UMass Battles to 84-77 Victory Despite Second-Half Struggles Against Central Connecticut State
AMHERST, MA – Despite securing an 84-77 win over central Connecticut State (2-2) on Wednesday, UMass head coach Frank Martin expressed concern over his team’s performance, especially a meaningful second-half collapse that saw a 23-point lead dwindle to just five. Martin emphasized the need for consistent effort across all aspects of the game, beyond simply making three-point shots.
the Minutemen (2-2) dominated the first half, building a 51-28 advantage fueled by strong rebounding. UMass grabbed the first 10 rebounds of the game, sparking their fast-paced offense. However, the Blue Devils flipped the script after halftime, initiating a 13-0 run after gaining control of the boards.
The second half began with a series of UMass miscues. Leonardo Bettiol committed a turnover on the opening possession, contributing to a total of seven for the game – double the amount of any othre player on the roster through the first four games. This turnover was followed by a missed shot from Daniel Hankins-Sanford and a traveling violation.
Offensive struggles continued for UMass, with Jayden Ndjigue missing both of his three-point attempts in the half, bringing his season total to seven missed threes. The team also finished the game with 11 missed layups.
“We missed three consecutive uncontested layups to start the half,” Martin stated. “So in the first half, we make threes and their open shots didn’t go in. In the second half, it flipped. Their open shots went in and we missed our shots. That means we didn’t play the right way, that’s the only difference in the game.”
Martin stressed that relying on three-point shooting can mask underlying issues. “[Missing free throws] goes in hand-in-hand with our inability to play the game the right way,” he said.”When people are not mentally engaged in the duty that they signed up for, that’s what happens. The intricacies of our defense and our offense can get masked because we make threes … That’s what happens when mentally you’re not engaged in games, you miss free throws.”
While acknowledging the importance of winning, Martin reiterated his focus on building a fundamentally sound team prepared for sustained success.
“Along the line, when you create the discipline, the desire, the consistency, the will to do the hard things and you make shots, then you got a chance to play for a championship,” Martin explained. “When I get out of bed every day, that’s what I coach for. I don’t coach to win a game. I coach to build a team that’s prepared to win.”
