AMHERST, Mass. — In an exciting matchup, Daniel Rivera led the UMass Minutemen to a narrow victory over the Dayton Flyers with a final score of 76-72 on Wednesday evening.
Rivera was a standout performer for UMass, finishing the game with 23 points, alongside 12 rebounds and three steals. The Minutemen’s offense also benefited from Rahsool Diggins, who contributed 18 points, albeit struggling with his shooting performance, connecting on only 6 of 20 attempts from the field, including 3 of 12 from beyond the arc. Diggins also made all three of his free throw attempts and added six assists to his stat line. Additionally, Marqui Worthy had a strong game, scoring 18 points on an efficient 7 of 11 shooting and going a perfect 4 for 4 from the charity stripe.

On the opposing side, the Flyers were paced in scoring by Nate Santos who netted 18 points. Javon Bennett and Zed Key made significant contributions as well, finishing with 17 and 16 points, respectively. The Flyers held a slim lead into halftime, with the score at 39-36 in their favor.

The second half saw a shift in momentum as UMass orchestrated a key 12-2 run early on, allowing them to take control of the game and establish a lead at 63-58 with just over six minutes remaining. Rivera was instrumental during this stretch, scoring 14 points in the second half which helped propel the Minutemen to victory.

Looking ahead, both teams are set to face George Mason next, with UMass traveling for their matchup on Saturday, while Dayton will host their game on January 15.