The Massachusetts men’s basketball team lost a thriller against the Hofstra Pride in a 75-71 overtime finish. This close win continues Hofstra’s (4-0) win streak to begin the season while the Minutemen (1-3) dropped their third game in a row. Jean Aranguren and Cruz Davis led the way for the Pride as both guards topped 20 points. Aranguren lead the way in overtime, scoring seven points in the game-deciding five minutes.
Trailing by four points with two minutes left in OT, UMass still waited to make its first field goal of the extra period. With an in-bounder set up on the baseline, Rahsool Diggins found space in the near corner for a three to bring the Minutemen within a point of their opponent. Hofstra rebuilt its lead with a putback bucket and a free throw, but Jaylen Curry cut the lead to one, once again with a pull-up three from an extra step outside.
UMass then intentionally fouled, sending Jaquan Sanders to the line to potentially ice the game. With the home crowd roaring at peak volume, Sanders split his free throws, giving the Minutemen a chance to tie or take the lead with 15 seconds left. Curry went headstrong to the hoop but couldn’t convert a tough layup, defended strongly by TJ Gadsden.
“That last play, I wanted [Curry] to pass it to the five-man so we could attack the coverage that they were in, but he made a decision that he can go get it and it just didn’t work out,” head coach Frank Martin said. “But without him, we had no chance today.”
Curry’s play was certainly integral in UMass’ fight in this game, dropping a career-high 22 points and tying a personal best with six rebounds. Diggins provided 16 points, 11 of which came in the second half. This guard duo was the centerpiece of a run in the last six minutes of regulation to extend the game.
With 6:41 left in the second half, Shahid Muhammad was at the charity stripe with the Minutemen trailing 54-49. As his second attempt missed, Jayden Ndjigue dove on the floor for the rebound, immediately scooping the ball to Diggins under the basket. This hustle play engaged the crowd, and the intensity got to Hofstra as it turned the ball over on a backcourt violation on the next play.
Diggins stepped up again in this moment, hitting his first three of the game off an assist from Curry. Sanders sucked the air out of the gym with a three and layup for the Pride on succeeding possessions, but Diggins came back with another huge triple.
After a trade of buckets and a defensive stop, UMass trailed 61-59 with a minute left in the second half. Curry found Diggins as he maneuvered his way through traffic for a go-ahead three. This was the Minutemen’s first and only lead of the game as Aranguren attacked the hoop to put Hofstra up 63-62 with 20 seconds left.
Curry made an aggressive move to the hoop and drew a pair of free throws that could have won the game. The sophomore guard stepped up for the biggest shots of his young career and nailed the first, but missed the second, sending the game to overtime.
“I’m very appreciative of the fight that our guys played with,” Martin said. “But the bottom line is you can’t shoot 37 percent from the field and go 10-for-20 from the foul line and expect to win games against good teams like that.”
The Minutemen fought hard to get back in this game after falling behind by 13 points in the first half. A big reason for the comeback was the defensive play of Shahid Muhammad who had three blocks in the closing stretch towards halftime, contributing to a four-minute Hofstra scoring drought. This shutdown defense by UMass turned into motivation on offense as the lead was cut to five points going into the second half. Daniel Hankins-Sanford led the team in this initial comeback charge with 10 points on an efficient 5-of-6 from the field.
With another hard-fought loss in the books, the Minutemen will be thankful for a week of rest as they prepare for the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena next weekend. UMass will take on Temple on Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. on ESPN+, then Florida St. on Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.
Tym Brown can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @tym_brown1.
