UMass men’s basketball suffered a 79-73 loss to St. Bonaventure in a closely contested game on Wednesday at the Reilly Center. Senior Matt Cross led the Minutemen with 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists in 37 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Keon Thompson also made a significant impact, scoring 16 points and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds in 34 minutes while shooting 7-9 from the field.
Jayden Ndjigue contributed a solid performance with 12 points and five rebounds, coming close to tying his career-high, while Rahsool Diggins added 10 points and two steals for UMass. St. Bonaventure’s Charles Pride matched Cross with a game-high 19 points, shooting 8-11 from the field.
The loss drops UMass to a 14-8 overall record and a 5-5 standing in the Atlantic 10 conference. The team will look to bounce back as they continue their season.
UMass’ head coach had praise for the team’s efforts, despite the defeat. “I’m proud of our team for going on the road and battling a really good team. We came up short, but I thought we competed and had chances to win,” said Coach Matt McCall.
The game was marked by back-and-forth action, with both teams trading leads throughout the contest. Despite their efforts, UMass was unable to secure the win, but the team’s competitive play is a positive sign as they head into the second half of the season. With several players delivering strong individual performances, UMass will be looking to build on their efforts in upcoming games.
The team’s next game will take place at home against Dayton, where they will look to get back to their winning ways.
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Photo credit www.masslive.com
