UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The University of Massachusetts men’s basketball team (1-2) dropped a 76-66 decision to Louisiana Tech (3-0) on Wednesday night at the Nassau County Coliseum.
The Minutemen made a late surge, cutting the Bulldog lead to five points in the final five minutes, but could not complete the late comeback bid.
The Minutemen controlled the action down low, holding a 44-30 advantage in points in the paint. However, defensive lapses, especially early in the first half, created a deficit that the Minutemen could not overcome.
Sophomore Jaylen Curry led Massachusetts offensively, scoring a team-high 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field. Curry dished out six assists on the evening, increasing his season total to 25 with only one turnover.
The Massachusetts bench played a key role down the stretch, as Massachusetts owned a 23-19 advantage in total bench points. Freshman Nate Guerengomba provided crucial baskets late in the second half, ending the game with seven points and three rebounds.
Akil Watson played 19 minutes and scored nine points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting performance. The Arizona State transfer also swiped a team-high three steals in the matchup.
The Bulldogs were led by Amaree Abram, who scored 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field.
Breaking Down The Action
- Lousiana Tech began the game on a 7-0 scoring run, capped by a three-point basket from Amaree Abram with 18:06 on the clock.
- The Minutemen responded with two baskets of their own, as an Abdelgowad layup made it 9-4 with 17:37 remaining in the first half.
- The Bulldogs continued their hot start. Five points from Sean Elkington fueled a 9-0 run, providing an 18-4 Louisiana Tech lead with just over 14 minutes in the first.
- Five points from Jaylen Curry helped spark an 11-2 Massachusetts run, cutting the Louisiana Tech lead to five at the 10:57 mark.
- The Bulldogs swing the momentum back in their direction over the next five minutes of play, claiming a 41-25 advantage thanks to five made three-pointers.
- The Minutemen ended the half on an 8-4 scoring run but trailed at the break 45-33
- Daniel Rivera struck first in the second half, finishing a put-back layup to cut the deficit to 10 just 30 seconds into the second half.
- Louisiana Tech responded with a 9-0 run, and a pull-up three from Sean Newman Jr. made it a 19-point deficit with 16:23 on the clock.
- The Minutemen chipped away at the Bulldog lead for eight minutes, eventually cutting the deficit to 10 after a tough driving layup from Nate Guerengomba with 8:43 on the clock.
- The Bulldogs quickly regained their lead to 67-52 after Kaden Cooper made a pair of free throws.
- Massachusetts went on a 12-2 run over the next five and a half minutes, cutting the Louisiana Tech lead to five after a fast-break layup from Akil Watson.
- The late-game comeback effort came up just short as five points from Newman Jr. Secured the Bulldog lead.
- The final whistle blew with the score 76-66 in favor of Louisiana Tech.
Newcomer Notifications
- Five newcomers saw action on the evening, with Malek Abdelgowad and Daniel Rivera entering as starters.
- Rivera scored eight points, adding a team-high nine rebounds.
- Guerengomba played 10 minutes, scoring seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.
- Muhammad saw 16 minutes of action, scoring six points and swatting three blocks.
Numbers To Know
- 3: Watson swiped a team-high three steals.
- 5: The Minutemen recorded only five turnovers in] the second half.
- 10: Muhammad has recorded 10 blocks through three games.
- 25: Curry has now recorded 25 assists to just one turnover through three games.
- 44: Massachusetts scored 44 points in the paint compared to Lousiana Tech’s 30.
Series History
- With the result, Louisiana Tech claims the first matchup between the programs of all time.
Up Next
- The Minutemen return to the Mullins Center to host Hofstra University at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, in Amherst, Mass. The game will be broadcast on NESN+ with live updates and links available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
