Junior forward Javorn Farrell has been the forgotten man on the end of the UMass bench. While still a part of Derek Kellogg's regular rotation and earning 20 minutes per game, the Woodbridge, Virginia has been under the radar behind offensive stars like Chaz Williams, Raphiael Putney and Terrell Vinson.
Yet Farrell has been the star so far at the Mullins Center with 13 points and six assists on 5-of-9 shooting to lead UMass to a 51-48 lead. Both teams were red hot through the half, as UMass knocked down 57 percent of their shots, while the Dukes hit 52 percent.
Putney joined Farrell in double-figures for the Minutemen with 12 points and a team-high four rebounds. Williams added five points, four rebounds and three assists for UMass.
Senior forward B.J. Monteiro poured in 11 points and a game-high six rebounds for the Dukes on 5-of-9 shooting, while sophomore guard Jerry Jones was a perfect 4-for-4 en route to 10 points.
After UMass used a 10-3 run to grab a 29-18 lead, the Dukes responded with six straight made field goals to tie the game at 33. The final minutes of the half became testy as the referees assessed three technical fouls and cooled the teams down by going to the monitor for long video replays.