Minutemen Drop Charity Exhibition To Providence, 63-54

PROVIDENCE, RI. - The University of Massachusetts basketball program dropped a physical 63-54 game to Providence in charity exhibition action at Amica Mutual Pavilion on Saturday evening. The two teams played a modified 16-minute half format for the charity exhibition.

The Minutemen played a physical game in their final dress rehearsal, holding the lead six times but were unable to fend off the perennial Big East contending Friars. Massachusetts won the battle on the offensive glass 17-15, scoring 14 points on second chance opportunities.

Sophomore Jaylen Curry found the basket on multiple occasions, leading the team with 16 points while shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

Senior Malek Abdelgowad totaled 11 points in 16 minutes of action, including an impressive 7-of-11 from the charity stripe. Senior Rahsool Diggins played just 15 minutes, managing eight points and three assists in exhibition action.

The Friars were led by Corey Floyd Jr., who scored 19 points. The guard went 8-for-13 from the field, and 3-of-7 at three-point range.

Breaking Down The Action

Rhode Island opened the scoring as Wesley Cardet Jr. Sunk a three-point basket 19 seconds into the first half.
Rahsool Diggins responded quickly for the Minutemen, finding the basket to make it 3-2 with 15:21 remaining.
Massachusetts took it's first lead of the afternoon as Diggins found Hankins-Sanford for a layup to make it 4-3 UMass, still early in the first half.
The Minutemen turned five offensive rebounds into free throws, as Abdelgowad went 1-2 from the line to make it 8-5 Providence with 11:36 remaining.
Providence went on a 9-4 run over the next 3:36 as an Anton Bonke layup extended the Friars advantage to 17-9 at the 8:00 mark.
The Minutemen responded with a 9-1 run of their own, capped by a Rahsool Diggins jumper to to tie the game at 18-18 with 5:50 left in the half.
Jaylen Curry converted a layup to give UMass its first lead in over 10 minutes, making it 23-22 with 3:53 on the clock.
Malek Abdelgowad got to the line twice times in 35 seconds of action, going 4-4 from the stripe to give Massachusetts it's largest lead of the night at 27-24 with 2:29 remaining in the half.
Two free throws from Akil Watson would give Massachusetts it's final lead of the first half, a 29-27 advantage with 00:57 on the clock.
Providence ended the half on a 5-0 run, as Corey Floyd Jr. Sunk a three to make it 32-29 Friars heading into the halftime break.
After trading baskets early in the second half a Jaylen Curry elbow jumper gave Massachusetts. A 39-28 lead with 12:25 left in the second half.
Rahsool Diggins drew a foul with 11:14 on the clock, going 2-2 from the line to give UMass it's final lead of the night at 41-40.
Providence's Bensley Joseph and Oswin Erhunmwunse combined for nine points to spark a 12-2 Friar run, giving them a 56-45 lead with 4:33 remaining in regulation.
The Minutewomen forced their way to the line four times in the remaining four minutes of action going 7-8 from the line but could not cut deep enough into the late game deficit, dropping the charity exhibition 63-54.

Newcomer Notifications

Six newcomers saw action on the evening, with Shahid Muhammad and Daniel Rivera both entering as starters.
Malek Abdelgowad recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive glass.
Daniel Rivera played 21 minutes, recording four rebounds and a steal.
Shahid Muhammad tallied four points, both coming on dunks.

Numbers To Know

2: Three Minutemen reached double figures on the night: Curry (16) and Abdelgowad (11)
6: The two teams traded leads six times, a testament to the tightly contested matchup.
9: Abdelgowad led the squad in rebounds; nabbing 11.
10: On ten different occasions, Providence and UMass were knotted.
10: UMass won the turnover battle, holding a 17-10 advantage over Providence.
17: Massachusetts grabbed 17 offensive rebounds, compared to just 15 for Providence

Up Next

The Minutemen open the 2024-25 regular season against New Hampshire hosting the American East for at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4 at the Mullins Center. The game will be broadcast on NESN and ESPN+ will live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).

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Players Mentioned

Malek Abdelgowad

Jaylen Curry

Rahsool Diggins

Shahid Muhammad

Daniel Rivera

Akil Watson

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