AMHERST, Mass. – Six Minutemen recorded double-figures as Massachusetts (2-0) collected a convincing 102-81 victory over Quinnipiac (2-1) on Monday evening at the Mullins Center.
Diggins, (22 points) Cross, (19 points) Hankins-Sanford, (13 points) Cohen, (11 points) Worthy, (11 points) and Ndjigue, (10 points) led the way on offense, each player reaching double figures. This marked the first time since Nov. 15, 2022 (vs. UAlbany) that six players reached 10-plus points in a single game.
The night was highlighted by another significant milestone: the score. The 102-81 contest marked the first time the Minutemen scored 100 points since March 4, 2021 versus Saint Joseph’s.
The Minutemen came out hot from the three-point line in the first half, completing seven attempts. The UMass bench also came up big for the team, totaling 22 of the team’s 45 first half points.
Highlighted by a 6-0 run that capped as the clock read 7:14, Massachusetts led by as many as 12 points in the first half after a cat-and-mouse game during the first 10 minutes of play. The score was 45-36 heading into halftime. Massachusetts spread the ball well as four Minutemen (Diggins, Hankins-Sanford, Worthy, Ndjigue) ended the first 20 minutes of play with eight points.
Matt Cross and Rahsool Diggins led the way in the second half, combining for 30 points. The veteran duo mounted a game-high 7-0 run for the Minutemen, furthering the team’s double-digit lead. Cross scored his first seven points in less than 60 seconds, notably banking in an impressive fast-break layup at 17:43. Diggins held an equally important role, posting a career-high 22 points off an impressive 6-for-8 from the field.
On the opposite end of the ball, Jayden Ndjigue totaled five defensive rebounds– Josh Cohen following behind with four rebounds picks from this range. Ndjigue also led the way in steals with three.
Breaking Down The Action
- Ndjigue opened up the scoring for Massachusetts, netting a three-pointer to make it a tie game with 19:20 on the clock.
- Ndjigue continued his momentum at the line with another triple, earning the first six points for the Minutemen.
- Matt Cross and Jaylen Curry added to the scorebook; marking the first four scoring drives ending in three-pointers for UMass.
- A Hankins-Sanford driving layup made it a 14-14 game with 14:32 remaining in the first half.
- Hankins-Sanford continued this momentum, adding a subsequent basket to make another even score, 16-16.
- The Minutemen put together a cross-court play at 12:10, with Marqui Worthy coming off the bench to finish by way of a driving layup.
- Diggins capitalized off a Quinnipiac turnover, making the layup to further the UMass’ lead at 10:26.
- The junior guard added a second triple to his stat line, emerging as the half’s leading scorer with a then eight points. The score read 28-23 with 8:48 left in the first half.
- Ndjigue capitalized on the fast break scoring off of Quinnipiac’s seventh turnover of the contest, making the score 35-27 with 5:11 on the clock.
- Hankins-Sanford sunk a triple with 3:46 remaining in the first half, extending Quinnipiac’s scoreless streak to near three minutes.
- Keon Thompson’s layup at 2:39 gave UMass a 10-point lead, the largest advantage of the game to that point.
- Worthy was the final scorer of the first half. He responded to a Bobcats’ driving layup, with one of his own to keep Massachusetts within nine points heading into halftime.
- The Minutemen traded leads with the Bobcats five times and were held to a tie on seven occasions during the first half.
- The score read 45-36 going into the halftime break.
- Diggins scored the first basket for UMass by way of a driving layup at 19:50.
- Matt Cross mounted a strong offensive campaign in the opening minutes of the second half. He recorded seven points in less than 60 seconds, furthering a game-high 7-0 run.
- Diggins added his third three-pointer of the evening, making it 60-44 with 16:13 remaining.
- Josh Cohen’s second chance hook shot at 15:41 extended the Minutemen to the largest lead of the contest, (18 points).
- Cross added to his season-high in points, slamming a dunk to make the score 68-54 with 11:16 left in the game.
- Worthy’s sprawling three-pointer at 9:29 put him at double figures and created a 19-point advantage for UMass.
- Cohen added a pair of free throws to his total making the score 83-66 with 6:36 remaining.
- Cross continued his proficiency from the free throw line at 5:15, improving his stat line to 6-for-7. The senior scored 16 points in the second half alone.
- Diggins added yet another three-point completion at 4:03, improving his point total to 22 points; 14 of which scored in the second half.
- Cohen converted a fast-break turnover bucket, making the score 95-75 with 3:20 remaining. He finished the night with 11 points.
- Hankins-Sanford’s triple at 1:33 brought Massachusetts to 100 points for the first time since March 4, 2021, (over Saint Joseph’s).
- The final score read 102-81, cemented by a Tarique Foster layup with 58 seconds on the clock.
New Kids On The Block
- Hankins-Sanford led all newcomers with 13 points, shooting 60 percent (6-10) from the field.
- Marqui Worthy had a breakout performance recording a career-high 11 points to go along with two assists on the day.
- Cohen reached double-figures for the second consecutive game, scoring 11 points, while leading the team with five assists.
- Ndjigue scored 10 points, shooting 4-for-5 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point range. The 10 points mark the first double-figure scoring performance for the freshman.
- Curry matched his career-high with seven points, while dishing out an impressive four assists. The four assists were second on the team and most among Massachusetts guards.
Numbers To Know
- 2: UMass garnered their second win of the season, remaining one of nine teams in the Atlantic 10 with an undefeated record, (2-0).
- 6: Six Minutemen (Cross, Diggins, Cohen, Hankins-Sanford, Worthy, Ndjigue) reached double-figures on the night. This marked the first time since Nov. 15, 2022 vs. UAlbany that six players reached 10-plus points in a game.
- 7: The largest run mounted by Massachusetts was a 7-0 run, sparked by Cross.
- 17: On fast break opportunities, UMass came up big, outshooting their opponent 17-to-7.
- 23: UMass led by as many as 23 points during the game; marked by Hankins-Sanford’s triple with 1:33 remaining in the second half.
- 32: Massachusetts held the lead for a dominant 32:13.
- 36: Points were scored off the bench across the game.
- 48: The Minutemen held their own in the paint, scoring nearly half their points from down low.
- 102: The 102-81 final score signaled the first time the Minutemen scored 100 points since March 4, 2021 (over Saint Joseph’s).
Year Two Under Coach Martin
- Massachusetts Head Coach, Frank Martin improves his record with the Minutemen to 17-16.
- Martin now holds a 305-217 collegiate career mark.
Series History
- UMass leads the all-time record versus Quinnipiac, 5-1. The game marked the first time playing the Bobcats since the 2018-19 season on Nov. 28.
(Courtesy of UMass Athletics)
