University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
15-12,6-8MAC
Miami (OH)
26-0,13-0MAC
Minutemen Comeback Attempt Falls Short to #22 Miami (OH)
February 17, 2026 | Men's Basketball
AMHERST, Mass. -- Massachusetts men's basketball (15-11, 6-8 MAC) dropped a 77-86 contest against 22nd ranked Miami (25-0, 12-0 MAC) on Tuesday evening. The Minutemen fell down early, but clawed back to take a second-half lead. but the RedHawks ended the game on an 18-9 run to secure the victory.
UMass was led by Isaiah Placide with a Division I career-high 19 points, going 6-of-9 from the field with five three-pointers. Placide's five three-pointers also marked the most as a Minutemen.
Leonardo Bettiol followed with 18 points, grabbing nine rebounds, two assists and a steal. Danny Carbuccia recorded 15 points, going 5-for-9 from the field, nabbing a pair of rebounds, six assists and a steal.
The RedHawks were led by Peter Suder with a game-high 23 points, going 7-of-12 from the field, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Breaking Down the Action
- Carbuccia, Banks Jr. Bettiol, Jayden Ndjigue and Daniel Hankins-Sanford started for the Minutemen.
- Miami jumped out to an early 13-6 lead with 16:30 on the clock.
- Off a timeout, the Minutemen pulled within six off a Banks Jr. three pointer.
- After trading baskets, an Eian Elmer layup extended the Miami lead to 28-20 with 7:48 until halftime.
- Not long after, the Minutemen outscored the RedHawks, 15-9 in less than six minutes, highlighted by four three-pointers from Placide to keep the Minutemen within striking distance at 37-35.
- An 8-1 Miami run closed out the first half with the RedHawks holding a 41-36 advantage.
- Out of the locker room, back-to-back Carbuccia threes cut the deficit to 46-42 with 17:27 left to play.
- A three-point play by Bettiol highlighted a 5-0 run to bring the Minutemen within one.
- Three pointers by Brant Byers and Peter Suder tabbed an 8-1 run over 90 seconds to extend the Miami lead to 56-48.
- Bettiol and Carbuccia answered with a 7-0 run over two minutes to bring Massachusetts within one.
- Banks Jr. knocked down a triple to tie the game, 60-60, with 10:21 left.
- Moments later, Carbuccia found Placide under the basket for the Minutemen's first lead of the night, 62-60.
- After falling behind, Placide retied the game at 68-68 with 7:01 on the clock.
- Miami scored the next five points to retake the lead, eventually extending the run to 18-9 to take the 86-77 win.
Numbers To Know
- 4: Four Minutemen recorded double-digit points on the night – Placide (19), Bettiol (18), Carbuccia (15), and Banks Jr (11).
- 10: The Minutemen recorded 10 made threes, marking their third straight game with double-digit three pointers.
- 23: The team had 23 points off the bench.
- 33: Massachusetts grabbed 33 rebounds.
- 36: The Minutemen tabbed 36 points in the paint.
- 7,524: Tonight's attendance of 7,524 was the most since hosting St. Louis on March 9, 2014 (9,493).
Up Next
- The Minutemen will remain home to host Buffalo for a Senior Day game at 6 p.m. on Saturday, February 21 (tickets).
- As part of the game, the program will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1995–96 team's historic run to the Final Four, with most members of that historic squad expected to return.
- The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
