UMass Drops Another Tight One In MAC Play
The Minutemen remain winless in league play after Tuesday night's 86-83 loss at Ohio.
UMass rallied late but could not complete its comeback in Athens Tuesday night, falling 86-83 at Ohio in a hard-fought MAC matchup that saw the Minutemen claw back from a sizable first-half deficit only to come up short in the closing minutes.
The Minutemen (9-7, 0-4 MAC) trailed for much of the first half as Ohio led by as many as 12 behind efficient shooting and strong ball movement.
Ohio established control early behind balanced scoring and efficient ball movement, taking a 48-41 lead into halftime. The Bobcats used the opening stretch to pressure UMass defensively and capitalize in transition, forcing the Minutemen to chase from behind for much of the night.
UMass trailed by nine - 62-53 - five minutes into the second half, but responded with sustained offensive pressure and improved rhythm, cutting the margin repeatedly, even taking the lead on multiple occasions and setting up a tense finish.
But after UMass led 70-66 with under eight minutes to play, the Bobcats responded with a 10-2 run to regain the lead. The game was tied 82-82 in the final minute, but four straight free throws from Ohio’s Jackson Paveletzke gave the Bobcats the ultimate advantage.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford led the UMass charge, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds while anchoring UMass’ interior presence at both ends. Marcus Banks Jr. added 14 points and two steals, providing energy on the perimeter as the Minutemen looked to generate stops and push the tempo.
Danny Carbuccia played a central role in the comeback effort, scoring 13 points and dishing out eight assists while keeping UMass organized offensively during its best stretches.
Ohio leaned on balance rather than a single dominant scorer to withstand the push. Javan Simmons led the Bobcats with 20 points and five rebounds, while JJ Kelly added 14 points on efficient shooting, including 12 in the second half. Jesse Burris chipped in 13 points off the bench, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc.
Paveletzke did much of the late-game orchestration, finishing with 10 assists and steadying Ohio at the free-throw line in the final moments.
UMass had chances down the stretch but could not convert on its final possessions, as Ohio’s composure at the line and defensive rebounding prevented a late breakthrough. The Minutemen matched Ohio point for point in the second half - in fact, they outscored them by four in the second stanza - but were unable to overcome the early deficit.
The loss continued a difficult start to conference play for UMass, which has shown offensive capability but remains in search of defensive consistency. Ohio, meanwhile, continued its strong early MAC run with another close win at home.
UMass returns to action at home against Ball State on Saturday afternoon, still searching for its first league victory.
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