Minutemen Gut Out Tough 62-53 Road Win Over Duquesne

PITTSBURGH, PA. -- Massachusetts basketball (10-12, 5-4 A-10) claimed a gritty 62-53 win over Duquesne (9-13, 4-5) on Saturday afternoon at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Senior Rahsool Diggins scored 27 of Massachusetts 37 second half points to ice the road win.

Massachusetts ended the game on a 19-7 run, with Diggins scoring 15 points in the game's most pivotal stretch. The senior went a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from three-point range over the final six minutes of the game. Diggins' 27 second half points makes him the first Minuteman to score 25-plus points in a single half since Tre Mitchell score 25 on Dec. 16, 2020 at La Salle.

Diggins finished the game with 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field. The performance marks his third game with 30-plus points and 11th straight with in double digits.

Daniel Hankins-Sanford played both ends of the floor recording his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds on the afternoon. The charlotte, North Carolina native added three steals while shooting 6-of-12 from the field.

The Dukes were led by Tre Dinkins III who recorded a team-high 11 points and five steals in the matchup.

Breaking Down The Action

Duquesne got on the board first as Matus Hronsky sunk a three-pointer on the Dukes first possession.
Daniel Rivera scored the first points of the game for the Minutemen, making the score 5-2 in favor of Duquesne, with 17:26 on the clock.
Jayden Ndjigue spun home a fastbreak layup to give Massachusetts its first lead of the night at 6-5.
Rahsool Diggins finished off a Daniel Hankins Sanford assist in the lane to extend the UMass advantage to 11-6 with 13:29 left in the first half.
Tre Dinkins III scored an and-one layup to cut the Massachusetts lead back down to 11-9 just over a minute later.
Nate Guerengomba drew a foul on a corner three-point attempt, sinking all three free throws to make the score 14-9 with just under 11 minutes to go in the half.
Akil Watson finished a driving layup to give you a 16-11 advantage with 9:01 on the clock.
Duquesne responded with a 5-0 run as Jahsean Corbett completed an and-one to tie the game at 16-16.
Rahsool Diggins sunk his first three-pointer of the game to reclaim the Massachusetts lead at 19-18 with 5:11 remaining in the first.
Jaylen Curry scored Massachusetts last basket of the half, sending the Minutemen into the break with a slim 25-24 advantage.
Dinkins III capped a 7-2 Duquesne run to start the second half, giving the dukes a 31-27 advantage with 17:34 on the clock.
After more than two minutes without a basket for either side, the Minutemen responded with a 7-2 run of their own, as a Hankins-Sanford layup gave UMass a 36-25 lead with 11:50 to play.
David Dixon slammed home a dunk as Duquesne quickly reclaimed a 39-36 lead with 9:41 left in regulation.
10 consecutive points from Rahsool Diggins over the next three minutes of play gave UMass a 46-43 lead with 6:01 on the clock.
Diggins proceeded to score 15 of Massachusetts next 19 points, fueling a 19-7 run to close the game at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. Diggins went 3-of-3 from three-point range over six minute scoring run.
Four free-throws from Diggins sealed the win, sending Massachusetts home with a 62-52 victory.

Newcomer Notifications

Five newcomers saw action on the evening, with Rivera and Abdelgowad entering as starters.
Daniel Rivera played 23 minutes, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds.
Malek Abdegowad recorded seven rebounds across 15 minutes.
Akil Watson played 10 minutes, grabbing three rebounds on the night.
Nate Guerengomba recorded three points on seven minutes of action.

Numbers To Know

3: Diggins recorded 30-plus points for the third time this season.
4: Curry dished out a team-high four assists.
5: The Minutemen earned their fifth A-10 victory of the season.
7: Diggins tallied his seventh game with 20-plus points this season.
8: Massachusetts recorded its eighth game of the season with 40-plus total rebounds.
9: The Minutemen recorded nine steals on the night.
11: Diggins scored in double figures for the 11th consecutive game.
18: Massachusetts has now recorded 30 or more points in the paint in 18 games this season.
48: UMass tallied 48 rebounds on the day, with 35 coming on the defensive glass.

Series History

With the result, Massachusetts now hold a 43-29 record against the Dukes all-time.
Massachusetts is now 22-23 in A-10 play and 9-18 on the road with Coach Martin at the helm.

Up Next

The Minutemen return home for a clash with Saint Louis on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. 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

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Team Stats

Rahsool Diggins

Hankins-Sanford Daniel

Jaylen Curry

Daniel Rivera

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Curry

Rahsool Diggins

Nate Guerengomba

Daniel Hankins-Sanford

Jayden Ndjigue

Daniel Rivera

Akil Watson

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics