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

Guards provide boost in UMass victory over Iona

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

Throughout the Massachusetts men’s basketball team’s treacherous non-conference schedule, a laundry list of problems have left the Minutemen exposed and lost at times on the court.

Near the top of that list for UMass has been it’s inconsistency at the guard position, and despite escaping with a grind-it-out 87-82 win against Iona on Tuesday, it was head coach Derek Kellogg’s combination of guards – sometimes as many as four on the court at once –that was the deciding factor in the victory.

“I thought it was effective for us because of who they were playing,” said Kellogg when asked about his four-guard lineup.

“When you really look at Iona they kind of went with a hybrid four guards themselves and I think we match up pretty well in those situations. It was something I thought about leading up to this game.”

Trey Davis was the leader of the bunch, finishing with 25 points on 10-for-11 shooting, including 5-of-6 from behind the 3-point line. Davis also led the team with seven assists.

“Our guys didn’t do a very good job of listening to what we were supposed to do on defense,” Iona coach Tim Cluess said.

“We helped off of (Davis) which was kind of comical that we would help off the kid who is the best shooter on the team and was as hot as can be.”

However, with the game tied at 81 with one minute, 16 seconds left, it was Derrick Gordon who drilled an elbow jumper to give UMass the 83-81 lead.

After Iona’s Isaiah Williams split a pair of free throws with 36 seconds left, Gordon made both of his to give UMass the three-point edge with 18 seconds left. UMass guard Donte Clark then stole the ball from Ibn Muhammad, finishing the play with a fast-break dunk to seal the game.

Following a 20-4 run second half run from the Gaels which quickly turned an 11-point UMass lead into a 78-73 deficit, Davis once again answered when his name was called, drilling two straight jumpers to bring UMass within one point. Iona forward David Laury’s inbounds pass was lackadaisical, falling right into UMass guard Jabarie Hinds’ hands to regain the lead.

Gordon finished with 19 points and seven rebounds while Hinds pitched in with 10 points and four assists of his own.

The UMass guards – Davis, Hinds, Gordon, Clarke, and C.J. Anderson – finished with 38 of its 46 total points in the first half. Center Cady Lalanne contributed the other eight over the first 20 minutes.

For much of the first half and some stints in the second half, Kellogg mixed-and-matched his guards, often pairing as many as four guards with either Lalanne or Maxie Esho.

“(Playing with four guards) is great. Everybody can go to the point guard spot. I played point guard a lot today. I’m very comfortable at that position,” Gordon said.

One game removed after shutting down the nations leading score at the time – Brigham Young’s Tyler Haws – to just four points, Gordon held the nation’s second highest scorer, A.J. English (23.1 points per game) to a 6-of-14 shooting performance. English finished with 16 points and 12 assists.

Ultimately, it was Davis who stole the show.

His lone miss came with 7:55 remaining in the first half when a deep 3-point shot rimmed in-and-out. Lalanne cleaned up the miss and converted the and-1 free throw to give the Minutemen a 31-25 lead.

Davis, who was sporting a new tattoo of a tiger eye on his right forearm, laughed when asked if the new tattoo aided in his production Tuesday night.

“Eye of the tiger baby.”

Andrew Cyr can be reached at [email protected], and can be followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.

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