BY: WILL NUNN, SPORTS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
Photo: @BonniesMBB / X
After a heartbreaking loss at Rhode Island on Wednesday, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball team looks to bounce back as they travel to Amherst, Massachusetts to face the UMass Minutemen Saturday.
The Bonnies (17-9, 5-8 A-10) enter Saturday coming off three consecutive losses, being bested by Loyola Chicago, George Washington and Rhode Island in their previous three contests.
Redshirt sophomore guard Jonah Hinton led the way for the Bonnies in Wednesday’s loss with 18 points on four threes, while senior guard Melvin Council Jr. and graduate forward Noel Brown each added 16 points
In their last time out, the Minutemen (11-14, 6-6 A-10) fell 77-68 to the Davidson Wildcats at home to fall back to .500 in conference play. UMass produced a balanced scoring output, with four players in double figures, as sophomore guard Jaylen Curry led the team with 14 points.
This is the first of two matchups between these conference foes this season, with the Bonnies hosting the Minutemen at the Reilly Center on Wednesday, March 5, later this season.
Bonaventure swept the two meetings between these teams last season, winning 79-73 at home and 75-67 in Amherst.
UMass is led by senior guard Rahsool Diggins, who ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 with 17.4 points per game. Jaylen Curry averages 12.8 points and 3.8 assists per game, and senior forward Daniel Rivera adds 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
The Minutemen struggle from beyond the arc as well as at the free throw line. UMass shoots 28.9% from three, which ranks last in the conference, and 65.8% from the line, good for 14th in the A-10.
The game will tip off at 12:00 p.m. Saturday, and will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with a radio broadcast available on the Bonnies Online Network.
