Although the UMass redshirt junior finished with a game-high 10 assists—including the pass to Carter in the final seconds of the contest that resulted in the game-winner—Chambers held the playmaker to just 12 points and one trip to the line. Williams went 6-for-15 on the night, including 0-of-2 from three-point range.

“I thought [the game] was a magnificent performance by Siyani,” Amaker said. “It was his first road game as a college player. To play the way he played, with the spirit, energy, and the toughness, I think he’s shown he’s going to be an outstanding player. It’s just too bad we couldn’t cap it off with a victory.”

“The kid has a lot of heart,” Williams added.

On the Harvard side, Chambers and Saunders combined for exactly half of Harvard’s scoring Monday night, dropping 14 and 18 points, respectively.

“For us to have a chance against [UMass’s] pressure…we knew how critical our ball-handling would be,” Amaker said. “Siyani and Wesley in particular were the two who the bulk of ball handling was going to fall on their shoulders, and I thought they did as well as you could possibly ask.”

The duo earned two steals apiece and totaled 12 assists, including seven from the rookie. Chambers was the only player on either team to play the entire game, while Saunders played for all but three minutes.

—Staff writer Catherine E. Coppinger can be reached at ccoppinger@college.harvard.edu.