Another game another loss. The 84-75 Massachusetts Minutemen loss to the Fla Gulf Coast Eagles marks the third in a row to UMass.
Not even a shakeup of the starting lineup could help the Minutemen. Seth Berger missed the game with a foot injury and Jabarie Hinds got the call-up. Hinds played well with five assists and only two turnovers. However he didn't attempt a shot from the field and finished with just two points.
Trey Davis also stepped up his assist numbers with a team high of eight. Mixed with just 2-8 shooting though, he still hasn't put an entire game together.
The first half was a see-saw battle that saw FGCU go on an 11-4 run to start the game. UMass would battle back with a steady dose of Donte Clark to make it 36-33 at the half, favoring FGCU.
Donte Clark put his name on the map with this performance. Coming off the bench he had a game high 25 points, which included 3-4 from downtown. UMass would only make one more as a team.
The Minutemen managed to grab a lead with 18:21 left to go in the game after Derrick Gordon hit a layup to go up 40-38. That would be the last and only lead for UMass though.
FGCU would then go on a 14-4 run to put the game out of reach thanks in part to Bernard Thompson. Thompson had a team high 20 points and added six boards. Star guard Brett Comer also had a very nice game. Although he only managed nine points, he had a game high 14 assists and was instrumental in the highflying Eagle offense.
Like many games for UMass, this game came down to shooting. This time field goals weren't the problem. both teams shot around 43 percent. The game changer was three pointers. FGCU was 10-18 from three while UMass was just 4-10. Three point shooting has been an area of concern for the Minutemen and today was no different.
Only one other Minutemen was in double figures for scoring and that was Maxie Esho. Esho had 11 points and five reboudns. Cady Lalanne was just two points behind Esho and added in six reboudns. The two big men did combine for seven blocks however.
Derrick Gordon had probably his worst game of the year with only 7 points on 3-9 shooting. The bigger problem though were the only stat lines. He only had three rebounds, two steals, and one assist. While the assists went to Hinds, UMass usually expects more from Gordon and needs more from Gordon.
Tyler Bergantino had his best game of the year. He had six points on 3-3 shooting. Demetrius Dyson also saw his most action of the year and made the most of it. He chipped in with four points on 2-3 shooting, but the sharp shooter didn't attempt a three.
UMass falls to 5-4 on the year while FGCU is now 8-1. UMass is on a scary down turn as this is their third straight loss. With a full week of practice, the Minutemen will have a very long time to rehash this losing streak and try an fix their problems. Their next game is against the Canisius Griffins on Saturday the 13th at 4PM. The game will take place at the Mullins Center.