Minutemen Claim 62-54 Victory Over Harvard In Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. -- Massachusetts (2-5) claimed a 62-54 victory over Harvard (2-5) on Wednesday afternoon at Lavietes Pavilion. The Minutemen dominated down low, tallying 52 points in the paint and 21 offensive rebounds to fuel the holiday season win.

Happy Early Thanksgiving #UMassNation

The Minutemen are heading home with a holiday ?? #Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/FJqSwQ386I
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) November 27, 2024

Junior Daniel Hankins-Sanford provided key buckets to end the first half and begin the second, ending the game with his third double-double of the season. The Charlotte, North Carolina native poured in 14 points to go along with 10 rebounds on the night.

Picking up where he left off@Danielsanford30 with 5 points to open the 2nd half for UMass!! pic.twitter.com/KrqqNILXrF
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) November 27, 2024

Senior Rahsool Diggins equaled Hankins-Sanford with a team-high 14 points, chipping in five rebounds in his own right. Fellow backcourtmate Jaylen Curry put forth an all-around effort, scoring 10 points, while adding 9 rebounds and six assists.

Senior Daniel Rivera was efficient on the evening scoring 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native also contributed eight rebounds in 25 minutes of action.

Sophomore Jayden Ndjigue continued to make winning plays in his first start of the season. Ndjigue cleaned the glass for a game-high 11 rebounds, adding a block and a steal on the evening.

The Crimson were led by Thomas Batties II, who scored 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field.

Breaking Down The Action

Harvard took the early 2-0 lead, as a layup from Chandler Pigge got the scoring started in Cambridge.
Another Harvard layup, this time from Robert Hinton, made the score 6-2 Crimson with 16:37 left in the first half.
Massachusetts quicky responded with a 4-0 swing of their own, as Daniel Rivera tied the matchup with a layup to make it 6-6 just over a minute later.
Harvard claimed the momentum, as a Thomas Batties II tip-in capped a 10-4 scoring run over the next 6 minutes to give the Crimson a 19-12 lead.
The Minutemen finished the first half on a run of their own, with a pair of layups from Daniel Hankins-Sanford capping a 12-5 Massachusetts run that sent the teams to halftime with the score 24-24.
Five points from Hankins-Sanford to start the second half gave Massachusetts a 29-26 lead with 17:31 remaining.
A pair of layups from Rahsool Dggins fueld an 8-2 scoring run to give the Minutemen their first double-digit lead of the night with 10:58 to go in the matchup.
Two baskets from Akil Watson capped another scoring run for Massachusetts. This time an 8-0 burst that gave The Minutemen their largest lead of the game at 53-38.
Harvard cut the Massachusetts advantage to 55-51 with 2:23 remaining after a pair of three-pointers from Batties II and Trey Barbour.
The Minutemen sunk five free-throws to effectively end the game, securing a 62-54 win.

Newcomer Notifications

Four newcomers saw action on the evening, with Rivera entering as a starter.
Rivera led newcomers with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.
Guerengomba played 12 minutes in the matchup.
Transfers Akil Watson and Shahid Muhammad each saw eight minutes of action.

Numbers To Know

3: Hankins-Sanford recorded his third double-double of the season.
4: Four Minutemen finished the game in double digits, Diggins (14), Hankins-Sanford (14), Rivera (12) and Curry (10)
5: Curry has now scored 10-plus points in five consecutive games.
14: The Minutemen scored 14 points off of second chance opportunities.
21: Massachusetts grabbed 21 offensive rebounds in the matchup.
51: UMass owned a dominant 51-28 rebound advantage on the night.
52: The Minutemen scored 52 points in the paint on the evening.

Series History

With the win, Massachusetts now holds a 20-15 record against the Crimson all-time.
The two programs last faced each other in 2023 with Harvard claiming a narrow 78-75 victory on Nov. 17 in Amherst, Mass.

Up Next

The Minutemen return home to face NJIT for some holiday season hoops on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 12 p.m. in the Mullins Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Hankins-Sanford Daniel

Rahsool Diggins

Daniel Rivera

Jaylen Curry

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