In the over 100-year history of the Massachusetts men’s basketball team, no player has ever scored more points in a single game than Rahsool Diggins did against Fordham.
Diggins etched himself into the record books with a monstrous 46-point performance in a 120-118 triple-overtime Minutemen (7-11, 2-3 Atlantic-10) victory. This total passes the previous record of 44 points set by Luwane Pipkins on Jan. 10, 2018.
Additionally, the senior guard tied the record as the highest scorer in the history of Rose Hill Gymnasium. This iconic venue celebrates the centenary anniversary of its opening on Jan. 16th, 2025. The record is shared by Kenneth Charles who scored 46 points on Jan. 20, 1973.
However, Diggins did set the record for the most points scored by an opponent at the Rose Hill Gymnasium, passing the previous record held by UMass legend Julius Erving. Erving posted 37 points in the storied gym on Jan. 21, 1970
“He’s been with me for three years so I’m not surprised that he had the courage to do what he did tonight,” head coach Frank Martin said.
In the third overtime, UMass trailed by five with under four minutes left when Diggins hit a triple from an extra step beyond the arc. This gave the Minutemen hope after Jackie Johnson III hit what looked like a dagger for the Rams (8-10, 0-5 A-10) on the possession prior.
With less than two minutes to go, Diggins missed a clutch three, but an offensive rebound by Nate Guerengomba gave UMass a second chance. Diggins took off toward the rim, then slowed his step to get up a floater, watching the defender fly by as he sunk the record-setting shot.
The Minutemen got the ball back in a tie game with 34 seconds left after a Fordham turnover leaked into the backcourt. After a pair of offensive rebounds by UMass, Diggins was pressed near half-court and passed to Daniel Rivera who made an acrobatic layup for the go-ahead bucket.
Throughout the three overtime periods, the senior guard scored 18 points and had his only assist on the Minutemen’s game-winning basket.
The exhaustion was surely mounting for most players as extra time continued to pile on, but Diggins looked especially fatigued even as he put forward the largest scoring performance in UMass history.
Diggins started off the game hot, sinking a pair of threes as the first baskets of the game for the Minutemen. His scoring pace then slowed to a near halt as a single layup would be all he could manage over the next ten minutes, but an incident just minutes later explained this sudden freeze.With 6:37 left in the first half, play was about to resume after a stoppage when Diggins threw up at half-court and staggered his way to the UMass bench. The sickness persisted on the bench, but Diggins clearly had no intention of letting the sudden ailment knock him off course.
Just three minutes of game time later, the senior guard checked back into the game and immediately picked up an assist.
After a much-needed break at halftime, Diggins exploded for 20 points in the second half, hitting four shots from three-point range along the way. Near the midway point of the half, Diggins found himself on a 10-point scoring streak for the Minutemen as he warded off the Rams single-handedly.
Even as his scoring cooled down and the game got tight, Diggins still made the right play as he found Marqui Worthy open for the game-tying three to end regulation.
“He was trying to figure out, as a guy that takes pride in leading and leading at our program for the first time, how to inject his voice and his game into a locker room that’s got a bunch of new faces,” Martin said. “And he’s been playing well for the last five weeks. He’s recentered himself and now everyone’s starting to understand how to play with one another and I’m utilizing the people on our team better to help him as he continues to grow as a player.”
Overall in conference play, Diggins has taken control of the UMass offense, doubling his scoring average and improving his efficiency prolifically as well. This game stands as a testament to that improvement as he had one of the best performances in Minutemen basketball history. Though many may just view Diggins as one of the hundreds of players to have put up over forty points in a college basketball game, UMass fans will truly remember this performance and the man who did it.
Tym Brown can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @tym_brown1.
