Second Half Run Lifts Fordham Over UMass, 77-67

BRONX, N.Y. – The University of Massachusetts men's basketball team fell at Fordham on Wednesday evening at the Rose Hill Gym, 77-67. The Minutemen (13-11 Overall, 4-8 Atlantic 10) were led offensively by Matt Cross' 17 points as one of four in double figures for UMass.

Both teams traded early 6-0 scoring runs with the Minutemen using theirs to tie at 8-8 on a Wildens Leveque backwards layup. UMass started 4-of-6 from the field and scored its first 12 points in the paint before a Keon Thompson triple. Thompson finished with 13 points and a team-leading four assists.

The game experienced three lead changes and four ties in the first six minutes and the half finished with six lead changes and five ties.

The Minutemen used a 7-0 run over 2:00 of game time to take their largest lead of the half at 28-18 with 5:33 remaining. Fordham scored six unanswered to trim the UMass lead to four at 30-26 before the Minutemen extended the lead to seven heading into the halftime break, 39-32. Leveque capped off the half with a one-handed slam to finish with eight points in the half on his way to 11 on the night.

UMass held Fordham to 39-percent from the field and 10-percent from 3-point range while shooting 54-percent from the field and 50-percent from three in the first 20 minutes. The Minutemen finished the night at 49-percent from the field.

The Rams used a 30-7 scoring run over 9:10 to open up the second half, building their largest lead of the game at 60-45 with 11:15 to go. Fordham took its first lead on a Will Richardson jumper three minutes into the half for their first lead since the 11:56 mark of the first half. Darius Quisenberry scored a game-leading 21 points for the Rams while Khalid Moore added 19.

UMass countered with five unanswered points over three minutes to cut its deficit to single digits at 66-57 with five minutes and change remaining. The run was part of a 9-1 UMass run that saw the Minutemen pull within six at 67-61 with four minutes to go.

Brandon Martin added 11 points for the Minutemen on 5-of-6 from the field while Dyondre Dominguez chipped in nine off the bench with a pair of 3-pointers.

The Minutemen remain on the road for a Saturday afternoon matchup at La Salle in Philadelphia. Tip-off between the Minutemen and Explorers is slated for 2 p.m.

For complete coverage of the UMass men's basketball team, follow the Minutemen on Twitter at @UMassMBB, on Instagram and Facebook at @UMassBasketball and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Matt Cross

Keon Thompson

Wildens Leveque

Brandon Martin

Players Mentioned

Matt Cross

Dyondre Dominguez

Wildens Leveque

Brandon Martin

Keon Thompson

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics