Looking to make a major statement about the state of the Atlantic 10 Conference with a win on Sunday afternoon, the UMass men’s basketball team settled for a near-miss.

The Minutemen racked up 20 offensive rebounds and held host Dayton to just 38.3 percent shooting from the floor, but the Flyers survived with a 64-60 victory at the University of Dayton Arena.

UMass dropped to 10-4 overall, 1-1 in the A-10. Dayton improved to 12-2, 2-0. The Minutemen are back in action Wednesday at home against La Salle (7 p.m.). 

Matt Cross paced the Minutemen offensively a team-high 18 points and 14 rebounds. Josh Cohen added 15 points and nine boards, while Rahsool Diggins tossed in eight points and four rebounds. UMass shot just 3-for-22 from 3-point range (13.6 percent).

Dayton guard Kobe Elvis missed most of the game after suffering an injury early in the first half. He finished with just two points in five minutes of action. DaRon Holmes II paced the Flyers with 18 points in the win.

Dayton led 38-29 at halftime, and its advantage grew to as big as 53-40 with 9:48 remaining. UMass responded with a furious comeback however, and a 15-4 spurt capped by a Cohen 3-pointer pulled the visitors within 57-55 with 3:26 to go.

Dayton led 59-57 with less than a minute remaining, but Cohen missed a shot with 33 seconds left that would’ve tied the game and Javon Bennett hit two free throws to make it a two-possession game. Diggins missed a 3 on the next trip down and Dayton iced it away at the stripe.

Women’s basketball

Saint Louis 79, UMass 75 – The visiting Billikens closed the game on a 10-4 run, rallying past the Minutewomen for a 79-75 Atlantic 10 win on Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center.

UMass fell to 3-12 overall, 1-2 in the league. The Minutewomen return to action Wednesday at Richmond (11 a.m. tip).

Alexsia Rose led the way for the Minutewomen, setting a career high in assists (eight) and tying a career high in points (18). Stefanie Kulesza also had 18 points, including four 3-pointers, and Kristin Williams added 17 in the loss.

“I just felt like we let that one slip through our fingers,” UMass coach Mike Leflar said. “Credit Saint Louis for making plays down the stretch but I liked how we came out of the gates, I liked how we responded to their runs… unfortunately there were some self-inflicted errors that they took advantage of.”

Minutewomen led 38-33 at halftime, and that advantage grew to 49-39 in the third quarter.

The lead was trimmed to 60-57 entering the fourth, and an Alexsia Rose 3-pointer with 3:12 left in regulation gave the Minutewomen a 71-69 advantage.

But Kyla McMakin’s 3 with 1:49 to play gave Saint Louis the lead for good, and the Billikens did just enough at the free throw line to prevent a UMass comeback. Down 77-75, Lilly Taulelei missed the potential tying shot with three seconds left for the Minutewomen.