Noah Fernandes set a career high for the second straight game, scoring 25 points as the UMass men’s basketball team defeated UNC Greensboro 93-90 in overtime during the Jersey Mike’s Classic in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The junior guard went 11-of-12 from the free throw line with four 3s and four steals.
“He had it going,” UMass coach Matt McCall said. “He was outstanding.”
The Minutemen (3-2) were nearly automatic at the line, making 26-of-28. That includes a 12-for-12 stretch in OT and a 12-of-12 second half.
UMass shot 40.5 percent from the 3-point line, making 17-of-42.
“If you’re going to shoot 40 percent, we can shoot 50 3s,” McCall said. “I thought we got a little too 3 happy.”
The Minutemen missed their first six attempts from behind the arc and trailed 13-0 just 4 minutes, 14 seconds in. They eventually tied it at 32 on a Rich Kelly layup with 37 seconds left in the first half. Kelly finished with 14 points and seven assists, one of four UMass players in double figures.
Penn State transfer Trent Buttrick added 18 points in his fourth consecutive game in double figures, and Dibaji Walker scored 12 off the bench courtesy of four 3s.
UMass built a 13-point lead in the second half, putting an exclamation point on it with a Buttrick two-handed dunk. It dwindled to 3 with 13 seconds remaining. McCall wanted to foul the Spartans and make them hit free throws, but he didn’t communicate it to the referees. Fernandes’ swipe at the ball wasn’t called, and Kobe Langely swished a game-tying 3 with 4 seconds remaining.
“That was the first time we’ve been in that situation,” McCall said. “To see them hit that shot and for us to respond the way we did, sometimes that deflates the other team. That didn’t happen for us.”
The Minutemen went up five less than a minute into OT and held UNC Greensboro at bay to improve to .500 at the Jersey Mike’s Classic. They’ve alternated wins and losses in their first five games and close their stay in St. Petersburg with a 2:30 p.m. Sunday game against Ball State.
“We’ve got to stop with the [makes a roller coaster motion with his hand, raising it up and down quickly],” McCall said. “We’ve got to stay level-headed.”
Amherst 100, MCLA 38 – Grant Robinson scored 21 points with six rebounds, four assists and three blocks, as the Mammoths won the opening game of the Ken Wright Invitational. He was 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point line and netted his 1,000th career point for Amherst.
Garrett Day added 15 points on five 3s, while Canin Reynolds (11) and Michael Schretter (10) also reached double figures.
Noah Helmke paced Amherst (3-0) with 11 rebounds, and Yaya Zarroug had five assists.
The Mammoths held MCLA to 15.4 percent shooting and scored 44 points in the paint.
UMass 61, Holy Cross 58 – Despite falling behind 9-22 after the first quarter, the Minutewomen outscored Holy Cross 52-36 for the remainder of the game to complete a nailbiting 61-58 win to remain undefeated this season. The Crustaders led for the entirety of the first half before UMass caught back up in the third, trading the lead back and forth for the remainder of the contest.
Sam Breen picked up another double-double, her third straight one of the season, leading the team with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Despite struggling at the arc, Sydney Taylor finished the game second in scoring, collecting 13 points, including two critical free throws to put the Minutewomen up by five points with nine seconds remaining in the contest.
Angelique Ngalakulond was another strong presence in this game, just a point and rebound shy of a double-double herself, posting nine points and snagging nine rebounds for the Minutewomen.
Ber’Nyah Mayo led the team with three assists and scored ten points in the win.
Smith 69, Mitchell 50 – Amelia Clairmont led the Pioneers with 13 points in a game played in Brunswick, Maine. Dashelle Gleissner added 12 points and five assists as the Pioneers improved to 4-0. Former Hampshire Regional standout Katelyn Picunka of Westhampton chipped in with eight points, as did Jessie Ruffner.
Hamilton 5, Amherst 1 – Matteo Mangiardi opened the scoring for visiting Amherst (0-1), with an assist from Connor McGinnis. Dan Dachille made 18 saves and allowed four goals.