Minutemen Close Out Non-Conference Slate With 79-66 Victory Over Siena

AMHERST, MASS. - Massachusetts (9-3) fought to a 79-66 win over Siena (2-11) in its last non-conference matchup on Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center. Powered by returners Matt Cross and Keon Thompson, the Minutemen improve to 5-1 at home as they head towards the Atlantic 10 conference opener.

Matt Cross continued to flash his versatility on the court recording 24 points and nine rebounds while swiping eight steals on the night. With eight steals Cross ties the Massachusetts single-game program record, becoming the first player to do so since Luwane Pipkins on Nov. 11, 2016 vs. UMass Lowell. The senior forward went 10-of-10 from the free throw line, becoming the first Minuteman since Zach Lewis (2/26/17) to go perfect from the stripe with 10-plus attempts.

??????@mcsnipes333 gets ?? and Mullins is ENERGIZED!!#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/n9dJnpehEx
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) December 30, 2023

Keon Thompson continued to show an improved offensive skillset, posting a career-high 21 points including 13 in the second half alone. Thompson also excelled in perimeter ball pressure recording two steals on the defensive end.

Keon is keeping them on edge right now!!

That's a career-high 20 points for @key_6x #Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/oXmjXQn5F5
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) December 30, 2023

Despite losing the rebound battle, the Minutemen continued to create disruption, recording their second-highest steal total of the season (15) while scoring 26 points off turnovers and 25 in the fast break. Massachusetts also enjoyed a comfortable advantage in the post, holding a 46-26 advantage in point in the paint.

The Saints were led by Michael Eley (30 points) and Sean Durugordon (22 points) who combined to produce 52 of Siena's 66 total points.

Breaking Down The Action

Jayden Ndjigue opened the scoring for the Minutemen, making a tough shot down low to cut the deficit to 4-2 two minutes into the contest.
The Saints pushed it to 8-2, before Matt Cross and Keon Thompson hit back-to-back layups to cut it to 8-6 with 15:18 left in the half.
A Keon Thompson three at the 14:45 mark gave the Minutemen their first lead of the game, 9-8.
Siena then built a 13-9 lead, but an Ndjigue layup tied it at 13-13 with 13 minutes left in half.
A Marqui Worthy layup made it 16-16 and then Cross hit a pair of free throws for an 18-16 Minutemen lead at 9:28.
Jaylen Curry and Rahsool Diggins hit back-to-back threes and Josh Cohen added a shot down low to push it to a 26-20 lead with seven minutes left in the half.
A Ndjigue put back layup made it 30-22 at 4:43.
Cross finished an and one after being fouled on a layup with the made free throw pushing the score to 37-29 with 2:17 left.
A Siena free throw with 24 seconds left in the first half ended a 6-0 Minutemen run and UMass took a 40-31 lead to the locker room at halftime.
Siena opened the second half on a 7-2 run to cut the UMass lead to 42-38.
Cross hit a pair of free throws and followed with an emphatic dunk following a feed from Curry to make it a 46-38 UMass lead at 15:25.
Cross finished another and-one play to stop a 5-0 Saints run and make it 52-45 at 13:07
The Minutemen went on a 10-2 run that was halted by a Siena three to make it a 62-53 UMass lead at 7:33.
Thompson then went on a run, scoring six consecutive points including four made free throws and a tough layup to extend the lead to 72-60 with 3:30 left.
Cross converted a layup after breaking through a double team with 1:30 left, pushing the game out of reach at 76-64.
The Minutemen went on to post a 79-66 win to close out non-conference play.

New Kids On The Block

Daniel Hankins-Sanford led the newcomers with six points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocks with a plus/minus of 10.
Jayden Ndjigue finished with six points and five rebounds in 24 minutes of play.
Jaylen Curry dished out three assists while scoring five points in 13 minutes.

Numbers To Know

.850: The Minutemen went 21-24 (.875) from the charity stripe, marking the second time they've shot above .850 from the line this season.
8: Matt Cross recorded eight steals; setting a career-high and tying the program record.
10: Cross went a perfect 10-10 front the free throw line to go along with a team-high 24 points.
15: steals against Siena were the second most this season.
21: Keon Thompson put up a career-high 21 points on 7-12 shooting.
25: Fast break points for the Minutemen, holding a 25-7 advantage in the category.

Year Two Under Coach Martin

Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 24-19 record leading the Minutemen.
Martin now sits with a 312-220 collegiate career record.

Series History

UMass now holds a current 9-1 record all-time versus the Saints, winning the first matchup between the two programs since 2014.

Up Next

Massachusetts opens Atlantic 10 play on Wednesday, Jan. 3, as they host Duquesne at 7 p.m. in Amherst, Mass. 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).

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