The Massachusetts Minutemen (12-6, 3-3) defeated the George Washington Revolutionaries (14-4, 3-2) 81-67 on Leaman Legacy on Saturday afternoon. The Revolutionaries still have a 46-31 lead over the Minutemen in the all-time series history.
During the game on Saturday, UMass Athletics took time to remember the legacy of the all-time winningest head coach at UMass, Jack Leaman. Leaman was the head coach of UMass from 1966-1979, and coached some of the most well-known Minutemen, including Julius “Dr. J” Erving, Rick Pitino, and Al Skinner. After Leaman stopped coaching for UMass, he was still extremely involved with UMass Athletics, from helping with the women’s basketball team to being one of the main radio broadcasters for UMass basketball in the 1990s and early 2000s. Leaman was also willing to give input and help the Minutemen succeed whenever possible. Jack Leaman passed away in March 2004 from a heart attack while traveling back to Amherst after the regular season finale game against Richmond. Since Leaman’s passing UMass has remembered his legacy every season in hosting a Leaman Legacy game.
UMass was again without Matt Cross for the third game in a row this season, and it felt like there was not a big piece of the puzzle missing for the Minutemen. For the first half, the Revolutionaries and the Minutemen exchanged who had the lead, with twelve lead changes and three ties. UMass and George Washington both went on scoring droughts in the first half which caused the other team to take the lead. The game went into halftime tied at 31 points for both teams. Jaylen Curry almost nailed the go-ahead over a half-court heave that if it had gone in, would have given the Minutemen a three-point lead. Out of halftime, UMass went on a 17-0 run and held George Washington scoreless for over four minutes. The Revolutionaries were never able to bounce back after the Minutemen got a big lead in the second half.
The Revolutionaries had three players in double figures on Saturday afternoon. Garrett Johnson led the way for George Washington with 16 points, Darren Buchanan Jr. had 15 points and 8 rebounds, and Maximus Edwards had 13 points and 11 rebounds to round out all double-digit scorers for the Revolutionaries. James Bishop IV had 8 points, Benny Schroder had 4 points, Jacoi Hutchinson, Trey Autry, and Keegan Harvey each had 3 points, and Babatunde Akingbola had 2 points to round out all scorers for George Washington.
The Minutemen had five different players in double figures on Saturday. Rahsool Diggins led the way for UMass with 25 points earning himself a new career-high in scoring. Curry had 17 points, Josh Cohen had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Keon Thompson had 13 points, and Daniel Hankins-Sanford had 10 points to round out all scorers in double digits for the Minutemen. Jayden Ndjigue had 1 point to round out all scorers for UMass.
George Washington travels down to the Robins Center to face the Richmond Spiders (13-5, 5-0) on Wednesday, January 24th at 7pm. This will be the 108th meeting between these two teams, and the Revolutionaries have a 64-43 lead in the all-time series history against the Spiders.
UMass host the Saint Joseph’s Hawks (12-6, 2-3) on Tuesday, January 23rd at 7pm. This will be the 80th meeting between these two teams, and the Minutemen have a 42-37 lead in the all-time series history over the Hawks.
Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Scoreboard:
- Friday, January 19th
- The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (11-7, 3-2) defeated the Saint Louis Billikens (8-10, 1-4) 85-61.
- Saturday, January 20th
- The Massachusetts Minutemen (12-6, 3-3) defeated the George Washington Revolutionaries (14-4, 3-2) 81-67.
- The #21/#23 Dayton Flyers (15-2, 5-0) defeated the Rhode Island Rams (9-9, 3-1) 96- 62.
- The Loyola Chicago Ramblers (13-6, 5-1) narrowly defeated the Fordham Rams (8-10, 2-3) 65-61.
- The George Mason Patriots (14-5, 3-3) defeated the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies (11-6, 2-3) 69-60.
- The Saint Joseph’s Hawks (12-6, 2-3) narrowly defeated the Duquesne Dukes (9-8, 0-5) 71-69.
- The Richmond Spiders (13-5, 5-0) defeated the Davidson Wildcats (11-8, 1-4) 69-64 in overtime.
Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Upcoming Schedule:
- Tuesday, January 23rd
- #21/#23 Dayton Flyers (15-2, 5-0) at La Salle Explorers (10-8, 1-4) at 6:30pm on ESPN+.
- Loyola Chicago Ramblers (13-6, 5-1) at Virginia Commonwealth University Rams (11-7, 3-2) at 7pm on CBSSN.
- Saint Joseph’s Hawks (12-6, 2-3) at Massachusetts Minutemen (12-6, 3-3) at 7pm on NESN/ESPN+.
- Saint Bonaventure Bonnies (11-6, 2-3) at Duquesne Dukes (9-8, 0-5) at 7pm on ESPN+.
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.