The Reilly Center looks like an unimposing mid-major gym from the outside, but its confines have been a house of horrors for the Massachusetts men’s basketball team this century.
Heading into Wednesday’s game against St. Bonaventure, UMass (12-18, 7-10 Atlantic 10) had only won once in Olean in the past 14 years. The Minutemen had one final crack at breaking their slump, one opportunity to leave the arena on a high note. The team put forth a valiant effort, but at the end of the day, home court advantage held strong in a 73-72 Bonnies (20-10, 8-9 A-10) victory.
Basketball analytics guru Ken Pomeroy has a formula that ranks Division I schools by their advantage at home, and while not perfect, it can indicate road trips that teams should circle on their calendars. St. Bonaventure ranks 12th in this metric and second in the A-10, and part of that ranking likely stems from the team’s dominance against the Minutemen. Counting a semi-home game in 2020, the Bonnies are winners of eight home games in a row against one of their closer conference opponents.
A good home court advantage is typically characterized by visitors making uncommon mistakes, and those popped up for UMass late. On this night, Daniel Hankins-Sanford had a career performance, playing 38 minutes and notching a 22-point double-double. In the last four minutes of the game, his statline took a turn for the worse: three points, two turnovers, one foul, 1-of-3 shooting.
A moving screen was called on the forward coming out of the final media timeout. He scored the team’s only three points in that stretch, but it was juxtaposed with an airball and a shot that was blocked in the game’s final minute. Something had gotten into the air in Olean, and it limited how much of a difference the Minutemen’s leader on this night could make late.
“I’m sure [Hankins-Sanford is] down right now because of [not converting late],” head coach Frank Martin said. “He seemed that way in the locker room, but that’s part of the growth.”
The Reilly Center has exerted dominance over UMass in past visits, but on Wednesday, the arena toyed with the Minutemen a little more. St. Bonaventure forward Lajae Jones could have made both of his free throws to put his team up three, and Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt likely would have fouled to follow. Instead, the 79 percent shooter from the line missed his first attempt, giving UMass roughly seven seconds for its final look.
It wasn’t perfect, but given the circumstances, the Minutemen did impressive work in creating a shot. Getting the ball in the hands of your lead guard is good, and an open look for him behind the arc is even better. With one hesitation and one dribble, Rahsool Diggins had a chance at a game-winning three, but it caromed off the right side of the rim. Inches away from a pivotal win, St. Bonaventure had protected its house, opening the door for UMass just to slam it shut.
This experience certainly isn’t new for the Minutemen and it’s not even new for Martin. In 2023-24 against the Bonnies, Matt Cross and Keon Thompson led the way on the road in a game that UMass mostly controlled. Up one with 2:26 to play, late-game execution faltered and the Minutemen were shut out the rest of the way in a six-point loss.
Unlike that contest, Wednesday’s late-game offensive blues spread to St. Bonaventure as well. The team made just one of its final seven shots, and it took two offensive rebounds for the lone basket to be made. With the game hanging in the balance, there wasn’t much pretty basketball to be found on both sides: fitting for an arena that’s housed physical matchups between both teams over the years.
“Once the game slowed down with ten minutes to go in the first half … I thought our defense today gave us a chance,” Martin said. “It really did.”
While its in-conference chapter has ended, this may just be a “goodbye for now” from UMass to the Reilly Center. Martin explicitly stated that the door won’t be shut on future trips to Olean. For now, through good and bad performances from its home team, the arena has the Minutemen’s number, and Wednesday gave it one final triumph.
Dean Wendel can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @DeanWende1.
