Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs Massachusetts Minutemen Match Player Stats On Nov 27, 2021

Noah Fernandes hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to deliver UMass an 85-83 stunner over Rutgers on Saturday in Amherst, Mass.

The Minutemen charged back during the final 10 minutes of the game after trailing by as many as 17 points. They took their first lead of the game at 82-81 with 17 seconds left on Fernandes' free throws.

Paul Mulcahy hit a floater in the lane to put Rutgers up 83-82 with five seconds to go. UMass didn't call timeout, instead running the length of the floor with the clock ticking down to set up Fernandes for the last-ditch shot.

Fernandes finished with 16 points. C.J. Kelly led all scorers with 24 and Rich Kelly added 12. UMass (5-3) took down a Big Ten opponent for the second time after beating Penn State by 25 earlier this month.

Six players scored in double figures for Rutgers (3-3), led by Cliff Omoruyi, who had 16 points and eight rebounds. Ralph Gonzales-Agee added 14 points off the bench, and the Scarlet Knights shot 54.8 percent as a team, but it wasn't enough to avoid their third straight loss.

The Scarlet Knights entered the game with one of the worst 3-point shooting percentages in the nation (24.2), and lead guard Geo Baker was unavailable with a hamstring injury. So they focused their offense down low, outscoring the Minutemen 50-12 in the paint.

But UMass made 16 of 32 3-pointers and hit several key shots down the stretch, while Rutgers went nearly five minutes late in the game without a field goal.

Trent Buttrick hit a 3-pointer to cut Rutgers' lead to 79-78. Freshman Mawot Mag responded with a long 2-pointer for Rutgers, but UMass got back to the foul line to make it 81-80. Caleb McConnell was fouled but missed the front half of a one-and-one, and UMass took its first lead on Fernandes' two free throws.

Rutgers raced out to a 24-9 lead less than 10 minutes into the game, punctuated by Mag's dunk.

UMass kept it from becoming a runaway by going 8-for-19 from 3-point range in the first half. C.J. Kelly hit a pair of treys to briefly draw within seven, and Dyondre Dominguez knocked one down with 22 seconds left to make it 46-34 Scarlet Knights at halftime.

--Field Level Media