Massachusetts Storms Past UMass Lowell, 91-77

AMHERST, Mass. - Massachusetts (5-2) recorded their third 90-point game, claiming a dominant 91-77 victory over UMass Lowell (6-3) on Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen dominated offensively, as four players tallied double-digit scoring efforts in the victory.

Massachusetts put on a comprehensive offensive effort scoring 52 points in the paint, while shooting a season-high 80% from the free-throw line.

Josh Cohen led the effort offensively, securing his first double-double as a Minuteman, tallying 25 points and 14 rebounds on the night. The senior big man also brought energy defensively matching a career-high with four steals, adding two blocks to his stat sheet stuffing night.

Veterans Rahsool Diggins and Matt Cross posted impressive performances on the afternoon. Diggins came up big in the second half, scoring 13 of his 15 total points in the last stretch. The junior also posted a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. Cross followed behind with 14 points off 27 minutes on the court, while also shooting perfect from the line.

Massachusetts held their own on the defensive end, swiping 11 steals while scoring 21 points off UMass Lowell turnovers. The Minutemen also held the Riverhawks to a subpar 5-21 performance from beyond the arc.

The Riverhawks were led by Yuri Covington who put up 14 points and two rebounds.

Breaking Down The Action

Jayden Ndjigue's layup at 18:01, gave UMass its first basket of the afternoon.
Josh Cohen led a four-point run by way of a pair of turnaround jumpers, tying the game (6-6) at 15:12.
Robert Davis Jr. brought the team to within one after sinking a pull-up mid-range jumper and three-point basket, the score reading 12-13 at the 11:27 marker.
A Matt Cross' three-point play landed the Minutemen back to a tie game at 9:02.
Just 15 seconds later, Keon Thompson sunk a three-point shot to grant Massachusetts its first lead of the game, 20-17.
The 8-0 run was capped by Cross, the score reading 24-17 with 7:29 remaining in the first half. The senior owned seven of the points scored during this 2:17 stretch.
The Minutemen quickly bounced back after allowing Lowell a basket, creating another 7-0 run sparked by a Cohen layup at 5:47.
Cohen splashed a three-pointer at 3:05, furthering the score to 38-24 at 3:05.
Jaylen Curry capitalized on the Riverhawks' ninth turnover, sinking a driving layup to increase UMass' 14-point lead with 1:52 left in the first half.
Cohen was the final Minuteman to score in the first half, completing a layup with one second remaining in the half.
The score read 45-31 heading into the break.
Keon Thompson put UMass on the board first to begin the second half, sinking a free throw at 18:52.
Rahsool Diggins converted a four-point play after a contested three-point basket led to a free throw opportunity, increasing the score to UMass lead to 58-40.
Diggins scored 11 points during this stretch, powering a 15-2 run elapsed over 4:47
Thompson snapped the UMass' 2:48 field goal drought with a layup at 6:51.
Matt Cross gave the Minutemen their largest lead of the game (28 points) with an emphatic dunk to make it 87-59 at the 4:22 mark of the second half.
The Minutemen's momentum continued, going on an 8-0 run elapsing nearly four minutes. The period was highlighted by a four-point tear by Cross to put the senior in double figures.
Despite the Riverhawks ending the game on a 6-0 run, UMass' collective offensive dominance proved too significant; the final buzzer sounding to the score 91-77.

New Kids On The Block

Cohen led the way once again, totaling a team-high 25 points and double-double on the afternoon. Alongside his scoring proficiency, the senior put up 14 rebounds, matching a career high, and adding four steals to seal the two-way performance.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford followed behind with eight points, going 4-for-8 from the field. Hankins-Sanford also added a team-best seven blocks.
Davis Jr. guided the freshmen, putting up seven points and going a perfect 2-2 from the free-throw line.
Tarique Foster and Marqui Worthy added two points, respectively.

Numbers To Know

1: Cohen's impressive 25-point, 14 rebound game gave him his first double-double of the season.
4: Cohen scored 20-plus points for the fourth game this season.
4: Four Minutemen reached double-figures in the game: Cohen, (25 points) Diggins, (15 points) Cross, (14 points) Thompson (10 points).
6: Keon Thompson recorded six assists for the second time this season to lead the Minutemen.
10: Massachusetts collected a game-high 10-0 run on the afternoon.
21: UMass capitalized on points off turnovers, holding a 21-10 advantage in the category.
52: points of UMass' 91 points came from the paint.
80: The Minutemen mounted a season-high 80% proficiency from the free-throw line.

Year Two Under Coach Martin

Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 20-17 record at the helm of the Minutemen.
Martin now holds a 308-218 collegiate career mark.

Series History

UMass improves its all-time record against UMass Lowell to 10-3.

Up Next

Massachusetts travels down the road to face West Virginia at Mass Mutual Center as part of the Hall of Fame Classic on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. The broadcast can be found live on ESPNU?with?links and?live updates are available at?umassathletics.com?or?@UMassMBB?on X (Twitter).?

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Josh Cohen

Rahsool Diggins

Matt Cross

Keon Thompson

Players Mentioned

Josh Cohen

Matt Cross

Jaylen Curry

Robert Davis Jr.

Rahsool Diggins

Tarique Foster

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Keon Thompson

Marqui Worthy

Players Mentioned

Josh Cohen

Matt Cross

Jaylen Curry

Robert Davis Jr.

Rahsool Diggins

Tarique Foster

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Keon Thompson

Marqui Worthy

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics