University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
1-1,0-0MAC
Boston College
2-0,0-0ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 35 | 20 | 55 |
| Boston College | 37 | 34 | 71 |
November 06, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Dwayne Wimbley Jr. and Abdullah Ahmed set career highs in points
BOSTON – Despite career nights from both Dwayne Wimbley Jr. and Abdullah Ahmed, Massachusetts men's basketball (1-1, 0-0 MAC) fell to Boston College (2-0, 0-0 ACC), 71-55, during an in-state rivalry at TD Garden on Friday afternoon. Wimbley Jr. posted a team-high and career-high 15 points, adding six rebounds and two assists, while Ahmed posted a career-high 12 points along with six boards and three blocks.
Following a back-and-forth first half, four 7-0 runs by the Eagles, including three in the second half, proved to be the downfall for the Minutemen. Money Williams led the Eagles with 35 points, along with nine rebounds, five assists and a perfect 13-13 showing from the charity stripe.
During a first half where neither team led by more than eight points, a five-point Massachusetts swing to end the opening 20 minutes pulled Boston College into the half clinging to a narrow 37-35 advantage. After knotting the game up at 37 just 16 seconds into the second half, a 10-0 Eagles run handed Boston College a lead it never gave up.
Massachusetts led on the glass (39-36), dished out more assists (11-10), and shot higher from the field (38.9 percent to 37.3 percent), while also holding the Eagles to just 3-27 from behind the arc. Massachusetts only forced four Eagles turnovers.
Breaking Down the Action
Massachusetts jumped out to an early 11-4 lead, including a 7-0 run, with buckets from Danny Carbuccia, Wimbley Jr., and Ahmed. The Eagles snapped the run with a layup inside, but Wimbley Jr. connected on his second three of the half to give UMass a 14-6 advantage with 15:00 remaining.
Boston College cut the contest to one score, 15-12, on the back of a 6-1 run, before Junjie Wang finished through contact and converted the and-one to put the Minutemen ahead 18-12 at 11:22.
An acrobatic reverse layup by Rollie Castineyra and tip-in by Wang gave the Minutemen a narrow five-point lead, 26-21, with 6:22 remaining in the first half. The Eagles took the lead back following a 7-0 run, leading 28-26, before Ahmed hit an NBA-range three from the top of the key to pull UMass in front, 29-28, with 4:16 to play.
A second 7-0 run, with five consecutive coming from Williams, propelled Boston College to its largest lead of six, 35-29, before Jordan Clayton buried a triple from the right wing to bring the match to a one-possession game, 35-32 at 1:44. A Wang layup and free throw by Ahmed brought the game to 37-35 at the break in favor of the Eagles.
A flush and and-one by Boston College highlighted an 8-0 run early in the second half, increasing its lead to 45-37 at 16:12 and forcing a UMass timeout. The Eagles run reached 10-0 before Zemljic connected from deep to bring Massachusetts within seven, 47-40, with 14:51 left to play in regulation.
Christian Martin netted his first career basket following a defensive rebound, as Carbuccia hit Martin in stride for an easy two at 13:28.
The Eagles lead reached a game-high 12 points before an Ahmed hook shot hit nothing but net bringing the score to 55-45 at 8:29. Two converted free throws by Wimbley Jr. and a midrange jumper by Zemljic cut the deficit to 55-49 with 6:17 remaining, forcing a Boston College timeout.
Wimbley Jr. brought the game to just four points, 55-51, before the Eagles' third 7-0 run of the night ballooned the score to 62-51 at 4:17.
Williams connected on his second triple of the game, extending the Boston College lead to 67-55 and bringing his game total to 33 points with 2:56.
Boston College ended the game on its fourth 7-0 run, knocking down four consecutive free-throws to end the game at 71-55.
Numbers to Know
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UMass shot 38.9% from the field (21-of-54), including 27.8% from 3-point range (5-of-18).
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Ahmed's 12 points and Wimbley Jr.'s 15 points marked career highs.
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The Minutemen held a 39-36 edge in rebounds.
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Boston College finished at 37.3% (22-of-59) and 11.1% from behind the arc (3-of-27).
Next Up
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The Minutemen host UMass Lowell for their home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center. Click here to purchase tickets.
