Heartbreak in the A-10: Massachusetts Edged 81-72 by Saint Joseph’s

PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Massachusetts basketball (5-9) fell to Saint Joseph’s (10-4) with a score of 72-81 on Tuesday afternoon at Hagan Arena. The Minutemen fought hard on defense, creating 17 turnovers, but were unable to close the gap in their Atlantic 10 conference opener. 
 
Senior Rahsool Diggins achieved a career-best 33 points shooting 10-of-22 from the field. The native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania added three rebounds and three assists in this homecoming encounter. 
 
Daniel Rivera registered a season-high 23 points, hitting 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. Rivera concluded the game with nine rebounds and two assists. 
 
The Hawks were spearheaded by Rasheer Fleming, who amassed 16 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of play. 

Analyzing The Action 

• Daniel Rivera notched Massachusetts’ opening points of the contest, converting a layup to make the score 3-2 in favor of Saint Joseph’s with 18:18 remaining on the clock. 
• Saint Joseph’s Xzayvier Brown ended a 2:38 scoring drought for both sides by making a turnaround jumper to grant the Hawks a three-point advantage. 
• A free throw from Rivera and a three-pointer by Jaylen Curry gave UMass its first lead of the match at 6-5 with 15:12 left in the half. 
• The teams exchanged baskets before an and-one layup from Rahsool Diggins granted the Minutemen their largest lead of the game at 11-7 with 13:38 remaining. 
• Six points from Rasheer Fleming fuelled an 8-0 scoring streak by Saint Joseph’s, putting them ahead 15-11 with just over 12 minutes to go in the half.  
• The gap stayed at four points for most of the following four minutes until a pair of jumpers from Rahsool Diggins and Shahid Muhammad narrowed the Hawks lead to 27-25. 
• Another and-one play by Diggins leveled the score at 31-31 with 3:46 remaining in the first half. 
• Saint Joseph’s concluded the first half with a 4-0 run, heading into the locker room with a 37-33 lead. 
• Diggins and Rivera scored eight points combined to commence the second half, narrowing the Saint Joseph’s lead to 42-41 with 15:50 remaining. 
• A three-pointer from Dasear Haskins capped an 8-2 run by the Hawks, extending Massachusetts’ deficit back to 55-47 with less than 12 minutes left. 
• Five points from Rivera brought the game back within reach at 72-68 Hawkins with 3:50 left to play in regulation. 
• Saint Joseph’s responded with a 9-3 scoring run, concluding the game with a final score of 81-72.  

Freshman Insights 

• Five newcomers participated in the evening’s game, with Rivera and Abdelgowad starting. 
• Daniel Rivera scored a season-high 23 points shooting 7-of-14 from the field. 
• Shahid Muhammad posted six points while recording six blocks. 
• Nate Guerengomba logged 13 minutes of play, securing two rebounds. 

 
Key Statistics 

• 6: Jaylen Curry delivered a team-high six assists. 
• 9: Rivera captured a team-leading nine rebounds. 
• 11: Diggins successfully made a career-best 11 free throws. 
• 12: Massachusetts has notched 30 or more points in the paint during 12 contests this season. 
• 17: Massachusetts forced 17 turnovers in the game. 
• 33: Diggins amassed 33 points, marking his third performance of 20 points or more this season. 
• 33: With his four blocks tonight, Muhammad raised his season total to 33. 

 
Historical Matchup 

• With this outcome, Massachusetts now carries a 42-39 all-time record against the Hawks. 
• The Minutemen currently hold a 1-2 record in A-10 openers under Head Coach Frank Martin. 

 
Next Scheduled Game 

• The Minutemen will host Richmond for their A-10 home opener on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 12 p.m. in Amherst, Mass. The game will be aired on NESN with live updates and links accessible at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).