Massachusetts Drops A Heartbreaker Against Loyola Chicago, 79-78

CHICAGO, ILL. - Massachusetts (11-6, 2-3) lost a heartbreaker to Loyola Chicago (12-6, 4-1), 79-78 at Gentile Arena on Wednesday night. Josh Cohen led the Minutemen for the third consecutive game, matching a season-high in points with 28 on the night.

Cohen went 8-12 from the field while adding 12 free throws in 37 minutes. It was Cohen's ninth 20-point performance, the most on the team.

Freshman guard Jaylen Curry continued to elevate his game, scoring a career-high 18 points while knocking down four threes and going 4-4 from the free throw line. It is his third straight game scoring in double digits while playing 20+ minutes in all three contests.

In what was a back-and-forth game, there were 13 lead changes and seven ties. UMass had recorded of their better shooting nights beyond the arc, going 8-20 (.400) while holding the Ramblers to 6-21 (.286). Loyola Chicago held the advantage in rebounds (39/37), however UMass hauled in 16 offensive boards to the Rambler's 15 while adding 24 second-chance points to the opposition's 20.

The Ramblers were led by Philip Alston who scored a team-high 23 points while going 9-17 from the field.

Breaking Down The Action

Josh Cohen started the scoring, sinking a hook shot to give UMass the early 2-0 advantage.
Jayden Ndjigue and Rahsool Diggins each recorded three points over the first 4:39 of action, as the Minutemen went into the first media timeout facing a one-point deficit.
Coming out of the first media break, Diggins knocked down his second three of the game to give UMass an 11-9 lead.
After a small 5-0 run by the Ramblers, Rob Davis Jr. grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the second-chance bucket to bring UMass back within one.
Freshman Jaylen Curry continued his hot start to conference play by successfully getting to the rim for his first bucket of the game at 11:07.
A Cohen layup at 4:57 snapped nearly a four-minute scoreless streak for UMass as they trailed the Ramblers 33-24.
Curry knocked down a deep triple to narrow the Loyola Chicago lead to seven with 3:40 left in the first half.
With 3:18 remaining in the half, Cohen converted a three-point play to bring UMass within four points.
Ndjigue hit his second three of the game to cap a 9-2 run to make it a one possession game as they trailed 36-33.
As the half was winding down, Curry hit another deep three as time expired to send UMass into the locker room down 43-40.
Cohen continued right where he left off, starting the second half with a tough turnaround inside the paint.
After over two minutes of no baskets for either team, Curry made his third three-pointer of the game at 16:08.
Keon Thompson scored his first points of the game with a three-point play to bring UMass within three at 14:45.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford scored a second chance bucket to make it 54-51 amidst a 4:54 field goal drought for the Ramblers.
After being fouled on a three-point attempt, Davis Jr. made all three free throws to bring UMass within one at 10:40.
The Minutemen took their first lead of the second half at 9:57 thanks to a pair of Cohen free throws to make it 61-60.
Thompson tied the game at 64 a piece with a jumper at 6:47.
Curry made his fourth triple of the game to give UMass a 72-71 advantage and force a Loyola Chicago timeout at 3:19.
After the Ramblers tied the game at 75-75, Cohen once again got to the line and made a pair of free throws to reclaim the lead with 33 seconds left.
Leading 78-76 late, the Minutemen gave up a three-point play with one second left as they dropped a heartbreaker, 79-78.

New Kids On The Block

Josh Cohen led UMass with a game-high 28 points. The New Jersey native finished with eight rebounds, a block, and a pair of steals in his ninth 20-point outing this season.
Jaylen Curry continued to be a spark off the bench, dropping a career-high 18 points in 27 minutes.
Robert Davis Jr. scored his first Atlantic 10 points, finishing with five points in 11 minutes off the bench.
In his second start filling in for Matt Cross, Daniel Hankins-Sanford had six points and six rebounds with a pair of steals.

Numbers To Know

18: Jaylen Curry had a career-high 18 points on 5-13 shooting from the field.
28: Josh scored a season-high 28 points for the third time this season.
36: Both Cohen and Rahsool Diggins played a game-high 36 minutes on the night.
40: The Minutemen shot 40 percent from three-point range, going 8-of-20 from beyond the arc.

Year Two Under Coach Martin

Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 26-22 record leading the Minutemen.
Martin now sits with a 314-223 collegiate career record.

Series History

UMass now holds a 0-2 record all-time versus the Ramblers, dropping the second matchup between the two programs.

Up Next

Massachusetts returns home for a Saturday afternoon clash with George Washington at 12 p.m. in 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).

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