UMass Drops Tight One To Eastern Michigan

The Eagles hit shots when it mattered most to hand the Minutemen an 80-74 defeat on the road

(UMass Athletics)

Eastern Michigan pulled away late to defeat UMass men’s basketball 80-74 on Tuesday night in Ypsilanti. Both teams battled until the final minutes, but the Eagles delivered when it mattered most behind Carlos Hart and Mohami Habhab, who combined for 43 points.

UMass entered the road contest seeking its first Mid-American Conference victory after a loss to Kent State 10 days earlier. Eastern Michigan arrived in similar fashion, having dropped its conference opener by 21 at Akron before suffering a three-point nonconference loss to Wright State.

Hart scored 23 points and Habhab added 20 to snap Eastern Michigan’s three-game skid, while Addison Patterson chipped in a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double.

With 2:22 remaining, UMass exited head coach Frank Martin’s huddle trailing by six with possession.

The Minutemen went to true freshman guard Danny Carbuccia at the top of the key. The White Plains, N.Y., native crossed from right to left, got to the rim and finished through contact, cutting the deficit to four with a chance to make it a one-possession game.

He missed the free throw.

UMass finished 12-of-18 from the foul line, but the missed opportunities loomed larger when Eastern Michigan capitalized at the other end.

After Carbuccia battled for the rebound, the ball ended up in Eagle hands. Patterson then found Jon Sanders II in the corner. Sanders hesitated, drove past Leonardo Bettiol along the baseline and finished at the rim to restore the six-point cushion.

Carbuccia pushed the pace on the next possession and found Marcus Banks Jr. open in the corner, but the three rimmed out. Eastern Michigan slowed the game from there, and the Minutemen could not recover.

K’Jei Parker knocked down a three to keep UMass within striking distance, but the Eagles answered once again. Hart converted three free throws down the stretch to seal the 80-74 win.

Eastern Michigan leaned on its closers late. Sanders scored 10 of his 12 points in the final 10 minutes, while Patterson added six points in the last six minutes. Hart and Habhab rounded out a strong second-half effort.

The teams traded blows early in the second half. Eastern Michigan scored its first four points at the line, while UMass responded with 10 straight paint points to tie the game at 51 with 12:36 remaining.

Hart then asserted himself, scoring four straight points to give the Eagles their largest lead since the opening half.

Parker answered with a three, but Sanders responded with a triple on the next possession. Patterson extended the lead with a pair of free throws, and moments later Habhab found Patterson cutting along the baseline for a dunk that pushed the margin to seven.

Out of a Martin timeout, UMass showed resistance, but Eastern Michigan answered once again with Habhab and Patterson fueling a quick 4-0 run.

Carbuccia’s smooth layup kept the Minutemen alive, but another missed free throw stalled the comeback.

For much of the final 10 minutes, Jayden Ndjigue and Dimitri Clerc were hampered by foul trouble, forcing UMass into smaller lineups that struggled to defend the interior.

Eastern Michigan set the tone early, jumping out to a 6-0 lead through buckets from Patterson, Habhab and Nwabude.

Despite a Parker three and a Clerc putback, Hart continued to score early. UMass settled in as Banks Jr. got to the line, Clerc converted back-to-back layups and Ndjigue was perfect from the stripe. A 12-2 run gave the Minutemen a 23-20 lead at the under-eight timeout.

The Eagles responded behind Habhab and Patterson, reclaiming the lead before Banks Jr. drilled two triples to swing momentum back to UMass. Eastern Michigan closed the half strong, taking a 41-38 lead into the break after Braelon Green’s putback at the buzzer.

Habhab led all scorers at halftime with 13 points. Hart added nine and Patterson had eight. Clerc paced UMass with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Banks Jr. scored 10.

Eastern Michigan went without a made three in the first half but connected on 3-of-7 attempts after the break.

UMass returns home Saturday to face Bowling Green. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.

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