advantage.
Cross' sixth made free throw of the contest at 0:52 marked UMass' last basket.
The final buzzer sounded with the score 66-56.

New Kids On The Block

Cohen led the group of newcomers with a team-high 21 points, going 13-for-18 from the free throw line. This marks his fourth consecutive double-digit scoring performance, and second straight 20-plus point game.
Cohen also set a new season-high in rebounds with nine on the night.
Ndjigue emerged as the freshman top-scorer, notching seven points and going 3-for-4 from the field goal line. The guard also posted an impressive eight rebounds.
Curry followed behind with five points and two steals, collecting a plus/minus of seven across 18 minutes on the court.
Defensively Davis Jr. came up big, garnering six rebounds and one steal.

Numbers To Know

9: Massachusetts held South Florida without a field goal for a staggering 9:01 in the second half.
11: Cross led Massachusetts' defense, mounting 11 rebounds; nine of which were on the defensive side of the court.
17: On the fastbreak, UMass capitalized scoring 17 points.
20: points were awarded to UMass off South Florida turnovers.
21: points were scored by Cohen, a team-high in scoring. Over half, (13 points) were scored in the second half.
46: UMass outrebounded South Florida, collecting 46 as opposed to the Bulls' 37.
63: The Minutemen were proficient from the free throw line, sinking 63% of shots from this margin.

Year Two Under Coach Martin

Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 19-17 record at the helm of the Minutemen.
Martin now holds a 307-218 collegiate career mark.

Series History

UMass improves its all-time record against South Florida to 2-1.

Up Next

The Minutemen hit the road to face Towson on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7p.m. The broadcast can be found on FloHoops, with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Josh Cohen

Keon Thompson

Matt Cross

Jayden Ndjigue

Players Mentioned

Josh Cohen

Matt Cross

Robert Davis Jr.

Rahsool Diggins

Jayden Ndjigue

Keon Thompson

Marqui Worthy

Players Mentioned

Josh Cohen

Matt Cross

Robert Davis Jr.

Rahsool Diggins

Jayden Ndjigue

Keon Thompson

Marqui Worthy

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics