WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the Massachusetts men’s basketball team’s farewell tour of the Atlantic 10, they exit the first round of the A-10 tournament with a loss to La Salle.
After an underwhelming first half, the Minutemen (12-20, 7-11 A-10) flipped the switch in the second half. With the possibility of it being the last game in the A-10 for their program, they left it all out on the court.
The offense flowed, the mistakes were cleaned up and all momentum was in UMass’ favor. But, the late-game execution fell apart in the final minutes and major fouls that led to Daniel Hankins-Sanford and Rahsool Diggins fouling out in a one-score game were nails in the coffin.
The Explorers (14-18, 5-13 A-10) capitalized on these opportunities while the Minutemen had to rush to find ways to score as the clock continued to tick down. Their shots wouldn’t fall in, though, and they were left with no choice but to foul, allowing La Salle to seal the game away 78-71.
“If you look at the way this game evolved and flowed, it’s a perfect representation for what our team was this year and how we handled the season,” head coach Frank Martin said. “It’s kind of the same way we handled the game today. It’s disappointing.”
One of the positives of the game for UMass was the return of Daniel Rivera to the lineup. Rivera had not played since Feb. 22 against George Washington due to a knee injury. However, at Capital One Arena and with a brace on that same knee, he was more than ready to go.
The senior notched a double-double, his seventh of the year, and led the Minutemen in both scoring and rebounds. With 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting, 12 boards, three blocks and two steals, Rivera’s return was a bright spot.
“Just shows [that Rivera] has heart, a lot of effort and that he cares,” Diggins said. “We all know that [Rivera] is a fierce competitor. He wants to win and he always wants to be there for his teammates. Seeing him fight through that injury and try to come back and win a game for us and help us win was a good thing to see.”
As UMass held a two-point lead over the Explorers with 13 minutes left, La Salle’s Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi went to take a three-point shot when Rivera clipped the ball with his hand and successfully blocked the shot.
Now with possession, Rivera raced down the court and, with an extra step on the closest defender, rose off his feet for a powerful dunk. Plays like that were not common throughout the year for the senior, but he gave it his all on Wednesday.
Even before that play, the Minutemen had momentum on their side. After being down nine at halftime, and its deficit extending to 11 early in the second half, UMass stormed back. Over the next three minutes, the Minutemen had built a 13-2 run that awarded them the lead.
Following that sequence, three-pointers and shifty buckets by Diggins and Jaylen Curry continued as UMass kept itself in the game. Curry netted 18 points, being an offensive spark throughout the matchup. The sophomore shot 4-of-12 from beyond the arc and also picked up four rebounds and three assists.
Diggins, who fouled out with less than two minutes to play, scored 12 points after being held scoreless in the first half. During the first 20 minutes of play, the senior had only attempted three shots and was a non-factor to the offense, but out of the break, he stepped up in crucial moments.
Jayden Ndjigue was another key player for the Minutemen with six points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Ndjigue crashed the glass, put his body on the line and made huge defensive stops to help UMass.
Despite the positive performances, the Minutemen failed to execute on free throw shooting and with stopping the Explorers’ best player of the night, Corey McKeithan. UMass shot 12-of-24 from the line for its third-worst free throw shooting performance of the season.
As for McKeithan, he netted a career-high 30 points, which also featured career-highs in made three-pointers (five) and going 11-of-11 on his free throws.
Losing point opportunities at the line and not having an answer for McKeithan were not the only negatives of the matchup. The Minutemen also gave up 15 turnovers and had two players foul out in a key stretch of the game.
Despite its second half efforts in a competitive game that featured nine ties and 13 lead changes, the early adversity was too much for UMass to overcome.
The Minutemen close out their 2024-25 season with a 12-20 record. In their final year in the A-10, they went 7-11 against conference opponents.
“It’s March basketball,” Martin said. “It’s a lot of fun, but at the same time, it stinks, because for everybody except for one, your season comes to an end with a loss. So it’s disappointing. Disappointing the way we played the last eight games of the season. But [I’m] reflecting on all that will be part of the future, not tonight.”
Samantha Sands can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @samantha_sands_.
