Massachusetts Begins A-10 Play With Dominant 80-61 Win Over Duquesne

AMHERST, MASS. -- Massachusetts (10-3, 1-0) claimed its first victory in an Atlantic 10 opener since the 2020-21 season with an 80-61 win over Duquesne (9-4, 0-1) on Wednesday night at the Mullins Center. Five players (Matt Cross, Jaylen Curry, Rahsool Diggins, Daniel Hankins-Sanford and Keon Thompson) scored in double figures as the Minutemen scored 80 or more points for the eighth game this season.

Despite battling a physical matchup Matt Cross tallied 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Fellow returner Rahsool Diggins led the Minutemen with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, while going 6-7 from the charity stripe.

Hope you didn't forget about @mcsnipes333

Oh and the Minutemen are on a 10-0 run????#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/5Rf5zWX1VO
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) January 4, 2024

Keon Thompson led the way from the point guard spot, recording 10 points to go along with a game-high six assists. The point total marks his seventh double-digit scoring performance of the season.

Freshman guard Jaylen Curry had a breakout performance scoring a career-high 15 points including nine in the second half. Curry shot 4-of-6 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line across 16 minutes on the court.

Starting 2024 off right??

The Minutemen claim their first A-10 ?? of the season as five players score in double figures#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/Gvq19hq1V8
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) January 4, 2024

The Minutemen earned the advantage in the post for the 10th time this season, scoring 42 points in the paint. Massachusetts also saw a significant advantage in bench points, as the Minutemen reserves scored 30 points compared to Duquesne's 19.

The Dukes were led by Dae Dae Grant who led the team with 18 points including nine from three-point range.

Breaking Down The Action

Keon Thompson opened the scoring, making a layup for an early 2-0 UMass lead.
Duquesne responded by building an 8-2 lead, but a pair of Jayden Ndjigue free throws cut it to 8-6 with 16 minutes left in the first half.
The Ndjigue free throws were part of what proved to be an 11-0 run for the Minutemen, which staked the team to a 13-8 lead at 13:30.
Marqui Worthy was fouled while hitting a floater at 11:25 left and then knocked down the free throw to push it to a 16-12 lead.
Jaylen Curry made a pair of free throws to make it 20-15 halfway through the first half.
Diggins then hit a two off the glass in response to a Kareem Rozer three with just under seven minutes left in the half to give UMass a 26-20 lead.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford scored five straight UMass points to push the lead to 34-28 with three minutes to play in the half.
Ndjigue then put back an offensive rebound to give the Minutemen a 40-32 lead at the half.
The teams traded baskets to open the second half before a five-point run by the Dukes cut the UMass lead to 46-41 with 16 minutes left.
Ndjigue converted a tough and-one play for 49-44 lead with 15:09 remaining.
Mathok Majok subbed in and sparked the defense, sending the Minutemen on a 6-0 run to move the lead to 53-44 with 13:30 left.
Cross grabbed an offensive board and worked around the defense for a layup and 59-52 lead with 10 minutes to play.
Cross then preceded to convert a three-point play on a tough finish down low to establish a 63-52 lead with nine minutes left.
The Cross plays were part of a 16-0 scoring run that pushed it to a 73-52 lead with five minutes to play.
Curry knocked down a three with the shot clock expiring for a 76-54 scoreline with 3:36 remaining to seal the win.

New Kids On The Block

Jaylen Curry led the newcomers in scoring with a career-best 15 points on 4-6 shooting and knocking down five free throws.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford also scored double figures with ten points while grabbing seven rebounds.
Jayden Ndjigue had another solid all-around performance with seven points, six rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal.

Numbers To Know

.400: For the fourth time this season, UMass has held its opponent to under .400 shooting from the field as the Dukes went 21-58 (.362).
1: UMass secured its first conference opening win since the 2020-21 season when they topped La Salle 86-55.
5: For the second time this season, UMass had five players with double-digit performances.
6: Keon Thompson led the team in assists as the sophomore recorded six for the fourth time this season.
8: Matt Cross finished the game with 15 points and has scored in double figures for the eighth straight game.
36: UMass pulled down 36 rebounds while Duquesne recorded 33 as UMass has outrebounded the opposition for the ninth time this year.
42: The Minutemen were dominant down low, scoring 42 points in the paint compared to Duquesne's 28.

Year Two Under Coach Martin

Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 25-19 record leading the Minutemen.
Martin now sits with a 313-220 collegiate career record.

Series History

UMass now holds a 42-30 record all-time versus the Dukes, winning the 72nd matchup between the two programs.

Up Next

Massachusetts continues Atlantic 10 play on Sunday, Jan. 7, as it travels to Dayton for a 1 p.m. tip in Ohio. The broadcast can be found live on ESPN2 with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard