The Massachusetts Minutemen (8-3, 0-0 A-10) defeated the Old Dominion Monarchs (4-8, 0-0 Sun Belt) 87-65 on Saturday afternoon. UMass takes the 1-0 lead in the all-time series history. The Minutemen closed out the Diamond Head Classic going 2-1, and claiming fifth place in the multi-team event.
UMass started cold from the field, which let the Monarchs take an early lead. The Minutemen then started their run midway through the first half. The run that UMass had helped them get a good lead going into halftime where they did not look back after the fact. UMass ended the first half on a six-to-nothing run in the final three minutes. By the midway point of the second half, the Minutemen had their largest lead of 31 points in the game. Even though the Minutemen finished in fifth place, Josh Cohen took home a spot on the all-tournament team after back-to-back 28-point game performances in the Diamond Head Classic. In the four games that Cohen played down in Hawaii (dating back to his time with the Red Storm), he scored 106 points in the Stan Sheriff Center.
The Minutemen had only two players in double digits for scoring. Cohen led the way for UMass with 28 points, and Matt Cross had 14 points to round out all scorers in double digits. Jayden Ndjigue and Keon Thompson both had 9 points, Robert Davis Jr. and Rahsool Diggins both had 8 points, Daniel Hankins-Sanford had 5 points, and Jaylen Curry, Mathok Majok, and Marqui Worthy each had 2 points apiece.
UMass travels back home to the Mullins Center to face off against the Siena Saints (2-10, 1-1 MAAC) on Saturday, December 30th at 1pm. This will be the tenth time that these two teams meet, and the Minutemen lead the series 8-1. This matchup against the Saints will be the Minutemen’s final conference matchup with conference play starting up on January 3rd.
Featured Image: Chris Tucci, UMass Athletics
Kaily “KG” Godek is a current student at Western New England University (WNE). She has been a supporter of UMass Athletics for over 15 years. Kaily focuses on both UMass Basketball teams and occasionally on the other Women’s Basketball teams in the conference. While writing for A10 Talk, she works in the athletic department at WNE. When she graduates from WNE she wants to go into Sports Broadcasting and Journalism. You can follow Kaily on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kgumass23.
