The Massachusetts men’s basketball team suffered its sixth loss of the season against Central Connecticut State on Wednesday night, losing 73-69. With eight lead changes in the game’s final seven minutes, the Minutemen’s (3-6) efforts were not enough as the Blue Devils (5-3) bested them.
Despite a late offensive spark by UMass that gave them numerous opportunities to win, the Minutemen’s defense struggled to guard CCSU’s best players and failed to put up a fight in transition.
UMass’ transition defense stood out as a weak point all game as the Blue Devils outscored the Minutemen 21-6 on fast break points. CCSU exposed UMass on the run as the Minutemen struggled to get back and defend, leaving the Blue Devils with uncontested shots that often went in.
Daniel Rivera led the way for UMass with his second straight double-double. The senior excelled on the court, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.
“[Rivera’s] been a huge help, he pushes every day in practice, he works hard and he’s aggressive,” Jayden Ndjigue said of his teammate. “He plays within the personality of the team and he’s all about the team, so I’m very happy to have him and I’m very glad that he’s playing well.”
Rivera’s performance was effective in making up for the absence of Daniel Hankins-Sanford, who is out indefinitely with a hand injury. The junior remains a major loss for the Minutemen, though, who now need more players to step up and fill the hole in the frontcourt.
“We [got to] make it work with what we got,” head coach Frank Martin said. “We [got to] do our jobs as coaches… We just have to be more competitive… We [got to] have a willingness to lock in and be more connected when things are hard.”
Behind Rivera, Rahsool Diggins and Jaylen Curry scored in double digits as well. Diggins netted 14 points but struggled from deep, going 4-of-12 from behind the arc. Curry’s 10 points came mostly in the first half, as he shot 4-of-12 on the night with three rebounds and two assists.
As the game wound down, Diggins made three-pointers that eventually gave UMass the lead with 6:13 to play. Nothing could be done on the defensive side to maintain positive momentum, though, as CCSU matched every bucket the Minutemen made and reclaimed its lead for good with less than a minute left.
At halftime, UMass only trailed the Blue Devils by two, finding themselves playing from behind once again after a first half that lacked all rhythm and momentum.
Outside of scoring, Ndjigue started for the third game in a row this season after starting in all of the Minutemen’s matchups in 2023-24. The sophomore gave UMass a spark in the first half with offensive rebounds and good vision. Ndjigue had seven points, six boards, four assists and two steals but key missed buckets and two second-half turnovers plagued his stat line.
The Minutemen have been faced with continuous adversity as they’ve struggled to put the pieces together early. In the midst of a five-game homestand, all eyes will be on UMass as it looks to get back in the win column.
“Are we [going to] figure that part out? To be able to get over the hump and start winning some of these games that are [against] hard-nosed competitive teams,” Martin said. “Because that’s who you [got to] beat if you want to try and play on the last day of the Atlantic 10 tournament, those [kinds] of teams, not the teams that get out of the way. So we’re definitely not there and we’ve got a ways to go.”
Next up for the Minutemen is an in-state matchup against UMass Lowell on Saturday, Dec. 12. Back at the Mullins Center, tipoff is set for noon on NESN+.
Samantha Sands can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @samantha_sands_.
