Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

UMass basketball can’t corral Grant, Irish in 81-68 loss

Photo by Cade Belisle/Daily Collegian
Photo by Cade Belisle/Daily Collegian

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Despite a penchant for turning the ball over and a stretch of ineffective offensive play, the Massachusetts men’s basketball team remained within striking distance of Notre Dame late into the second half.

UMass cut the Fighting Irish’s lead – which ballooned to as high as 50-33 in the second half – to 70-63 with three minutes, seven seconds remaining.

Minutemen freshman Donte Clark spurred the UMass run, knocking down a 3-pointer with 4:28 remaining to cut the Notre Dame lead to 68-59.

He then forced a steal on the ensuing Irish possession, was fouled on a layup attempt on the offensive end, which resulted in two made free throws and followed that with an assist on a layup to UMass center Cady Lalanne, which made it 70-63.

But Notre Dame’s Pat Connaughton silenced the Minutemen – and swelling surge of crowd noise within the Mohegan Sun Arena – with a corner 3-pointer on the following possession to make it 73-63 with 2:31 remaining. The Irish went on to win 81-68, handing UMass its first loss of the season.

“I thought that was obviously the last we had a chance,” Minutemen coach Derek Kellogg said.

“We cut it to seven, we set up our press and they did a nice job of spreading the floor. We were a little slow on closing out the shooter … that’s what good teams with seniors and a good back court do. If they’re up seven, they close the game out.”

Connaughton’s dagger developed similarly to most of Notre Dame’s offensive possessions. Irish guard Jerian Grant – who finished with 24 points and eight assists – orchestrated a pick and roll at the top of the key. UMass struggled keep Grant from driving into the paint, and the Minutemen over-pursued in their help defense.

Grant saw Connaughton camped in the corner, who launched the 3-pointer over UMass guard Derrick Gordon, who failed to get a hand up defensively. It was the type of play Notre Dame used throughout the game, as Connaughton finished with 18 points on 4-of-7 shooting on 3-pointers.

“He really just picked us apart on the pick and roll,” UMass guard Trey Davis said. “That’s how he got us. He found his guys, got them open for shots and he attacked when he could.”

The Minutemen found success early, jumping out to a 10-point lead in the first half. UMass led 24-15 with 7:42 remaining in the first half, but was outscored 16-4 for the remainder of the half. Notre Dame entered halftime leading 31-28.

The Irish carried that momentum into the second half, opening up the final frame with a 9-2 run to expand the lead to 40-30. From there, it was a constant game of catch up for UMass.

“It was very irritating,” Davis said. “We had a lead that was (up to) 19 in the first half and we let it slip away. They got the energy and momentum and that’s what killed us.”

UMass scored just six points over nearly an 11-minute stretch – from the 7:42 mark to the 16:10 mark in the second half – as Notre Dame expanded its lead. The Minutemen also finished with 18 turnovers despite having just four assists.

“The reality of it is the 18 turnovers is probably what cost us the game,” Kellogg said. “I thought we had quite a few opportunities to get back into the game and break some things open and we turned the ball over and had sloppy play.”

Only three UMass players scored in double-figures. Gordon finished with a team-high 18 points, Lalanne scored 16 and Clark added 10 points off the bench. In contrast, Notre Dame’s starting lineup of Grant, Connaughton, Zach Auguste, Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia combined to score 76 points.

The Minutemen return to action Sunday against Florida State at 12 p.m. Kellogg joked that because of the quick turnaround, looking over tape from the performance against Notre Dame may have little use to him.

“I may break the tape in half, if that makes any difference,” Kellogg said. “With the quick turnaround, it’s more about getting these guys mentally focused and continuing to improve.”

Mark Chiarelli can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @Mark_Chiarelli.

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