AMHERST – RJ Luis turned out the lights, locked the door, and sent Duquesne home.

The UMass freshman guard sank eight free throws in the final 1 minute, 13 seconds against the Dukes on Saturday, as the Minutemen sealed an 87-79 victory at the line. UMass didn’t make a field goal over the final 3:54 but shot 20 free throws, hitting 16.

“They just kept fouling,” Luis said.

He made 17-of-18 free throws and scored 31 points, setting a career high for the second game in a row after putting up 23 against Richmond on Wednesday. It was UMass first 30-point game since Tre Mitchell obliterated La Salle for 37 points Dec. 16, 2020. Mitchell also had 34 in his freshman season finale against Rhode Island, the last time a freshman hit that plateau for the Minutemen.

Luis also contributed five rebounds, two assists and a steal.

“I personally feel like I struggled defensively, so I was glad my team had my back,” Luis said.

UMass (13-8, 4-5 Atlantic 10), winners of two in a row for the first time since the first week of December, needed every free throw down the stretch. The Minutemen led 55-40 with 12:09 left after a Tafara Gapare layup.

Duquesne (14-8, 4-5) then ripped off a 10-2 run to pull within seven over the next 2:30.

“Our defense just relaxed. You can’t play good teams and do that,” UMass coach Frank Martin said. “It’s part of our journey and our maturation process, but I’m really proud of the guys. They’re a real good team, that’s a real good win.”

UMass pushed the lead back out to 10, then it contracted to five with 44 seconds remaining. Freshman guard Keon Thompson made two free throws three seconds later as the Dukes swarmed the inbound pass trying for a steal or to extend the game, and Luis dropped in his last four foul shots to end the game.

“It’s not really that much pressure on yourself. You’ve got to make both then get back on defense and continue to do the same thing to win the game,” UMass forward Dyondre Dominguez said. 

Dominguez injected life into UMass’ offense and defense when he checked in off the bench, contributing 13 points and 11 rebounds in his first career double-double. The junior threw down several dunks in transition and lofted an alley-oop to Luis on the fast break with 3:54 remaining. Dominguez called for the lob first, and Luis whipped him a pass early. Dominguez then caught it in the air and threw it back to Luis for a two-handed dunk and a 71-61 lead.

“I’ve done it before a couple times with my friends and was like ‘hey, let me try it,’ and it worked,” Dominguez said. “It’s probably one of the best plays I’ve seen here so far.”

Press: Broken.@RjLuis21 | #Flagship 🚩 pic.twitter.com/AhZLgSJ0sV

— UMass Men's Basketball (@UMassMBB) January 28, 2023

It was their last field goal, but the Minutemen held Duquesne at bay the rest of the way with their free throw shooting. Three Dukes fouled out: Jimmy Clark III (21 points), Joe Reece and R.J. Gunn. Dae Dae Grant led Duquesne with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

“We stayed the course, and I thought we played through concepts, and that’s why we ended up getting fouled,” Martin said. “Give our guys credit. Duquesne’s not easy to play against with their aggressive nature. I’ll take it, man. Wins are always better than the alternative.”

UMass won without its two leading scorers Noah Fernandes and Matt Cross. Fernandes missed his fifth consecutive game returning from an ankle injury. Cross was sick with a non-COVID illness.

“Next man up. We’ve got to come with energy, toughness,” Dominguez said. “When you lose two people like that, you really have to step it up a couple notches higher.”

Thompson added 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Isaac Kante dropped in nine, and T.J. Weeks Jr. scored eight powered by two early 3s.

“You learn a lot about your team as you go through the journey. Everyone says ‘experience, experience.’ The best part of the experience is when you and the players understand one another,” Martin said. “I can draw up unbelievable offense, but if the offense doesn’t fit the individual, it doesn’t work.

Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.]]>