Massachusetts Storms Past VCU At Home, 74-52
From UMass Athletics, 2/20/2024
AMHERST, Mass. - The Massachusetts (17-9, 8-6 Atlantic 10) men's basketball team completed a statement win, defeating VCU (17-9, 9-4 Atlantic 10) 74-52 on Tuesday night at the Mullins Center.
The victory comes off UMass' commemoration of the life of George “Trigger” Burke, the namesake of the UMass Hall of Fame and longtime philanthropist of the program. A legendary player of the mid 1950s, he is one of only six former Minutemen whose name hangs in the rafters.
Josh Cohen led the Minutemen, finishing the game with 20 points; marking the 11th time he has scored 20+ points in a game this season. The forward went 7-for-10 from the field and collected seven rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes.
Matt Cross followed behind with an all-round performance of his own. The senior posted 18 points off 7-for-9 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, while adding a team-high 12 rebounds.
The contest marked a season-high in steals, (11) and points off turnovers, (23) for Massachusetts, showcasing the team's comprehensive effort.
VCU was led by Joe Bamisile who notched 13 points and four rebounds.
Breaking Down The Action
Josh Cohen got the action started for Massachusetts, sinking a jumper at 19:32 to lend UMass the start of what would evolve into a 17-2 run to begin the first half.
The scoring blitz was highlighted by a three-pointer from Matt Cross as the clock read 18:08, extending Massachusetts to an early 7-0 edge.
After allowing the Rams to score three baskets, Jaylen Curry answered back with a three-pointer of his own to bring UMass to a 19-5 score.
Cross completed a four-point run of his own off a layup and three-point sequence, making it 26-10 with 7:05 remaining in the first half.
Rahsool Diggins notched back-to-back three-pointers, giving UMass a 19-point upper hand with less than four minutes remaining in the first half.
The Rams went on an 8-0 run, that was snapped by a Cohen free throw at 1:21.
Cross splashed yet another triple at the 26 second mark, to grant Massachusetts a 38-26 lead heading into the break.
Cohen kicked off the offense for UMass once again to commence the second half, notching a pair of free throws at 19:40 to further the Minutemen to a 14-point advantage.
The senior guard built a run of his own, scoring the next four points for Massachusetts including his first three-pointer of the night, making the score 45-28.
Cross picked up the action, making three consecutive baskets to put his point total to 16 and counting.
The efforts of Cohen and Cross were capped at a 7-0 run, by way of a three-pointer on the fast-break from Jayden Ndjigue, increasing the score to 55-38 as the clock read 12:01.
Curry added a pair of free throws and triple off a VCU turnover, all within 31 seconds to further the UMass lead to 64-46.
Daniel Hankins Sanford's dunk and Cohen's driving layup extended the run to 9-0 across 3:24, the Minutemen going 4-of-5 from the field during this stretch.
Tyler Mason's basket off the bench with 30 seconds remaining in the game gave Massachusetts' a 22-point edge; their largest lead of the night.
The final buzzer sounded to the score 74-52.
New Kids On The Block
Josh Cohen led the newcomers and the Minutemen with a game-high 20 points while shooting 7-10 from the field and 5-6 from the line. Cohen also grabbed seven boards and dished out four assists.
Jayden Ndjigue had another all-around performance, with seven points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal while logging a team-high plus/minus of +19.
Jaylen Curry added nine points, two assists and a pair of steals in 14 minutes off the bench.
Numbers To Know
0: The Minutemen did not allow the Rams a lead once throughout 40 minutes of play.
5: With his performance Cross earned his fifth double-double of the year, posting 18 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.
10: Cohen recorded 20-plus points in a game for the 11th time this season.
10: 10-0 run was the largest uncontested blitz from UMass.
11: UMass held VCU without a field goal for a staggering 11:10 during the first half.
11: steals marks a season-high for the Minutemen.
22: points marked the largest lead of the night for the Minutemen, occurring with just 30 seconds remaining in the game.
23: points off turnovers marks a season-high for UMass.
30: UMass held the Rams to just 30.4% shooting from the field, the lowest shooting percentage of an A-10 opponent this season.
34: of the Minutemen's 74 points came in the paint.
57: Massachusetts held a 56.7% scoring percentage in the first half.
83: UMass and VCU both shot 83% from the free-throw line.
Year Two Under Coach Martin
Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin now holds a 32-25 record leading the Minutemen.
Martin now sits with a 320-226 collegiate career record.
Series History: Massachusetts got one back in the 13th all-time matchup between Massachusetts and VCU, the Rams now holding an even 8-4 edge in the series.
Up Next: The Minutemen stay home for a Saturday afternoon clash with St. Bonaventure on Feb. 24 at 2:30 p.m. in the Mullins Center. The broadcast can be found on USA Network with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
Slow start dooms VCU at UMass 74-52
From VCU Athletics, 2/20/2024
The short story: Senior guard Joe Bamisile led VCU with 13 points off the bench, but the Rams could not overcome an ice-cold start Tuesday at the Mullins Center.
OPENING TIP
Bamisile also corralled four rebounds and knocked down 5-of-6 attempts at the free throw line for the Black and Gold
Senior guard Max Shulga supplied 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the 3-point line for VCU. He added five rebounds and a steal
Graduate wing Sean Bairstow chipped in eight rebounds and six assists to the VCU effort, while sophomore forward Tobi Lawal contributed six points and seven boards
Josh Cohen led all scorers with 20 points for UMass, while Matt Cross turned in an 18-point, 12-rebound effort for the Minutemen
THE DIFFERENCE
VCU started cold and was unable to recover. The Rams missed their first 14 field goal attempts as UMass built a 17-2 lead to open the contest and took a 38-26 advantage into the locker room at halftime
Bairstow found junior forward Roosevelt Wheeler for a dunk off a pick-and-roll to trim UMass' lead to 48-38 with 14:00 remaining. But the Minutemen promptly responded with a 7-0 burst, punctuated by a Jayden Ndjigue 3-pointer at the 12:01 mark. The Rams never seriously threatened again
VCU shot just 30 percent (17-of-56) from the field in the contest, including 25 percent (7-of-28) in the first half
UMass shot 48 percent (28-of-59) from the field in the game and owned a 41-33 rebounding advantage
The Minutemen held a 23-3 margin in points off turnovers and 16-9 on second-chance opportunities
NOTABLE
Shulga needs 21 points to reach 1,000 for his career
The Rams fall to 9-4 all-time against UMass. VCU is 2-4 at the Mullins Center
NEXT UP: VCU will host Saint Joseph's on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. That match-up will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network.
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