After two straight wins by over 20 points in the Diamond Head Classic last week, a little jet lag was to be expected from the Massachusetts men’s basketball team in Saturday’s return to the mainland.

The Siena Saints (2-11) were scheduled as UMass’ (9-3) final game before entering Atlantic 10 play, and while the Saints put in a fiery effort, the Minutemen shook off their rust and got by relatively comfortably in a 79-66 victory.

“[I’m] relieved that we figured out a way to win the game,” head coach Frank Martin said. “We were really, really bad in practice yesterday…but luckily, [some guys], they played with some resolve…and those guys elevated us. And somehow, someway, we found enough spirit to win the game.”

As expected, things were clunky for UMass early. Plays were being executed poorly and Siena took advantage en route to an early 8-2 lead. The Minutemen battled back, and with seven minutes left in the first, UMass was up six.

From then on, the game largely remained in the same state. The Minutemen retained their single-digit lead for a majority of the contest. The Saints briefly got as close as four points, and UMass couldn’t securely put the game away until the final few minutes.

Siena entered Saturday ranked 360th of 362 Division-I teams in KenPom. The site had the Saints as one of the ten most underachieving teams in the sport this season, while the Minutemen came in as one of the ten most overachieving. Despite the ranking disparity, Siena played at a higher level than projections showed, and the Saints held UMass in check in multiple aspects.

Josh Cohen was the biggest missing piece for the Minutemen, and while his quiet day didn’t play a huge role in the game’s outcome, the senior’s lack of output was surprising nonetheless. For just the second time this season, Cohen was held to single digits on the scoring sheet, finishing with five points and making the only shot attempt he took all game. The senior had taken at least six shots in every game prior.

“Giovanni [Emejuru] guarded him most of the time. I thought he did a good job,” Siena coach Carm Maciariello said. “We wanted to try and front him and play on the high side.”

The Saints pressured UMass guards often on the perimeter as well, which led to turnover issues in the Minutemen backcourt. Rahsool Diggins and Keon Thompson, both starting guards for UMass on the day, had four turnovers apiece, with Siena’s defense limiting open windows for passes.

Fortunately for the Minutemen, Matt Cross was limiting passing windows on the other end of the floor, and his unique combination of speed and strength on both ends resulted in his best game of the season. The senior forward finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a program-record eight steals, along with a perfect 10-of-10 day at the free throw line.

Siena was a three-person team Saturday, as Austin Peay transfer Sean Durugordon, Michael Eley and Giovanni Emejuru combined for 62 of the Saints’ 66 points. Eley, the reigning MAAC Rookie of the Year, had plenty of plays run to give him open looks, and the sophomore guard used those to score a career-high 30 points on 11-of-22 shooting. The 6-foot-4 guard used his length to convert over UMass defenders, and his scoring bursts ultimately kept Siena somewhat within striking distance.

Despite the turnover issues, Thompson’s scoring abilities continued to show improvement, and the sophomore guard pitched in a career-high of his own with 21 points. Thompson continued to display a nose for the rim, with the bulk of his scoring coming inside the paint. Along with Cross, Rahsool Diggins was the only other Minuteman to score in double figures, as he finished with 10 points.

With the Siena result in hand, non-conference play has officially concluded for UMass. Atlantic 10 contests begin Wednesday, as Duquesne will enter the Mullins Center with a 9-3 record. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.

“I got confidence in what we’re going to do [in conference play],” Martin said. “But it’s easy to talk about it. It’s hard to get out of bed and do it for 18 consecutive games. But we signed up for it, so away we go.”

Dean Wendel can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @DeanWende1.