Massachusetts Secures 83-62 Win Over UAlbany

AMHERST, Mass -- Massachusetts basketball (1-1) secured a convincing 83-62 victory over UAlbany (1-1) on Saturday night at the Mullins Center.

The Minutemen were led by Leonardo Bettiol with 23 points. The graduate student went 8-for-12 from the field, recording one three pointer while going 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Bettiol also grabbed eight rebounds.

Senior Daniel Hankins-Sanford recorded his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. K'Jei Parker scored 12 points, including a 4-for-4 showing from the free throw line. Massachusetts led for a total of 29:51 on the night and won the points in the paint, 42-26.

The Great Danes were led by Jaden Kempson who scored 17 points with five rebounds and four assists.

Breaking Down The Action

Bettiol opened the scoring for the Minutemen with a layup less than two minutes into the game.
UAlbany got on the board with a free throw by Isaac Abidde.
Donovan Brown had back-to-back baskets to give the Minutemen an 11-9 advantage.
Off a steal, Jaden Kempson tied the game at 11-11 with 13:31 on the clock with Yaya Keita giving the Great Danes the lead.
Jayden Ndjigue's jumper quickly tied the game back at 13 apiece.
After falling behind, free throws by Parker, Ndjigue and Hankins-Sanford evened the score, 21-21, with 8:15 left in the half.
The Minutemen engineered a 6-0 run over two minutes for a 29-23 lead.
A pair of baskets from Okechukwu Okeke, put UAlbany within two.
Highlighted by a three-point play from Marcus Banks Jr, the teams exchanged baskets with the Minutemen taking a 38-32 lead into halftime.
Out of the break, Ndjigue found Bettiol under the basket to spark a short 5-0 run over two minutes of play.
Amir Lindsey scored UAlbany's first points of the second half.
A pair of triples by Parker extended the Minutemen lead, 51-37 with 14:16 left to play.
The teams traded baskets with Dwayne Wimbley Jr.'s trey for a 17 point advantage.
Matulu capped a 6-0 run over a minute to cut the lead.
Massachusetts answered with a 7-1 run just over a minute for a 66-52 score with 8:52 left in the half.
Kempson's free throws snapped a two minute scoring drought for the Great Danes.
Bettiol sparked a 9-2 run on his own over nearly three minutes highlighted by a basket from the arc for a 77-58 lead with 2:46 left to play
The Minutemen rode out the remaining minutes outscoring the Great Danes, 8-2 to secure an 83-62 win.

Newcomer Notifications

Nine newcomers saw action on the evening, with Bettiol, Marcus Banks Jr. And Parker entering as starters.
Parker went 4-4 from the free throw line.
Bettiol recorded a game high 23 points over 20 minutes of play.

Numbers To Know

3: Three Minutemen reached double figures on the night: Bettiol (23), Hankins-Sanford (14) and Parker (12).
7: The Minutemen swiped seven steals on defense.
15: Massachusetts dished out 15 assists in the matchup.
27: The Massachusetts bench accounted for 27 points vs. the Great Danes.
30: The Minutemen attempted 30 free throws, shooting 70 percent (21-30).
39: The Minutemen secured 39 rebounds on the night.
42: Massachusetts recorded 42 points in the paint.

Series History

With the result, Massachusetts now holds a 79-72 record against the Great Danes all-time.
Massachusetts is now 1-1 over the season and 48-48 with Coach Martin at the helm.

Up Next

The Minutemen will host Le Moyne at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 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

Leonardo Bettiol

Hankins-Sanford Daniel

K'Jei Parker

Jayden Ndjigue

Players Mentioned

Marcus Banks Jr.

Leonardo Bettiol

Donovan Brown

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Jayden Ndjigue

K'Jei Parker

Dwayne Wimbley Jr.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics