Miami (OH) RedHawks head coach Travis Steele communicates with players in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Miami Redhawks and Toledo Rockets, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at Millett Hall in Oxford, Oh. Leonardo Bettiol scored 25 points as UMass rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final eight minutes to stun previously unbeaten No. 20 Miami (Ohio), 87-83, on Thursday in a Mid-American Conference quarterfinal in Cleveland, Ohio.
Marcus Banks Jr. had 18 points and Jayden Ndjigue added 16 as the eighth-seeded Minutemen (17-15) advanced to the MAC semifinals in their first year in the conference.
Brant Byers had 17 points and Eian Elmer added 16 for top-seeded Miami (31-1), which must wait to see if it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when berths are awarded Sunday night.
UMass won the game by dominating in the paint, outscoring the RedHawks, 54-30, in the paint and 23-8 in second-chance points. The Minutemen also out rebounded the RedHawks, 41-24.
When it appeared that Miami was ready to put away the Minutemen by building an 11-point lead at 69-58, UMass answered with a 13-2 spurt. The Minutemen drew even on Ndjigue’s jumper with 4:47 remaining.
The remainder of the game was back-and-forth. Luka Damjanac grabbed an offensive rebound and put home a jumper with 2:38 left to give UMass an 81-79 lead.
The first half featured a wild finish. It appeared the two teams would go to halftime tied when Peter Suder missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. But just before the buzzer, Byers was called for an offensive foul, giving the Minutemen the ball under the Miami basket with a half-second remaining.
UMass guard K’Jei Parker threw the ball the length of the court without anyone touching it, giving Miami the ball under its own basket with a chance to score. The RedHawks capitalized when Luke Skaljac made a perfect pass to Antwone Woolfolk cutting to the basket for a layup at the buzzer and a 39-37 Miami lead at the half.
The Minutemen got into foul trouble early in the second half and the RedHawks entered the bonus with 12:04 remaining.
UMass closed to within 56-52 on a Marcus Banks three with 11:44 remaining. But Miami answered with a 13-6 spurt, capped by an Elmer baseline 3-pointer to take a 69-58 lead with 8:33 remaining.
–Field Level Media
