Javohn Garcia refused to be a one-hit wonder. The UMass freshman point guard, fresh off 23 points in his collegiate debut Friday, only had four points on 2 of 6 shooting through 20 minutes Sunday at Northeastern.
He hit his stride in the second half, dropping 14 points and two 3-pointers to help lead UMass’ comeback effort. Garcia scored three points and added an assist in the game’s final 42 seconds when the Minutemen almost erased a 10-point deficit, but fell 78-75.
“The last two games, outside of the turnovers today, to be able to do what he’s done in the first two games of his career, that’s the expectations we had of him,” UMass coach Matt McCall said. “We know how good he is. He’s got to continue to build and grow and get better.”
Garcia showed some of his youth and inexperience with four turnovers, tied for the team lead. He only had three assists.
“We need a 2-1 assist to turnover ratio from (our point guards). Those guys understand that,” McCall said. “We’re going to continue to stay on Javohn and push him and coach him hard. He’s got to be able to bring it every single day and every single possession.”
MITCHELL STAYS ENGAGED ON DEFENSE — UMass sophomore center Tre Mitchell couldn’t follow his debut display with another strong offensive outing. He scored just 10 points on 30 percent shooting, but impacted the game in other ways.
Mitchell grabbed eight rebounds with a block and two steals in 32 minutes. He made his presence known as a defensive anchor, altering shots at the rim and discouraging drives.
“Tre’s one of the smartest players on the team. He knows where he’s supposed to be,” McCall said. “He’s constantly communicating and talking, he’s one of our leaders.”
Foul trouble limited him at times. Mitchell picked up two fouls in the first half, and his third came on an offensive foul four minutes into the second. McCall kept him in the game, and he didn’t foul again until the final two minutes.
“When you’re playing against teams being as physical as they are with him then he’s got to go on the other end and guard pick and rolls and rebound the basketball, that’s a lot on your five man,” McCall said. “I give Tre a lot of credit.”
WEEKS CARVING BIGGER ROLE — T.J. Weeks only played 18 minutes, but likely earned himself more time in the rotation going forward. The redshirt freshman scored 14 points on 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc, making two 3s. He also grabbed six rebounds and two steals.
“T.J.’s been in the gym the last two days at 7 a.m. He’s growing and maturing in his work ethic. We need to find more minutes for him,” McCall said. “If he’s going to rebound the ball at that kind of clip he needs to be out there more.”
STREAK BUSTED — Sunday’s game was the second half of a home-and-home with the Huskies and marked the first time UMass played an opponent in consecutive games during the regular season since the 1982-83 season. It was Northeastern’s first win against UMass since 2004, snapping a six-game losing streak.
RINGING ENDORSEMENT — UMass football coach Walt Bell was excited about what he saw from the basketball team in its opening win over NU on Friday.
Bell was in his office watching the game on his phone while doing some desk work. Despite a “little slow and sluggish” start, Bell was impressed by what he saw and the talent the coaching staff brought in.
“Them dudes have put together a helluva young basketball team and they might not win the A-10 this year, ’cus the key word I just said was young, OK,” Bell told reporters during a conference call. “If they can keep that deal positive and keep those dudes together and keep Tre Mitchell for one more year, they will win the A-10. … They have a chance to be good for a long time.”