AMHERST — Getting consecutive stops on the defensive end felt almost impossible for the UMass men’s basketball team through 30 minutes of action. Rhode Island used a 3-point barrage and timely Sebastian Thomas drives to the hoop to build a 77-67 lead with 10 minutes, 53 seconds remaining in the second half.

Following the under-12 media timeout, Jayden Ndjigue burrowed inside and converted an and-one – igniting a game-changing run for the Minutemen. Rahsool Diggins tossed in a floater and Jaylen Curry knocked down a 3, which set the stage for Daniel Hankins-Sanford. Another strong UMass possession on defense led to the junior forward swishing home a triple on the wing, and after a Curry steal, Hankins-Sanford rattled home another from downtown.

Fourteen straight Minutemen points put them ahead 81-77 at the 6:30 mark – their first lead since the opening six minutes of the game. They never trailed again thanks to Diggins scoring the final six UMass points, and the Minutemen earned a thrilling 91-88 victory over their rival Rams in front of a season-high 5,024 fans at Mullins Center on Saturday night.

“I thought our spirit today was really good,” UMass head coach Frank Martin said. “There was a lot of positive energy. I wasn’t happy with us defensively, especially in the first half, but even through difficulty I thought we had guys on the court who were communicating and enthusiastic. Give [Rhode Island] credit. They started making shots… [Hankins-Sanford], I’m really happy for him because he’s grown so much as a human being. He made the plays to give us the lead.”

The high-scoring, back-and-forth bout stood as the final Atlantic 10 Conference game between the two New England foes as UMass transitions to the Mid-American Conference next fall. The storied rivalry played its 166th contest on Saturday, and the Minutemen’s win pushes their all-time record to 96-70 against the Rams.

During their postgame press conferences, both Martin and URI head coach Archie Miller offered their thoughts on what this matchup has meant to the Atlantic 10, and how it will be missed next season.

Saturday was a fitting final chapter to a game that has meant so much to the conference.

“It’s one of the reasons I took the job,” Martin said. “When [UMass Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford] called me about the job, it’s one of the reasons I took it. Those A-10 rivalries that I used to watch in the 90s with Rhody and UMass and Temple and all those schools, it was just fierce games. If you go back forever, rarely is a UMass and Rhode Island game just a walk in the park… Those games were wars, man. It’s going to be sad. Not surprised it’s our biggest crowd of the year.”

Miller agreed.

“It’s sad to see UMass go,” Miller added. “I grew up as a kid with UMass in the A-10 back in the day with [John Calipari], and when Temple was dominating the league. The league has changed over the course of the years, but UMass and Rhode Island have been constants to this point. There’s really good players that have played on both sides, and there’s been really good matchups. This is one of the games obviously, I think, within our corridor is a good thing for the league. So, unfortunate they’re leaving.”

Martin and Miller each said they hope to continue this series moving forward as a non-conference matchup.

An avalanche of Rams 3s led to a 56-47 Rhode Island lead at halftime, as the visitors made 10 shots from behind the arc through the first 20 minutes of action. David Green, who finished the night with 30 points for URI, was a perfect 7-for-7 (4-for-4 from 3) en route to his 18 points at the break.

Javonte Brown made a layup to start the second half which gave the Rams an 11-point edge. But Curry splashed one of his five 3s on the night to pull the deficit back down to eight. Green responded with his fifth triple on the ensuing possession, then Diggins canned one of his five 3s right after in what was a riveting display of shooting.

The second half continued to play out similarly until UMass’ best stretch of the entire season – the 14-0 spurt that prompted the loudest reactions Mullins Center has heard for a basketball game in 2025.

“It’s fun,” Diggins said, referring to playing in front of the crowd. “When we get a crowd at Mullins, we tend to mess things up by losing and stuff like that. So it’s always great to get a win in a rivalry game and get a win in front of a bunch of students that came in support.”

Diggins poured in a team-high 29 points, stamping his UMass legacy one more time on Saturday. The senior guard scored at least 20 points for the ninth time this year, and his second field goal of the contest put him at 1,000 points for his career. He later surpassed 1,000 points at UMass (Diggins scored seven points at UConn during his freshman year). He’s certainly become a fan favorite, and holding the single-game record for points (46) puts him in the discussion as one of the better Minutemen players of the 21st century.

His growth over the course of his career wearing the maroon and white is what makes college basketball the gem that it is.

“A lot,” Diggins said when asked about his growth throughout his time in Amherst. “More so off the court. On the court, I’ve always been a competitor and always could play. I think it was just me growing up and maturing… I kind of liked to play around in the gym a lot, have fun. I think once I took it serious and [realized] this is business, and we have to win games, that’s when I started to elevate.”

“He’s a great dude,” Martin added of Diggins. “He’s a uniter of people. He just had to adapt to college. He’s a fun-loving kid, he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. To succeed in college, I know we all want perfect people, but when you go on the court, the goody two-shoes doesn’t work. You’ve got to be a fierce competitor. I think that’s where he’s grown the most.”

Curry made an immediate impact in his return to the lineup, and Martin and several UMass players made sure to comment on how important he is to the team. The sophomore put up 22 points, eight assists and turned the ball over just one time after missing the past three games.

The pair of Hankins-Sanford 3s propelled him to a 19-point, 12-rebound monster of a double-double. He was the only UMass player with more than four rebounds, and he pulled down some big ones during the 14-0 run that allowed the Minutemen to get out and run.

Somehow, some way UMass pulled out the win, and did so without Daniel Rivera (injury) and his 11 points and seven rebounds per game. The Minutemen withstood a program-record 16 3s from Rhode Island by burying 12 of their own, and they shot 54 percent from the field – their best in conference play this season.

UMass (12-17, 7-9) snapped a four-game losing streak with the much-needed triumph. It’ll hit the road for a Wednesday night tilt with St. Bonaventure before returning home against Loyola Chicago for its regular season finale next Saturday.

Minutewomen earn No. 7 seed in A-10 tournament

After a fantastic turnaround from last season to this one, the UMass women’s basketball team is seeded seventh in the Atlantic 10 tournament – which starts on Wednesday in Glen Allen, Virginia.

The Minutewomen earned a first-round bye thanks to their 11 conference wins (11-7). A year ago, UMass won just five games. This year, it did that before league play even started. Head coach Mike Leflar has led his team to a 16-13 record in the 2024-25 campaign.

Out of the bye, UMass will play the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 10 Saint Louis and No. 15 St. Bonaventure on Thursday at 5 p.m. The Minutewomen defeated the Billikens 72-55 in their only meeting of the regular season, and handled the Bonnies twice (67-58 and 81-54).