Essandoko leads Saint Joseph's (PA) against UMass after 21-point outing

Published Jan. 22, 2024 3:43 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Saint Joseph's (PA) Hawks (12-6, 2-3 A-10) at UMass Minutemen (12-6, 3-3 A-10)

Amherst, Massachusetts; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Saint Joseph's (PA) visits the UMass Minutemen after Christ Essandoko scored 21 points in Saint Joseph's (PA)'s 71-69 win over the Duquesne Dukes.

The Minutemen have gone 9-1 in home games. UMass scores 81.4 points while outscoring opponents by 9.7 points per game.

The Hawks are 2-3 against A-10 opponents. Saint Joseph's (PA) is fourth in the A-10 with 25.7 defensive rebounds per game led by Rasheer Fleming averaging 4.8.

UMass' average of 6.5 made 3-pointers per game is 2.2 fewer made shots on average than the 8.7 per game Saint Joseph's (PA) allows. Saint Joseph's (PA) has shot at a 44.9% rate from the field this season, 3.6 percentage points higher than the 41.3% shooting opponents of UMass have averaged.

The matchup Tuesday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Cohen is scoring 17.9 points per game and averaging 7.3 rebounds for the Minutemen. Rahsool Diggins is averaging 12.6 points and 2.9 rebounds over the last 10 games for UMass.

Erik Reynolds II is scoring 17.5 points per game with 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists for the Hawks. Lynn Greer III is averaging 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 40.9% over the last 10 games for Saint Joseph's (PA).

LAST 10 GAMES: Minutemen: 6-4, averaging 79.3 points, 37.6 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 8.3 steals and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.7 points per game.

Hawks: 6-4, averaging 79.2 points, 38.4 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 6.7 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.1 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.