CLEVELAND — Miami (OH) has been the story of the college basketball season and ran through the regular season as the only undefeated team in the nation, but the RedHawks lost their first game of the postseason, 87-83, to UMass in the MAC quarterfinals Thursday afternoon.
The Redhawks led by double digits multiple
times, but a 13-2 Minutemen run tied the game at 71 with a little over five minutes to play. UMass took its first lead of the second half in a Marcus Banks three with just under four minutes left. Miami never retook the lead.
“We battled and battled and battled and never dropped our heads,” UMass head coach Frank Martin said on the broadcast postgame. “Our whole theme all week was next play, next play, next play, and that’s what we did today.”
UMass dominated the glass (41-24) and turned 17 offensive rebounds into 23 points. The Minutemen shot 52% for the game but struggled from downtown and hit just three of their 15 attempts (20%). Miami knocked down 12 triples (12-of-33, 36%) and shot 48% for the game.
Leonardo Bettiol led UMass with a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds as four Minutemen reached double figures. Banks followed with 18 and two of the team’s three 3-pointers. Jayden Ndjigue notched 16, and Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 11. They each pulled down eight rebounds.
Miami had a balanced attack with all five starters in double figures. Brant Byers paced the team with 17. Eian Elmer followed with 16. Antwone Woolfolk scored 11, and Peter Suder and Luke Skaljac had 10 apiece.
UMass advances to the semifinals to play either Bowling Green or Toledo. Miami, at 31-1, will wait to see if it hears its name called on Selection Sunday. Chances are high, but you never know. We await the possibility of a Two-Bid MAC.
