AMHERST — Samba Diallo fought through strep throat to score a career-best 12 points and grab seven rebounds in UMass’ 79-64 win over UMass-Lowell at the Mullins Center.
Diallo missed Monday’s practice with his illness and coach Matt McCall said he wasn’t sure if the sophomore forward would play. But not only did Diallo play, he helped spark the Minutemen early with his effort on the floor despite not being at 100 percent.
“The performance he put on out there being sick, not feeling well and come out and play that spirited performance there, he’s one of the toughest guys I know,” McCall said. “I am so glad he’s here, he’s got this great energy about himself. … He’s a joy to be around and I’m fortunate enough to coach him every day.”
That energy helped UMass survive some of the early game jitters the two freshmen who did start for the Minutemen had. He scored four points and grabbed three rebounds in the first 4:14 of the game to help set the tone while the Minutemen struggled on both ends of the floor.
Three of those seven rebounds came on the offensive glass as well, helping to keep possessions alive for UMass. His first offensive rebound led to Keon Clergeot hitting the Minutemen’s first shot of the game and he cleaned up another one of his offensive rebounds for a layup of his own.
“He rebounds, he plays hard, he’s on top of the press,” center Djery Baptiste said. “His energy is always high, so I think it’s great for us.”
EAST SHINES IN DEBUT — Sean East was entrusted with the keys to the UMass offense for his first college game, and the freshman did his job well.
The point guard dished out six assists and scored 11 points in his official debut for the Minutemen. More importantly, he showed off his poise with the ball in his hand by committing zero turnovers in 25 minutes of action. It might not have been a perfect performance for East, but McCall said the guard checked off all the boxes.
“My biggest message to him has been ‘be fun to play with,’” McCall said. “Be a point guard that your teammates want to play with. Be fun to play with by snapping it to them and getting guys shots and getting down the lane and making the right decisions.”
SHUTTING IT DOWN — The Minutemen took over the game early in the second half by hunkering down on defense.
The River Hawks missed 14 of their first 15 shots of the second half as the Minutemen’s lead grew from three at halftime to 16. UMass-Lowell also committed six of its 18 turnovers during that opening 9:08 stretch of the half as they fell victim to the Minutemen’s press.
“It wasn’t our best game, we didn’t get into a rhythm and we turned the ball over, which is uncharacteristic,” UMass-Lowell coach Pat Duquette said. “But I’ll give credit to their press, their defense to keeping us off balance.”
CHATMAN OUT INDEFINITELY — The Minutemen were without the services of sophomore forward Sy Chatman due to personal issues. McCall said he wanted to respect the family’s privacy and declined to elaborate, but stated he had no timetable on when Chatman would rejoin the team.