Massachusetts Drops First Game of Paradise Jam to Charleston, 69-65

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands -- Massachusetts basketball (3-2) fell 69-65 to Charleston (3-3) on day one of the 2025 Paradise Jam on Friday afternoon at the University of the Virgin Islands.

The Minutemen were led by Marcus Banks Jr. who scored a game-high 18 points, with four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Leonardo Bettiol followed closely with 14 points, five assists, three rebounds and a pair of steals.

The Cougars were led by Jlynn Counter who recorded 12 points going 4-for-5 from the field and perfect from the freethrow line.

Breaking Down the Action

K'Jei Parker's basket from the top of the arc opened an early 7-0 run for the Minutemen to open the game.
Off a steal, Mister Dean gave the Cougars their first points of the night with 15:33 on the clock.
The teams traded baskets, with Connor Hickman bringing the Cougars within three.
Banks Jr. went on a 7-0 run on his own to give Massachusetts a 22-15 lead.
Multiple trips to the charity stripe pulled Charleston within one with 5:10 left in the half.
After exchanging baskets, the Couagrs took a 29-28 lead into the break.
Charleston extended their lead out of the halftime with an 8-3 run capped by a Christi Reeves layup.
Massachusetts answered with a 9-0 run over two minutes, highlighted by a Ndjigue 3-pointer, to give the Minutemen a 49-45 lead.
A pair of free throws from Chadlyn Traylor capped a 13-8 Charleston run to give the Cougars a narrow 60-57 lead with 4:17 on the clock.
A pair of free throws by Banks Jr. pulled Massachusetts within one with 4:04 left in the game.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford sunk a corner three to bring UMass with two, 64-62, with 2:46 remaining.
The Minutemen were able to cut the deficit to as little as one point but could not claim the comeback win, falling 69-65.

Newcomer Notifications

Nine newcomers saw action on the evening, with Bettiol, Banks Jr. and Parker entering as starters.
Marcus Banks Jr. scored a game-high 18 points, adding four rebounds and two assists.
Leonardo Bettiol added 14 points while dishing out a game-high five assists.

Numbers To Know

1: The game marked the first of three that Massachusetts will play as part of the Paradise Jam.
2: Two Minutemen reached double figures on the night: Banks Jr. (18) and Bettiol (14).
5: The Minutemen nabbed five steals.
15: The team totaled 15 assists.
32: Banks Jr. And Bettiol combined for 32 of Massachusetts' 65 points.
34: Massachusetts grabbed 34 rebounds over the afternoon, outrebounding Charleston 34-25.

Series History

With the result, Massachusetts now holds a 1-3 record against the Cougars all-time
Massachusetts is now 3-2 over the season and 50-49 with Coach Martin at the helm.

Up Next

The Minutemen will face Green Bay on day two of the Paradise Jam on Saturday, Nov. 21 with tip-off set for 3:00 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard