Five Minutemen scored in double figures for Massachusetts as they took home their first win as a ranked team in over a decade after defeating the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 69-57, on Tuesday.
UMass vs. Eastern Michigan final score: Minutemen win first road challenge, 69-57
It has been over a decade since the UMass Minutemen were ranked, and they answered the challenge on Tuesday.
Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
UMass almost entered the half trailing by seven but Raphiael Putney drained a three as the clock expired to cut Eastern Michigan's lead to 35-31 at the break. Putney finished with a team-high 15 points.
The Minutemen opened the second half on a 9-2 run to take the lead and never looked back. It didn't help the Eagles that their offense went cold as well, going just 8-for-32 in the second half. Daylen Harrison and Karrington Ward led the Eagles with 11 points each. Da'Shonte Riley added 10 points and no other Eagle scored in double figures.
Massachusetts entered the AP top 25 last week for the first time since the 1998-99 season, but it would be eight days before they could justify its ranking. The win over the Eagles was the first true road game of the year for UMass. They took part in the Charleston Classic last week.
More from SB Nation College Basketball
See More:
