UMass hands FSU its fourth loss in a row at Orange Bowl Classic
Too bad the Massachusetts Minutemen don’t have more ACC teams on their schedule.
Massachusetts, led by former Miami High coach Frank Martin, upset Florida State 103-95 on Saturday afternoon in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic in Sunrise.
FSU (5-5) entered the game as an 11 ½-point favorite, but the Seminoles have now lost four in a row.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts (8-3) has won five games in a row, including two in a row over ACC schools. The Minutemen also beat Boston College on Wednesday.
“Let’s be honest — we have guys on our roster who wish they were recruited by the ACC,” Martin said following Saturday’s game. “They didn’t get out of bed and say, ‘I can’t wait to play for Frank at UMass.’ They all wanted to play in the ACC or the Big 12.
“They didn’t [get those offers], but we believed in them. So now, playing in games like this, hopefully it solidifies in them that, ‘I can do this. I belong.’ And that should give us — through the work we put in — more confidence.”
FSU led 47-43 at halftime, but the Minutemen dominated much of the second half as Daniel Hankins-Sanford, K’Jei Parker, Marcus Banks Jr. and Leonardo Bettiol contributed to the win.
Hankins-Sanford earned MVP honors with a game-high 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He made 11 of 17 shots, including 1 for 1 on three-pointers.
Parker scored 24 points on 6-for-9 shooting from deep. Bettiol scored 20 points, and Banks had 14 of his 18 in the first half. On three-pointers, Banks shot 4 of 5 in the first half and 0 for 4 in the second, but the Minutemen still had enough firepower to close out the win.
Robert McCray V led Florida State with 21 points, and he nearly had a triple-double as he added a game-high 11 assists and eight rebounds.
As a team, Massachusetts shot 54% from the floor and 55% on thr4ee-pointers, outscoring FSU 48-40 in the paint. FSU shot just 44% from the floor and 29% from deep.
Luke Loucks credited Martin for coaching a lot of “fight” into the Minutemen.
“On the glass, U-ass dominated us in the key moments,” Loucks said. “Hankins-Sanford imposed his will. He’s a classic Frank Martin player. I like [UMass’] team a lot.”
Indeed, other than a 26-9 FSU stretch to end the first half, the Minutemen outscored the Seminoles 94-69.
“We have a lot to clean up,” Loucks said, “and ... we’re playing with inconsistent effort. As long as our coaching staff has to coach effort, we’re going to be in a tough spot.”