Massachusetts men’s basketball secured a 95-89 win over Central Michigan on Tuesday night in Amherst, improving their record to 15-9 overall and 6-6 in the Mid-American Conference. The game featured notable performances from both teams, including two new program records for the Minutemen.
UMass guard Marcus Banks Jr. led the team with a career-high 37 points, shooting 12-of-17 from the field and making 10 three-pointers. His performance set a new program record for most three-pointers made in a single game. “Banks Jr.’s 10 three pointers set a program record,” according to the team.
Freshman Danny Carbuccia also made history by recording 17 assists, breaking the UMass program record for assists in a game. This was the highest assist total by a Division I freshman since TyTy Washington had 17 assists against Georgia in January 2022. “Carbuccia’s assists tied for second most assists in a Division I men’s game this season and marked the most by a D-I freshman since TyTy Washington also totaled 17 assists against Georgia on Jan. 8, 2022.”
Leonardo Bettiol contributed with 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists, while Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 19 points, nine rebounds, and three steals.
Central Michigan was led by Logan McIntire, who scored a career-high 40 points on 14-of-19 shooting and made his own program-record of twelve three-pointers. “McIntire set a program record for three pointers in a game at CMU.” He also had four rebounds and three assists.
The first half saw Central Michigan close with a strong run to take a seven-point lead into halftime. In the second half, UMass responded with multiple scoring runs highlighted by Banks Jr.’s shooting. A late surge put Massachusetts ahead for good as they sealed the victory with free throws in the final minutes.
Three Minutemen finished with double-digit points: Banks Jr., Bettiol, and Hankins-Sanford. The team recorded eleven three-pointers overall and collected twelve steals during the contest.
UMass will travel next to Conway, South Carolina to face Coastal Carolina as part of the MAC-SBC challenge on Saturday at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassMBB on X (Twitter).
