Against a team ranked similarly, Wednesday’s game against Louisiana Tech played out much like last Friday’s game against West Virginia for the Massachusetts men’s basketball team.
In both games, UMass (1-2) fell behind by double digits early. Despite the deficits, better offense helped the team get within striking distance in the second half. Both times, though, the original deficit proved to be too much, which is what led to the Minutemen’s 76-66 loss in Long Island.
“We got thoroughly outplayed from an effort standpoint for the first 25, [27] minutes of the game,” head coach Frank Martin said. “… We didn’t play hard enough to beat a team like [Louisiana Tech head coach Talvin Hester] prepares his team to play.”
One of the biggest changes Martin made over the offseason was adding more length to his roster, and that move paid off late in the contest. With the game teetering on getting out of reach, the coach brought out a full-court press against the Bulldogs (3-0). It worked, as the presence of wings like Akil Watson and Jayden Ndjigue sped up Louisiana Tech’s offense and forced rash decisions to bring what was once a nineteen-point Bulldog lead down to as close as five points.
Unfortunately for UMass, while its defensive intensity ramped up late, so too did the play of Louisiana Tech big man Daniel Batcho. The preseason Conference USA Player of the Year played just one minute in the first half due to foul trouble, but he made his mark in the second with eight points, three rebounds and three blocks.
Batcho’s biggest sequence of the game came with just over four minutes to play. After forcing a missed three, the Minutemen were threatening to cut the Bulldogs’ lead to five or less for the first time in roughly 27 minutes of play. The ball swung to Daniel Hankins-Sanford down low, but Batcho’s presence led to a rushed hook shot by the forward that was off line. The senior grabbed the rebound for Louisiana Tech and got the ball back 19 seconds later, where he displaced Hankins-Sanford for an easy reverse layup.
“There’s a reason they got the preseason player of the year,” Martin said. “I tried to tell us ‘Yo, [Louisiana] Tech got dudes now… you better bring your A-game from a discipline, toughness [and] physicality standpoint,’ and we didn’t.”
Facing a 14-point deficit just six minutes into the game, it was Jaylen Curry who kept UMass’ offense afloat in the first half. The sophomore guard used his explosiveness to get layups and opportunities at the free throw line, and notably, looked much improved as a facilitator. Curry finished with a team-leading 14 points to go along with four rebounds and six assists.
Curry’s early success was needed in part due to the struggles of Rahsool Diggins. After scoring 45 points over the Minutemen’s first two games, shots weren’t falling for the guard on Wednesday, even off of open looks. The result was a six-point performance on 2-of-12 shooting, the first time in ten games dating back to last season that Diggins was held to single-digit scoring.
After shooting 29 percent from deep against the Mountaineers, three-point shooting continued to be a thorn in UMass’ side against the Bulldogs. The team combined to go just 3-of-13 (23 percent) on three-point attempts, and with Batcho lurking in the paint, there was no consistent offense for the Minutemen in the second half outside of fastbreak and transition opportunities.
With Batcho out for nearly the entire first half, Louisiana Tech built a 12-point halftime lead off its guard play. Led by Georgia Tech transfer Amaree Abram and lead facilitator Sean Newman Jr., the Bulldogs brought a slow-paced offense that generated open looks from deep and good opportunities at the rim. Good ball movement kept the Minutemen on their toes and resulted in 20 assists for Louisiana Tech off of 28 made field goals.
Wednesday’s matchup was part of the first annual “Icons of the Game” event, a college basketball doubleheader in the Nassau Coliseum that was set up to honor past collegiate and professional coaches. UMass will play three more non-conference games at neutral sites this season.
Next up for the Minutemen is a home date against Hofstra on Saturday, Nov. 16. That game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN+.
Dean Wendel can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @DeanWende1.
