by Leonardo Bettiol scored 25 points and No. 8 seed Massachusetts knocked off top-seeded Miami (OH) 87-83 in the Mid-American Conference men’s basketball tournament quarterfinals Thursday.
Bettiol shot 10-15 from the final and added eight rebounds to lead the Minutemen, who shot 52.5% as a team and dominated the glass to secure the upset.
Marcus Banks added 18 points for Massachusetts, hitting two 3-pointers and going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. Jayden Ndjigue contributed 16 points and eight rebounds, while Daniel Hankins-Sanford finished with 11 points and eight boards.
UMass used their strength inside to control the game, outrebounding Miami (OH) 41-24 and grabbing 17 offensive rebounds that helped them create the second-chance scoring opportunities.
The Redhawks kept the game close behind their perimeter in shooting, making 12 of 33 when it came to being the top seed.
Brant Byers led Miami (OH) with 17 points and went 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Eian Elmer added 16 points and three 3-pointers, while Antwone Woolfolf scored 14 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting performance.
Luke Skaljac and Peter Suder each finished with 10 points and seven assists for the RedHawks, who recorded 19 assists as a team.
Miami (OH) shot 48.3% from the field but could not overcome the rebounding disadvantage and second-chance points by the Minutemen.
With this win, UMass advances to the MAC tournament semifinals after eliminating the conference’s undefeated top seed.
