UMass Never Trails in 81-68 Exhibition Win Over Rhode Island

AMHERST, Mass. – The UMass men's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and wouldn't look back, beating Rhode Island 81-68 on Sunday afternoon inside the Mullins Center. Jordan Clayton and Dwayne Wimbley Jr. each had 16 points and six rebounds to pace the offense while Dimitri Clerc added 15 points and Checik Sylla recorded 14 points and 18 boards in his first collegiate action.

The Minutemen jumped out to an early 19-9 lead and wouldn't look back. Jason Fontenent II led Rhode Island with 18 points.

The Rams pulled even at 30 late in the first half, but UMass responded to take a 38-37 halftime lead, before scoring the first seven points of the second half to create separation.

Sunday's game featured a pair of former Atlantic 10 and local rivals reconvening, just over three weeks before the season opener.

DWAYNE WIMBLEY JR. WITH THE HAMMER ?? Two of his 16 points from today's exhibition win came with AUTHORITY ?? #Flagship ?? | #SCTop10 | @ESPNAssignDesk https://t.co/F3fic5ms0t
— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) October 11, 2026

Breaking Down the Action

The Minutemen won the opening tipoff and Clerc immediately converted a 3-point play. A few minutes later, Wimbly Jr. connected on a 3-pointer to give UMass an 11-5 lead less than three minutes in.

After checking into the game, Sylla scored on three-of-four possessions, including a putback layup with 15:03 remaining. That put UMass ahead 21-12 with 14:01 left in the first half.

Rhode Island responded, scoring 11 of the next 17 points as a Barrett Loer 3-pointer cut the Minutemen lead to 27-23 with 9:44 to play. The Rams' run reached 18-9 to even the score at 30, but Clayton regained the lead for the Minutemen, cutting through the lane and finishing at the rim at the 7:11 mark.

Scoring was limited from both sides the rest of the half. Noa Zemljić converted a 3-point play with 1:33 remaining for a 38-34 lead, but Jaen Chatham hit a three with 51 seconds on the clock to pull the Rams within 38-37, which proved to be the halftime score.

The Minutemen began the second half on a 7-0 run as a Clayton 3-pointer made the score 45-37 with 17:39 on the clock.

After a Chatham three for URI, six straight UMass points - including a Rollie Castineyra 3-pointer - gave the Minutemen a 51-40 lead.

With UMass leading 53-46, the Minutemen scored nine straight points, beginning with a Junjie Wang 3-pointer and ending with two Clerc layups, which gave UMass a 62-46 advantage with 9:52 on the clock.

The Rams pulled as close as 10 on multiple occasions, but the Minutemen always had an answer. A Clayton three and two Clerc free throws gave UMass a 75-60 lead with 3:48 remaining.

The Minutemen lead remained double figures the rest of hte way. Sylla wrapped up his tremendous game with an offensive rebound and putback for a 78-64 lead, on the way to the 81-68 final.

Numbers to Know

UMass shot 43.5% from the floor (27-of-62), including 33.3% from 3-point range (7-of-21).

Rhode Island finished at 33.3% (23-of-69) and 21.1% from behind the arc (8-of-38).

The Minutemen held a 51-42 edge in rebounds.

Along with Wimbley Jr., Clayton, Clerc and Sylla in double figure points, Zemljic scored six points while Wang and Heimir Helgason had five. Castineyra finished with four.

Next Up

The Minutemen return home next Sunday to host Brown at 2 p.m. in their second exhibition. Admission is free.

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