UMass Clinches MAC Tourney Berth
The Minutemen's win over Ohio in the regular season finale secured their spot in Cleveland next week.
UMass closed the regular season with a statement Tuesday night.
The Minutemen defeated Ohio 94-82 at the Mullins Center and, thanks in part to Central Michigan’s loss to Akron last night, secured a spot in next week’s MAC Tournament in Cleveland. UMass’ exact seed and first-round opponent will be determined after the final conference games this weekend.
UMass finished the regular season 16-15 overall and 7-11 in MAC play.
Marcus Banks Jr. led the way with 31 points while breaking a UMass single-season record in the process.
The senior guard went 6-of-12 from three-point range, pushing his season total to 107 made threes, surpassing the previous program mark of 104 shared by Ricky Harris (2007-08) and Carmelo Travieso (1995-96).
Banks Jr. also went a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
Leonardo Bettiol followed with 17 points, including 13 in the first half, while shooting 7-of-9 from the field. Danny Carbuccia added 13 points along with four assists and two steals, while Jayden Ndjigue finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
Ohio was led by Jac Paveletzke, who recorded 24 points, seven assists and three rebounds.
The game remained tight for much of the night.
Ohio opened the scoring with back-to-back jumpers before UMass responded with a 12-2 run capped by a three-point play from Bettiol to take a 12-6 lead midway through the first half.
The Bobcats answered later in the half and eventually took a 39-37 lead into the break after a late surge from Paveletzke.
The second half featured constant momentum swings, with the teams exchanging the lead eight times and neither side pulling away for long stretches.
UMass appeared to gain separation with a 10-2 run that made it 54-50 with just over 13 minutes remaining, but Ohio responded with five straight points to retake the lead.
The turning point came in the final minutes.
Trailing 73-72, UMass erupted for a decisive 16-2 run that flipped the game. Banks Jr. scored seven points during that stretch, including a steal that led directly to a fast-break layup.
The Minutemen closed the night by hitting their free throws and stretched the margin to the final 94-82 score.
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