Strong 2nd Half Lift Minutemen Over River Hawks 72-62
By Kevin McCaskill Jr.
11/12/26 * 2:45 PM
(AMHERST, MA) - After dropping a game in the eastern part of the Commonwealth, the Minutemen hosted the UMass Lowell River Hawks at the Mullins Center. Wednesday night’s matchup was the first home game of the season.
The Minutemen started Danny Carbuccia, Abdullah Ahmed, DJ Wimbley, Jordan Clayton, and Junjie “Barry” Wang.
The Minutemen got out to an early lead. They were hitting shots, and the game looked to be going in their favor. However, the River Hawks also came out aggressively and matched the Minutemen’s offensive intensity.
In the first half, the Minutemen played poor defense. Some players continue to put both hands on offensive players while defending, resulting in immediate foul calls. They were allowing the River Hawks guards to get into the paint and look for open players. The Minutemen were also slow on defensive rotations and late closing out on shooters.
The River Hawks built a 12-point lead, 25-13, halfway through the first half. After a short spurt by the Minutemen, the River Hawks extended their lead to 14 points, 33-19.
At halftime, the Minutemen were down 37-31. They finally started to execute on both offense and defense, going on a 12-4 run to end the half.
In the first minute of the second half, the Minutemen picked up three fouls. They were in the bonus at the 11-minute mark and in the double bonus at the 7-minute mark. The Minutemen use their hands too often when playing defense. Ahmed and Sylla are shot blockers, but that can also lead to foul trouble when attempting to block every shot. It didn’t hurt them in this game, but the Minutemen have to keep the fouls down.
UMass firmly took the lead after a floater in the lane by Barry Wang. That make put the Minutemen up 58-56, and they never relinquished the lead.
Wang finished the game with a career-high 28 points. His versatility will be a good asset this season. He can make shots from anywhere on the floor. He has great patience and timing. At times, he can over-dribble, but he can correct that easily. He is developing as a primary scoring option, along with Jordan Clayton (17 points). Both players will need to be consistent all season for this team to reach its goals.
Jayden Ndjigue is still out with a hand injury. He hasn’t practiced yet this season, and his comeback date keeps getting pushed back.
Overall, a win is better than a loss. The Minutemen need to execute better defensively. The better teams will make free throws and put more pressure on the offense. On offense, it seems Clayton and Wang will be leading the way for now. They have to be consistent and fulfill a role neither of them has had to this point. Three games into the season, the Minutemen have a few things to clean up, but they’re headed in the right direction to become contenders in the MAC and make the NCAA Tournament.
The Minutemen host the Bryant Bulldogs next Tuesday, 11/17, at the Mullins Center. Tipoff is at 7 PM.
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