====== March 14, 2024 - VCU vs. UMass ======
  * Season: [[season_2023-24|2023-24]]
  * Date: Thursday, March 14, 2024
  * Opponent: [[opponent_vcu|VCU]]
  * Start Time: 2:00 PM ET
  * Site: [[wp>Barclays Center]], Brooklyn NY
  * Special Event: [[conference_tournaments|Atlantic 10 Tournament]], Quarterfinal.  Seeds: UMass 4, VCU 5
  * Television: [[https://www.usanetwork.com|USA]]
  * Stream: [[https://www.usanetwork.com/live|USA]], [[https://www.nbcsports.com/watch|NBC Sports app]]
  * Radio: WEEI (105.5 FM), WCRN (830 AM), WMUA (91.1 FM)
  * Spread: UMass +1.5((per ESPN https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game/_/gameId/401625550/vcu-umass))
  * UM injury report: All players dressed

  * **Result: VCU 73, UMass 59**
  * Attendance: 6817 (afternoon double-header)

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|  [[game20240306_fordham|Fordham (3/6)]]  |  [[season_2024-25|2024-25 season]]  |

===== Previews =====
  * Game notes: [[https://umassathletics.com/news/2024/3/13/mens-basketball-4-minutemen-set-for-a-10-quarterfinal-matchup-against-5-vcu|UM]]
  * Daily Hampshire Gazette: [[https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-men-s-basketball-heads-to-Brooklyn-this-week-for-A-10-tournament-54361441|Minutemen to meet VCU, (seeking) first Atlantic 10 semifinal berth since 2013]]
  * Mass. Daily Collegian: [[https://dailycollegian.com/2024/03/umass-mens-hoops-to-face-vcu-in-a-10-quarterfinals/|UMass men’s hoops to face VCU in A-10 quarterfinals]]
  * Berkshire Eagle: [[https://www.berkshireeagle.com/sports/college_sports/college-basketball-umass-amherst-minutemen-atlantic-10-tournament-quarterfinal-preview-virginia-commonwealth-university-rams/article_d74de7be-e17b-11ee-99a0-27693ebf6faf.html|UMass ready to face VCU in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals]]

===== Game Thread =====
See the [[https://www.umasshoops.com/newboard/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=17129|UMassHoops.com Message Board thread]] for pre-game and post-game discussion.

===== Recaps =====
**Massachusetts Comeback Falls Short In Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals**\\
From [[https://www.umassathletics.com/|UMass Athletics]], 3/14/2024

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Massachusetts (20-11, 11-7 Atlantic 10) dropped a 73-59 decision to VCU (21-12, 11-7 A-10) at the Barclays Center on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The loss caps what otherwise was a season of tremendous growth for the program, as the Minutemen secured their first 20-win season since 2013-14 and first top-four seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship since 2007-08.

The fourth-seeded Minutemen put together a furious second-half comeback to cut what was once a 17-point lead to a two-possession game on a Rahsool Diggins three at the 4:24 mark but could not get any closer as the fifth-seeded Rams pulled away at the finish.  

Diggins had a game-high 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting (4-for-10 on threes), while Josh Cohen added 14 points. Matt Cross finished with seven points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds for UMass. 

The Rams were led by Zeb Jackson, who scored 17 points. VCU shot 50% from the field and was 23-for-30 from the free throw line.  

Breaking Down The Action
  * On the game's first possession, Jayden Ndjigue pulled down an offensive board and went back up for the first points of the day.
  * In his first post touch, Cohen converted a three-point play to put UMass up 5-0 at 18:02. 
  * After VCU went on a 7-0 run, Matt Cross hit a corner three at 14:23 to regain the UMass lead. 
  * Cohen scored a tough step-through layup at the 8:17 mark to bring UMass within four. 
  * Cross gave the Minutemen some momentum with an emphatic putback dunk with 7:45 left in the first half. 
  * Ndjigue scored his second basket of the afternoon off an assist from Cross at 6:48. 
  * After checking in for the first time, Marqui Worthy attacked the rim for his first points at 2:40. 
  * In a foul-heavy first half, UMass was 10-for-14 from the line and went into halftime trailing 42-25. 
  * In the Minutemen's first possession of the second half, Ndjigue grabbed two offensive rebounds which led to a Rahsool Diggins three. 
  * Diggins scored the next five points to bring UMass within 12 at 16:06. 
  * Ndjigue continued to make plays when needed most, as the freshman hit a corner three at 14:46. 
  * A Diggins fast-break layup at 14:10 cut the VCU lead to 11 and forced a Rams timeout. 
  * A Cohen layup at 12:52 got UMass within single digits to cap a 7-0 run. 
  * Diggins cut the lead to 52-44 with a reverse layup in transition at 10:46. 
  * Diggins continued with the hot hand, sinking his third three in the second half to make it 54-47. 
  * After VCU went on a 7-2 run, Keon Thompson hit a corner three to get UMass back within ten. 
  * Diggins added another three to make it a two-possession game at 4:24. 
 
New Kids On The Block 
  * Cohen led the newcomers with 14 points, going 3-of-5 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. Cohen also added six rebounds and a team-high two steals. 
  * Ndjigue finished out his freshman season with another all-around performance, grabbing seven rebounds to go along with eight points and a pair of blocks in 29 minutes. 
  * Guards Jaylen Curry and Marqui Worthy both came off the bench and scored crucial baskets for UMass. 
 
Numbers To Know
  * 4: Rahsool Diggins knocked down four three-pointers for the third consecutive game. 
  * 5: Matt Cross dished out a team-high five assists. 
  * 8: Cross also finished with a game-high eight rebounds. 
  * 21: Diggins had a game-high 21 points, 20 of which came in the second half. 
  * 24: Josh Cohen finished the contest with 14 points for his 24th game in double figures. 
 
Year Two Under Coach Martin 
  * Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 35-27 record leading the Minutemen. 
  * Martin now sits with a 323-228 collegiate career record. 
 
Series History: The Minutemen now hold an 4-10 record against the Rams dropping the 14th matchup between the two programs.

**Bamisile, Jackson propel Rams past UMass, into A-10 Semis**\\
From [[https://vcuathletics.com/|VCU Athletics]], 3/14/2024

The short story: Senior guard Joe Bamisile scored a team-high 18 points and VCU held UMass scoreless the final 4:24 to fend off a Minuteman rally and advance to the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Semifinals Thursday at Barclays Center.
 
OPENING TIP
  * Bamisile connected on 4-of-6 from 3-point range and finished 6-of-9 from the field overall
  * VCU senior guard Zeb Jackson registered 17 points, four rebounds and five assists. Fellow senior guard Max Shulga dished out a team-high seven assists
  * Freshman forward Michael Belle and sophomore forward Tobi Lawal each added seven points and six rebounds on 3-of-4 shooting for the Black and Gold
  * UMass was led by Rashool Diggins who had 21 points

THE DIFFERENCE
  * VCU shot 50 percent (22-of-44) from the field and 23-of-30 from the free throw line. The Rams held the Minutemen to just 35 percent (19-of-54) shooting from the floor and 29 percent (7-of-24) from deep
  * VCU led 20-16 with 7:45 left in the first half before going on a 18-5 run capped off by a Lawal dunk. The Rams took a 42-25 lead into the break. The Rams held the Minutemen to 7-of-28 shooting in the first half, including 1-of-9 from three
  * UMass was 14-of-19 from the free throw line
  * VCU had a 15-7 advantage in points off turnovers, efficiently capitalizing on just nine Minutemen turnovers
  * The Rams had their lead cut to 65-59 with 4:24 left in the game before clamping down on defense. VCU ended the game on an 8-0 scoring run sparked by a Bamisile layup to end the game
  * UMass outscored VCU 19-8 to begin the second half behind Diggins' scoring outburst to cut the Ram's lead to 54-47 with 9:46 remaining
  * UMass would only get as close as six points for the remainder of the game

NOTABLE
  * VCU advanced to the Atlantic 10 Semifinals for the second consecutive season
  * The Rams will be playing in the A-10 Semifinals for the eighth time in 11 chances since they joined the league prior to the 2012-13 season
  * VCU improved to 20-8 all-time in A-10 Tournament play with Thursday's win

NEXT UP: Fifth-seeded VCU will face ninth-seed Saint Joseph's at 1 p.m. on Saturday on CBS Sports Network. The Rams and Hawks have met once this season, a 73-69 VCU victory Feb. 25 at the Siegel Center.

**Other recaps:**

  * Associated Press: [[https://atlantic10.com/news/2024/3/14/mens-basketball-bamisile-scores-18-off-the-bench-vcu-defeats-umass-73-59-in-a10mbb-quarterfinals.aspx|Bamisile Scores 18 Off The Bench, VCU Defeats UMass 73-59 in A10 Quarterfinals]]
  * DHG: [[https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-VCU-men-s-basketball-A10-tournament-quarterfinal-Thursday-54391631|First-half hole too big to overcome as Minutemen end season with 73-59 loss to VCU in Atlantic 10 quarterfinals]]
  * DHG: [[https://www.gazettenet.com/UMass-basketball-Second-half-rally-against-VCU-a-microcosm-of-the-season-as-Minutemen-never-threw-in-the-towel-54391682|Second half rally against VCU a microcosm of the season as Minutemen never threw in the towel]]
  * MDC: [[https://dailycollegian.com/2024/03/umass-falls-to-vcu-in-a-10-quarterfinals/|UMass falls to VCU in A-10 quarterfinals]]
  * MDC: [[https://dailycollegian.com/2024/03/diggins-21-point-performance-not-enough-in-umass-loss-to-vcu/|Diggins’ 21-point performance not enough in UMass’ loss to VCU]]
  * BE: [[https://www.berkshireeagle.com/sports/college_sports/college-basketball-umass-amherst-minutemen-virginia-commonwealth-university-rams-atlantic-10-tournament-quarterfinal-brooklyn-barclays/article_1e9597ae-e24c-11ee-96d6-fba204cb5676.html|Fourth-seeded UMass men fall to No. 5 VCU in Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinal]]
  * Richmond Times Dispatch: [[https://richmond.com/sports/college/basketball/men/vcu-mens-basketball-rams-umass-atlantic-10-quarterfinal-barclays-center/article_701cc66e-e22f-11ee-8960-7368fd13c2e7.html|VCU hoops rides early momentum to season-defining win over UMass, advances to A-10 semifinal]]

Notes about UM's stats:
  * 59 points was the lowest on the season (previous average 78.1 per game)
  * .352 FG%, 2nd lowest (prev avg .454)
  * 18 pts in the paint, lowest (prev avg 37.9)
  * Cohen 5 FGAs, fewest in last 6 weeks (half his avg)
  * 26 total rebounds, lowest
  * 15 defensive rebs, lowest

===== Other content =====
  * [[https://atlantic10.com/galleries/mbb/2024-a10mbb-game-9-vcu-vs-umas/501|Photo gallery]]
  * Post-game pressers: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBdFT1m0pm0|VCU]], [[https://www.youtube.com/live/xBdFT1m0pm0?si=iAP93pzdqakGIdT3&t=1242|UM]]
  * [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iYDdkbqLxs|Highlight pack from A10]]
  * UM video clips: [[https://twitter.com/UMassMBB/status/1768364439781191797|Diggins for 3]], [[https://twitter.com/UMassMBB/status/1768361122757796084|Diggins Euro-step]]
  * VCU video clips: [[https://x.com/VCU_Hoops/status/1768341789138727188|Kuany finishes the break]], [[https://x.com/VCU_Hoops/status/1768343105361621409|Jackson alone for 3]], [[https://x.com/VCU_Hoops/status/1768346411416920343|Bamisile 3]], [[https://x.com/VCU_Hoops/status/1768349292584984681|Jackson breakaway]], [[https://x.com/VCU_Hoops/status/1768357227314733351|Third-chance points]], [[https://x.com/VCU_Hoops/status/1768365694431760670|Fermin and-one]], [[https://x.com/VCU_Hoops/status/1768368518267883960|Bamisile breakaway]]
  * [[https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IIw3XIQL35BVd7iO7pZHG?si=UohzwHbBTleTd6RBA2rlLg|WMUA Sports episode recapping the game]]

===== Box score =====
[[https://atlantic10.com/boxscore.aspx?id=7ltyipP022aUJKmSgYVs3wXi7up73ghniwD5ElWyd07J7BNseBaMQePf0fY%2f3yUPy5oKbnp5MEZSUkNgyL%2fjaf455l%2fWYtpMOuLn13yp1r%2fB%2f5%2fj2kjTOvpFrShQp4UFjQPYILIBsnRKwriYpYplkQgsffC8IedDnrv8BTFK86Y%3d&path=mbball|Standard]], [[https://umassathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2023-24/vcu/boxscore/15364|Standard (alt)]], [[https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=518980|StatBroadcast]], [[http://archive.statbroadcast.com/518980.pdf|PDF]], [[https://dxbhsrqyrr690.cloudfront.net/sidearm.nextgen.sites/umassathletics.com/stats/mbball/2023/pdf/20240314031959-2424875.pdf|PDF (alt)]]

{{tag>"2023-24 season" "VCU"}}