AMHERST, MA (December 14, 2024) – The Beacons' men's basketball team gave NCAA Division I opponents, the UMass Amherst Minutemen, a run for their money from the Mullins Center on Saturday afternoon, as UMass Boston was ultimately unsuccessful against their Amherst counterparts. Despite the loss, the Beacons played solid defense and were able to string together a few highlights against a gritty DI opponent.
The Basics:
UMass Boston 52 - 86  UMass Amherst
UMass Boston 5-2 (2-1 Little East Conference)
UMass Amherst 4-7 (0-0 Atlantic 10 Conference)
How it Happened:

• Senior captain Emanuel Zayas (Hollywood, Fla.) opened the scoring from downtown to put the Beacons on the board. First-year guard Raphel Laurent (Peabody, Mass.) would add another to keep scoring level early on at seven apiece. Then, the Minutemen went on a 13-point unanswered run. First-year forward Cameron Perkins (Danbury, Mass.) would end it with a bullseye from downtown off the Zayas assist. Sophomore guard Xavier McKenzie (Lowell, Mass.) would follow up Perkins with another deep-range connection to put the Beacons back to within seven. The Minutemen took charge for the remaining ten minutes in the first half, closing out on an 11-27 run. Sophomore guard Hector Perez (Easton, Mass.) closed out the quarter for UMass Boston with a flashy reverse layup with enough English to make it dance off the top of the glass and in at the first-half horn.
• Zayas would convert a tough pull-up jumper in the paint to open the second half for UMass Boston, with the Beacons facing a 25-point hole. McKenzie continued to have his way early on, as he created open looks for himself off the dribble to score six in a row in the painted area and mid-range, as the Beacons continued to figure out ways to score against UMass Amherst's stifling defensive size. Laurent connected on his second three-pointer of the game to rekindle the Beacons' offense following a cold stretch through the first ten minutes of the final half. Junior big-man Erik Donaldson (East Longmeadow, Mass.) closed out scoring for the Beacons with the final basket of the game inside the paint to give the Beacons 52 against the DI giants, to put the ribbon on a valiant effort for UMass Boston.

By the Numbers:

• The entire 16-man roster for UMass Boston saw time on the floor of the Mullins Center. Perkins and McKenzie would lead the effort offensively with 13 points each to combine for nearly half of UMass Boston's offensive output. McKenzie was also a pest on the defensive end, giving the Minutemen two blocks and two steals. Perkins led the effort on the glass with a team-high six rebounds. Perkins and Laurent both hit two three-pointers, and McKenzie knocked down six shots, a team-high, in his offensive effort.

Who's Next:

• The Beacons rekindle their light on December 28^th against the Penn College Wildcats from Daytona Beach, Florida, in round one of the Florida Sunshine Shootout Tournament at 6:00 p.m.
• Stay tuned for the preview that sets up the weekend, including broadcast and live stat links.

 

For all things UMass Boston Athletics, stay tuned at UMass Boston - Official Athletics Website.