Massachusetts Claims Super Bowl Sunday Thriller, 81-79

AMHERST, MASS. -- Massachusetts (15-8, 6-5 Atlantic 10) picked up a tightly contested win over Rhode Island (11-13, 5-6 A-10), 81-79, on Sunday afternoon at the Mullins Center.

Junior Rahsool Diggins led the Minutemen, finishing the game with 18 points and a career-high six three-pointers in 34 minutes. Keon Thompson followed closely behind with an effective performance, going 7-10 from the field for back-to-back 16-point games. The guard was perfect from the free-throw line, while picking up six rebounds and four assists.

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Sool, Keon and Jayden have combined for a casual 2??0?? points to start the second half!!

11:47 H2 | UMass 52, URI 49 pic.twitter.com/ZLWmnyDdwk
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) February 11, 2024

In a team-high 38 minutes, Matt Cross put up an all-round game, collecting 10 points. The senior led the team in assists, (6) and rebounds, (7). Freshman Jaylen Curry, gathered 10 points of his own; going 4-13 from the field and hitting two three-pointers.

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The Minutemen get a ?? back against regional rival Rhode Island in a thrilling Super Sunday matchup.#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/p8hw5I91Ct
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) February 11, 2024

The Rams were led by Jaden House who grabbed 22-points, going 8-17 from the field.

Breaking Down The Action

Rhode Island got on the board first, but a Diggins corner triple at 18:09 gave Massachusetts an early lead, 3-2.
After trading buckets for much of the first five minutes of play, UMass fell within two of the Rams at the first media timeout.
Josh Cohen snapped an early run from Rhode Island's with a turnaround jumper as the clock read 15:06.
As Rhode Island built a seven-point advantage, 18-12; Robert Davis Jr. hit a second-chance layup at 10:42 to close the gap.
The Minutemen answered back with a 5-0 run keyed by Thompson at the 7:15 marker, putting UMass within four points of the Rams.
Curry nabbed a steal and fast-break basket as the clock read 4:21 ,making it a six-point game, 29-23.
Curry's scoring momentum continued hitting back-to-back three-pointers, to put UMass back within two-points of Rhode Island as 2:00 remained in the first half.
Cross elapsed the 7-0 run at the line, making it a tight 33-32 score.
Rhode Island held a slight 35-32 edge heading into halftime.
Diggins struck first for the Minutemen once again to start the second half, splashing his second three-pointer of the afternoon to knot the score, 35-35.
The duo of Diggins and Keon Thompson combined for 15-points across the next four minutes, granting UMass a 52-47 upper-hand.
Jayden Ndjigue added a triple and layup to his stat-sheet, cushioning the Minutemen's lead as 12:51 remained in the contest.
Cross splashed a corner three-pointer at 10:44, putting Massachusetts ahead of the Rams by six-points.
UMass matched its highest run on the afternoon, (7-0) after Daniel Hankins-Sanford knocked down his second-chance layup.
This blitz furthered into an 11-1 run, highlighted by a pair of layups from Cohen and Davis Jr. Giving the Minutemen their largest lead of the game at 5:36, 70-56.
The Rams answered back with an 11-0 run of their own, making it a two-point game with 1:56 remaining in the game.
Diggins splashed a pivotal three-pointer, granting the Minutemen a 78-72 lead heading into the final minute of play. The shot marked his sixth triple of the game.
The teams shared baskets, until free-throws from Thompson and Cohen pushed UMass to a five-point lead with 11 seconds remaining.
The Rams' Luis Kortright hit a three-pointer as the clock read 0:06, but Massachusetts' edge persisted; the final buzzer sounding to the score 81-79.

New Kids On The Block

Cohen led the group in scoring, posting 13 points and six rebounds. The senior went 5-8 from the field, while posting two blocks and steals, respectively.
Freshman guard, Curry gathered 10 points of his own; going 4-13 from the field and hitting two three-pointers.
Davis Jr. fell closely behind with seven points and three rebounds in just 10 minutes on the court.

Numbers To Know

.450: UMass shot 31-64 from the field (.484); the 12th time this year they've shot better than .450.
5: Five Minutemen reached double-figures across the afternoon; led by Diggins, (18 points) Thompson, (16 points) Cohen, (13 points) Cross, (10 points) Curry, (10 points)
6: Diggins led the team in three-pointers with six; marking a single-game career-high.
7: Senior forward Matt Cross notched a team-high seven rebounds; his 18th time this season grabbing 5+ in single-game.
11: UMass combined for 11 three-pointers, marking the first time since 12/21/23 (vs. Georgia Tech) that the team score 10+ in a single-game.
11: UMass and Rhode Island traded leads 11 times in the regional rivalry thriller.
14: The Minutemen led by as many as 14 points during the game.
18: Diggins led the team in scoring with 18 points; this is the 17th time this season the junior reached double figures
39: Massachusetts outrebounded the Rams, 39-31.
40: UMass narrowly bested Rhode Island in the paint, scoring 40 points of their 81 points here.

Year Two Under Coach Martin

Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 30-24 record leading the Minutemen.
Martin now sits with a 318-225 collegiate career record.

Series History

UMass now holds a 95-69 record all-time versus the Rams, claiming the 164th matchup between the two programs.

Up Next

The Minutemen hit the road for a Valentines Day matchup with Richmond on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Robins Center. The broadcast can be found on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

Next Event

Team Stats

Rahsool Diggins

Keon Thompson

Josh Cohen

Jaylen Curry

Players Mentioned

Josh Cohen

Matt Cross

Jaylen Curry

Robert Davis Jr.

Rahsool Diggins

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Keon Thompson

Players Mentioned

Josh Cohen

Matt Cross

Jaylen Curry

Robert Davis Jr.

Rahsool Diggins

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Keon Thompson

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics