For the third consecutive game, the Massachusetts men’s basketball team blew a double-digit lead. Its latest contest brought the wildest change of fortunes yet, with the Minutemen (15-15, 6-11 Mid-American) turning a 14-point lead over Bowling Green into a 81-62 loss.
Saturday’s game writes yet another chapter in what’s been a late-season UMass freefall. The Minutemen have now lost six consecutive games, falling to a 6-11 conference record that puts them on the outside track for a MAC Tournament bid. It will take some upsets for head coach Frank Martin’s squad to avoid Cleveland entirely, but its current footing is still a far cry from preseason expectations.
“[Fans have] watched it all year,” Martin said. “We build leads and our lack of desire to defend and unwillingness to help each other [kicks in].”
The explanation for UMass’ sudden collapse remains unchanged from its previous two defeats. The Falcons’ (17-13, 8-9 MAC) offense seemingly became turbocharged towards the end of the first half, and the home team rode that newfound momentum into 53 points on 58% shooting in the second frame.
Bowling Green’s most successful strategy for points was a simple one: get out and run. When the Minutemen couldn’t generate good looks on their end of the court, point guard Javontae Campbell received the ball and looked up. With the ball in his hands, the result for the Falcons was typically either a good transition look or an attempted fastbreak opportunity that scrambled the UMass defense. When the latter occurred, Bowling Green capitalized with halfcourt makes.
Once the Falcons pulled themselves out of a nine-point halftime deficit, the breakouts became more frequent. To tie the game, it took five seconds for Josiah Shackelford to receive an outlet pass and get fouled on a layup. On the next possession, Campbell got his chance at the charity stripe in the same amount of time. Three of the next four Bowling Green baskets were made using less than half of the shot clock.
The controlled offensive chaos continued to the Minutemen’s detriment. A deflected Danny Carbuccia pass turned into three points in three seconds for the Falcons. On the next possession, there was another steal, another outlet and two more Bowling Green fastbreak points. That brought the home team’s lead to 13, and from there it continued to swelter.
“I think we [have] some defiant defenders,” Martin said. “They defend when they’re in the mood and they don’t defend when they’re not in the mood.”
Leonardo Bettiol had a two-faced performance for UMass, hurting the away team’s chances just as much as he helped them. The Abilene Christian transfer was his team’s leading scorer, bruising his way past the Falcons’ frontcourt for 24 points. The post-up game for the graduate student was stellar, as his footwork and post hooks set the tone for the Minutemen’s offense.
The other side of the ball was a different story for the Italian. For the fifth straight time, Bettiol got himself in deep foul trouble, dictating his own time on the bench with poorly disciplined plays. After he picked up his third and fourth fouls, respectively, he spent seven minutes of the second half as a spectator.
During that time, with Dimitri Clerc suffering an early-game tweak, sophomore Luka Damjanac took to the floor. The returns from the Austrian were minimal on both ends, hurting UMass’ prospects. The difference between the two big men was felt most in halfcourt offense, where guards no longer had Bettiol as a target on pick-and-rolls.
Bowling Green was led by Campbell, its do-it-all point guard. The senior all-conference candidate couldn’t match the gaudy stats he put up in his first meeting with the Minutemen, but still finished with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Campbell made his best plays in transition, sprinting downcourt before UMass could organize a way to slow him down.
Before the win fell out of the Minutemen’s grasp, they gained their early lead off impressive three-point shooting. Four different guards made looks from deep in the game’s early stages, creating momentum that was backed up with halfcourt defensive stops. Ultimately, this trend couldn’t hold, as UMass shot 1-of-11 from three in the second half.
The best chance for the Minutemen to make it to Cleveland comes if they win their final regular season contest. That game against Ohio will take place on March 3 at 7 p.m. in the Mullins Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Dean Wendel can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @DeanWende1.
