It’s only natural to look at the Massachusetts men’s basketball stat line following its 82-74 victory over Duquesne and hone in on Trey Davis’ 26-point performance. He was the game’s leading scorer, and his consistency at the free throw line aided UMass in securing the victory.
But it was far from an individual effort that led the Minutemen to a win Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center. Instead, they needed a full team effort.
UMass (16-9, 9-3 Atlantic 10) had four scorers in double-digits as the Minutemen pulled away from the Dukes in the final three minutes, 31 seconds after sinking 11-of-12 free throws down that stretch to secure the victory.
Aside from Davis’ 26, Maxie Esho finished with 13 points, while Cady Lalanne and Jabarie Hinds finished with 11 apiece. Davis shot 6-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and went a perfect 10-of-10 at the line. Davis has made 32 straight free throw attempts dating back to Jan. 21 against Saint Joseph’s.
“I just wanted to win the game, that’s all that was on my mind,” Davis said. “We do whatever we need to win and that’s what I’m excited about.
Despite shooting just 1-for-6 from the field, Gordon finished 7-of-10 from the foul line and contributed with nine points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Although Gordon might have put up big numbers in numerous categories, his biggest play was one that didn’t appear in the scorebook.
With 2:31 remaining and UMass leading 68-66, Gordon stole the ball from Duquesne’s Micah Mason and made a diving, acrobatic play falling out of bounds to keep the possession alive. As the shot clock ticked down on the following offensive possession, it was Gordon who then assisted Donte Clark on a 3-pointer to give the Minutemen a five-point lead with exactly two minutes left in the game.
“There’s going to be games on the offensive end where things are not falling,” Gordon said about his missed shots. “I have to do other things to impact the game, whether it’s rebounding, assists – which I had five – just doing whatever it takes to win the game. That’s all that matters.”
The Minutemen even received significant contributions from the bench.
Demetrius Dyson’s impact was short-lived and came within a span of 92 seconds. With UMass trailing 15-8 after the Dukes had started the game on a 13-3 run, Dyson sparked the Minutemen offense drilling 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. Dyson then had a tip-in layup after a Hinds missed 3-pointer for his final basket of the evening. Dyson fouled out with 8:36 remaining and played 14 minutes.
A look ahead
With Dayton, Virginia Commonwealth, and Rhode Island all winning on Saturday, there still remains a four-way tie atop the A-10 with all teams, including the Minutemen, posting a 9-3 record in conference.
UMass – winners of six straight – has its hardest week of the season ahead with road games against URI Wednesday night and VCU Saturday afternoon.
Andrew Cyr can be reached at [email protected], and can be followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.
