Massachusetts Minutemen vs Providence Friars Match Player Stats On Dec 07, 2018

Luwane Pipkins scored 26 points, including the go-ahead layup with 10 seconds remaining, as Massachusetts stormed back from a 20-point deficit to get a dramatic 79-78 win over host Providence on Friday night.

Pipkins gave the Minutemen (6-4) their third win in 15 all-time trips to Providence when he drove around David Duke and converted the layup while directly under the basket.

After Pipkins made his dramatic shot, Alpha Diallo missed a layup with one second remaining, and the Minutemen celebrated winning their first true road game at center court.

Pipkins produced his fourth straight 20-point game and fifth overall as the Minutemen outscored Providence (7-3) 47-28 in the second half by shooting 60 percent after halftime.

Curtis Cobb added 16 while Carl Pierre hit five 3-pointers and scored all 15 of his points after halftime for Massachussetts.

Diallo led Providence with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting but shot 2 of 8 after halftime and committed six turnovers. Reserve Nate Watson was the only other double-figure scorer for the Friars with 14 points, as Providence shot 36 percent in the second half and committed nine turnovers.

Diallo scored 13 points in the first half when the Friars pulled away and held a 50-32 lead. The Friars built their sizable lead by shooting 56.3 percent and closing out the half with a 27-10 run.

UMass made it a one-point game at 71-70 with 6:06 remaining on a 3-pointer by Cobb. The Minuteman kept staying close and were within 76-75 after Diallo's sixth turnover led to Pierre's fifth 3-pointer with 2:56 remaining.

Following a turnover by Reeves, Cobb hit an off-balanced leaning jumper in the paint to put Massachusetts ahead 77-76 with 2:25 remaining.

Diallo's layup with 2:03 left restored Providence's lead with 2:03 remaining. The Minuteman missed a chance at taking the lead when Samba Diallo missed two free throws with 83 seconds left.

Providence missed chances to expand the lead in the final minute as Watson blew a layup and missed a jumper following an offensive rebound. After Pipkins grabbed the defensive rebound, the Minutemen called a full timeout with 25 seconds remaining to draw up their dramatic play.

--Field Level Media