Massachusetts Falls In Overtime Nailbiter To Hofstra, 75-71

AMHERST, MASS. -- Massachusetts (1-3) dropped a 75-71 game to Hofstra (4-0) on Saturday night at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen mounted a comeback and garnering a one-point lead with 55 seconds remaining, but could not close out the contest eventually falling in overtime.

Sophomore Jaylen Curry led the team with a career-high 22 points, six rebounds and six assists, respectively. Close behind, Rahsool Diggins notched 16 points; draining four pivotal shots from three-point range to keep UMass in the game.

Junior Daniel Hankins-Sanford provided much needed energy early in the game, scoring 10 points in the first half. Hankins-Sanford finished with 12 points adding five rebounds and a pair of blocks.

The Pride were led by Jean Aranguren, who recorded a 21 point and 11 rebound double-double on the night.

Breaking Down The Action

After Hofstra got on the board first, the Minutemen's Daniel Hankins-Sanford responded with a layup of his own to put UMass on the board with 18:02 on the clock.
Hofstra answered back with an 8-2 run to give them a 16-6 advantage with 12:35 remaining in the half.
Akil Watson put Massachusetts back within seven points at 10:30, notching a triple to make it a 13-20 game.
After trading baskets, Daniel Rivera's free throw with 7:49 remaining in the half keyed an eventual 8-0 run; putting UMass at a 23-28 score.
Curry found Jayden Ndjigue behind the arc to put the Minutemen within five with 3:06 left in the half.
The teams held a tight defensive battle in the waning minutes of the first half, as the score read 30-35 heading into halftime
Shahid Muhammad opened the second half with an offensive rebound and dunk to put the Minutemen within three just under a minute into the game.
Hofstra answered with a 7-2 run over nearly three minutes, making the score 42-36
Curry connected on back-to-back three-pointers to put the Minutemen within two.
After getting fouled, Malek Abdelgowd's three-point play put UMass within four with 12:09 left on the clock.
Curry snapped a near four-minute scoring drought at 8:04, splashing a three-pointer to make it a 48-54 game.
Diggins drained his first three of the night to tie the game 54-54 with 6:06 left in the second half.
Hofstra quickly regained the lead after back-to-back shots by Jaquan Sanders.
Diggins put UMass back within two with his second three-pointer of the night, extending a game-high 9-0 run.
With 55 seconds on the clock, Diggins sunk his third three of the night to give UMass their first lead of the night at 62-61.
Soon after the Pride's Jean Aranguren sunk a layup to send the lead back to Hofstra, 63-62.
Curry's free-throw with 0:03 remaining re-tied the game, sending Massachusetts to overtime.
Just 50 seconds into overtime, Jean Aranguren put together a solo 6-0 scoring run to put Hofstra back on top, 67-63.
Nate Gurengomba drew a foul on the baseline, sinking both free throws to put the Minutemen within four.
Curry's inbound pass found Diggins at the three-point line and put UMass within one with 1:43 left on the clock.
A made layup from Michael Graham extended Hofstra's lead to 71-68.
Curry's three-point play put UMass within one with 24.9 seconds left in overtime.
Hofstra took advantage of their time at the charity strip, shooting three free throws to cement the final score, 75-71.

Newcomer Notifications

Five newcomers saw action on the evening, with Abdelgowad and Rivera both entering as starters.
Abdelgowad saw 13 minutes of action, contributing five points and five rebounds.
Muhammad's five blocks on the night puts him at 15 on the season.
Guerengomba played a career-high 13 minutes, making two free throws.

Numbers To Know

3: Three Minutemen finished the game with double digits. Curry (22), Diggins (16), and Hankins-Sanford (12).
9: The Minutemen recorded only nine turnovers the entire game.
11: UMass scored 11 points off second chance shots.
15: Muhammad has now recorded 15 blocks through four games.
22: Curry sets a new single game career-high with 22 points on the night.
33: UMass scored 33 points from behind the three-point line.

Series History

With the result, Massachusetts now holds a 3-2 record against the Pride all-time.
The two programs last faced each other as part of the 2022 Hall of Fame Invitational, with UMass claiming a 71-56 victory on Dec. 11 in Brooklyn,. N.Y.

Up Next

The Minutemen travel to Mohegan Sun to challenge historic rival Temple in game one of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 5:00 p.m. in Uncasville, CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Jaylen Curry

Rahsool Diggins

Hankins-Sanford Daniel

Shahid Muhammad

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Curry

Rahsool Diggins

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Shahid Muhammad

Jayden Ndjigue

Daniel Rivera

Akil Watson

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Curry

Rahsool Diggins

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Shahid Muhammad

Jayden Ndjigue

Daniel Rivera

Akil Watson

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics