UMass men’s basketball secures third straight win, takes Kennedy Cup

The UMass men’s basketball team won the 2025 rendition of the Kennedy Cup against UMass Lowell on Saturday, defeating its in-state rival, 80-60.

After their hard-fought win over Harvard last Wednesday, the Minutemen came out of the gate slowly to begin Saturday’s contest.

UMass took the lead with just over seven minutes left in the first half, never looking back and building up a 10-point advantage after the game’s first 20 minutes.

Forcing turnovers was a big point of emphasis for UMass, coming away with 13 steals, tying its season high, against UMass Lowell, which turned the ball over a total of 20 times.

The turnovers generated easy offense on the other end, with the Minutemen getting out in transition and scoring 19 fastbreak points, their most in a game this season.

With a physical, aggressive game plan defensively, UMass consistently made the River Hawks’ ball-handlers uncomfortable in zone, man-to-man and full-court press looks.

“We changed defenses a little bit [Saturday], which is something I’ve got to do to help our team,” UMass head coach Frank Martin said. “The physicality of the game was never too big for us, and that’s something that I continue to respect about our team. We were as physical as the game determines you’ve got to be.”

Jayden Ndjigue was a huge benefactor of the easy buckets, scoring a season high 15 points on an efficient 5-of-8 from the field.

As an Ayer, MA native, Ndjigue knows how much the in-state matchups mean to his university and the community, turning his game up a notch when a familiar foe comes into town.

Ndjigue did plenty more than just score for the Minutemen on Saturday, filling up the stat sheet with six rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Daniel Hankins-Sanford had a similarly busy night against UMass Lowell, with a career-high four blocks. The senior added 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Rim protection has been something UMass has lacked to start the year, with only 11 blocks as a team throughout the first eight games of the season. With Hankins-Sanford leading the way, the Minutemen tallied seven rejections, making things difficult for the River Hawks in the paint all night.

“We might be the worst shot-blocking team in the country, statistically,” Martin said. “I saw [Hankins-Sanford] go block one shot. I was like, Oh, wow … it’s [usually] a layup drill anytime somebody drives. But that’s good. That’s growth, man. [He’s] starting to play better.”

With the team’s interior defense playing at its highest level all year, UMass attacked the basket on the other end, making the most of each shot from in tight.

Of the team’s 80 points, 48 came in the paint. The Minutemen struggled to shoot from beyond the three-point line, finishing 4-of-18 (22.2%) from deep.

As UMass’ main sharpshooter, Marcus Banks was one of the many players to struggle from the outside. The senior found success driving to the hoop, getting in tight consistently and walking away with a game-high 17 points.

K’Jei Parker also had an off game from behind the arc, going just 2-of-8 from long range, but found other ways to impact the game in his new super sixth-man role. The junior still managed 12 points in what most would consider an off-night.

Leonardo Bettiol was the fifth Minuteman to finish in double figures on Saturday, with his 13 points accompanied by six rebounds, one assist and one block.

With UMass showing a wide variety of scoring, the team proved it can win games that don’t necessarily go its way on paper.

“If more than two players are scoring, it puts pressure on the defense, because you can’t just hone in on one defender or two defenders,” Banks said. “Now, you’ve really got to lock in and focus on all of us when we’re all scoring from different angles, bigs, guards, whatever. It makes it a tough matchup for the opponent.”

With Saturday’s victory, the Minutemen have now won three straight after back-to-back losses in the opening games of the Paradise Jam.

UMass has its third in-state rivalry game in a row coming up next, traveling to the MassMutual Center to take on Boston College in the Hall of Fame Classic on Wednesday, December 10. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be streamed on ESPNU.

“I get the fact that Boston’s a pro town,” Martin said. “I grew up in Miami, a pro town. I get it. But when [UMass and BC] play each other, there’s a reason to speak about it. So I hope we have a great showing on both sides on Wednesday night.”