The Massachusetts men’s basketball team led a second half comeback win against the visiting Big Green entering the holiday break.
The Minutemen (9-3) picked up their intensity after a lackluster first period, fueled by efficient shooting behind the arc and a barrage of fast break points. Dartmouth (4-10) shot 31.5 percent from the field and missed 24 shots in the second half, relinquishing a 10-point lead with 13 minutes left.
When UMass needed a spark after a lethargic first half, veteran guard T.J. Weeks stepped up to the occasion. Weeks hadn’t played point since his AAU days in 2018 but was called upon to fill the point guard responsibilities in the absence of the injured Noah Fernandes.
“After the second half of the North Texas game, I said I can’t go into another game and not have somebody else ready to go,” said UMass head coach Frank Martin. “We tried our best yesterday to prepare TJ. Give him credit. He was gung ho.”
Weeks stuffed the stat sheet in the second half, scoring 13 of his season-high 19 points on the night, adding five rebounds and three assists to boot. His 3-point shooting helped dig the Minutemen out of an offensive rut throughout the first half.
“It’s basically the same thing as a two-guard,” Weeks said. “Two-guard looks more to score, point guard looks more to pass, it wasn’t that hard.”
UMass found itself in murky waters on offense in the first half, shooting 24.3 percent from the field, and 17.6 percent from beyond the arc.
“There was a moment at halftime where we had some guys with defeated body languages,” said Minutemen head coach Frank Martin. “You shoot 20 percent from the field, then your defense better be great. We allowed missing shots to disengage us on the defensive end.”
UMass outscored the Big Green 40-22 in the second half by hitting threes and finishing at the rim in transition. Its offense is built around playmaking from the post, and it got back to that in the second half. The Minutemen found success attacking the rim, both in their half-court offense and on the break.
Once they started finishing their layups, shooters became more open and capitalized. The second half four threes UMass made gave its offense breathing room for ball movement and paint scoring, putting Dartmouth away for good.
UMass had three players in double figures, including 14 second half points from Dyondre Dominguez and 16 from Matt Cross, who also collected nine rebounds.
The Minutemen struggled stopping the Big Green in the first half, who shot 45 percent from the field. They scored routinely inside the paint, even with a size disadvantage against the larger UMass forward group. Once the Minutemen stepped up pressure on defense in the second half, Dartmouth’s offense fizzled.
“We’ve created a defensive personality that I think we’re taking pride in,” Martin said “That’s hard to do, because we don’t play a little 2-3 zone and just stand around. It requires all five guys playing with unbelievable effort, discipline, and aggression.”
The Minutemen have an 11-day break before resuming play against St. Bonaventure, their first Atlantic-10 opponent of the season. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on Dec. 31.
Judah Katz can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @judah_katz
