The Massachusetts men’s basketball team lost 63-54 against Providence in its lone exhibition match leading up to the long-awaited regular season.
The visit to Providence was quite physical and taxing for both teams, even with both halves being shortened by five minutes. In the end, the more experienced and rugged Friar squad came out on top as their rebounding prowess gave them momentum late in the second half.
With 7:57 left in the game, Providence led UMass by two points as the Minutemen kept their opponent within striking distance by battling hard on the offensive glass and being tough on the interior defensively. A ripple occurred when Providence’s Nilavan Daniels hit from beyond the arc, forcing UMass’ defenders to be more attentive to outside shooters.
The Friars dominated the paint down the stretch as UMass help defenders consistently left gaps down low. Wesley Cardet Jr. took advantage of the space, as he got doubled on his way to the hoop and found a wide-open Oswin Erhunmwunse for an emphatic slam. On Providence’s next time up the floor, Daniels pulled down an offensive rebound over Malek Abdelgowad, which fired up his Friar teammates and the crowd.
Providence proceeded to convert back-to-back second-chance baskets, re-establishing its paint presence. The Minutemen continuously attacked the paint on the offensive end, but to no avail, as they went without a made field goal for over seven minutes of game time. The dagger came from Providence’s Corey Floyd Jr., who nailed his third triple of the game after another pair of offensive rebounds from the Friars. Floyd put his team up by 12 with just 3:57 left in the game, leaving UMass’ final efforts to be futile.
Few could have seen this game flipping against Minutemen the way it did, as they held a 15-6 offensive rebound advantage over their opponents halfway through the second half. This gap was closed to just a 17-15 UMass advantage by the end of the game. Abdelgowad was a standout rebounder for the Minutemen, as he pulled down seven offensive boards. UMass’ offense was aggressive towards the paint, which showed in the box score.
“Positive, [we] shot 29 free throws, that’s something I push and sell,” head coach Frank Martin said.
The kill switch for the visitors was the drought from beyond the arc. The Minutemen hit none of their 12 attempts from three in the game, which allowed the Friars to shut down the paint towards the close.
A big reason this solution was not found earlier in the game was the play of Jaylen Curry. Curry’s navigation around screens allowed him to take advantage of the drop coverage that the Friars ran by utilizing his space for mid-range jumpers and floaters. His threat gifted UMass the only spacing it earned during the game and allowed it to keep pace for much of the first half.
Another reason the Minutemen stayed with their opponent in the beginning was the team’s intense defensive play. In the first half, Providence turned the ball over 10 times, which handed UMass extra possessions and forced the Friars to slow their decisions down. The second-half turnover battle was nearly even and Providence proved their offensive prowess when it was given as many possessions as the Minutemen were.
The Friar win was highlighted by Floyd Jr., who put up 19 points on 61.5 percent from the field and provided much-needed spacing for his team. Additionally, Erhunmwunse supplied a paint presence that was vital to Providence’s second-half uproar.
“It’s a great opportunity for us, a great experience for us to play against a team that’s built like a high-major basketball team,” said Martin. “I was proud of my guys.”
Abdelgowad finished with a double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, while Curry led the team in scoring with 13 points.
UMass’ next game will be the start of the regular season against the New Hampshire Wildcats. Tipoff is set for Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Tym Brown can be reached at [email protected].
