AMHERST — There’s no question UMass head coach Frank Martin would’ve been content with the following scenario ahead of Wednesday’s Atlantic 10 Conference opener against Duquesne: his two best players would play 12 and eight minutes, respectively, in the first half because one of them left the game twice due to injury and the other had three fouls. Yet, the Minutemen would still have an eight-point lead at halftime.

Well, that’s exactly what happened in the Minutemen’s 80-61 win over Duquesne at the Mullins Center. Not to mention they also gave up 10 offensive rebounds and didn’t hit a single shot from beyond the arc in those first 20 minutes. Without looking at the scoreboard, all signs pointed to the Dukes being the team to have the lead at the break.

But UMass got it done by committee, and willed its way to an advantage as it jogged to the locker room.

In the second half, the Minutemen erupted on a 21-3 run midway through the half to put the game well out of reach. No matter how many timeouts Duquesne head coach Keith Dambrot called, it couldn’t disrupt the rhythm and energy the Minutemen played with.

UMass possesses a havoc-wreaking defense built on strong man-to-man principles. And aside from a few lapses here and there, which is normal for any team (especially a young one that relies heavily on freshmen), they’ve been sharp through 13 games.

“I just think defensively we were good [Wednesday],” Martin said after the game. “We’ve been pretty good all year. [Against] Georgia Tech, we were good defensively, our offense let us down. [Against] Harvard, we were really good defensively, and then we tightened up at the end of the game when we shouldn’t have. But we’ve been good defensively all year. There’s a tenacity and strength that this team plays with – including the freshmen – that’s fun to be around.”

Rahsool Diggins had 16 points, Matt Cross battled through injury for a tough 15-point, eight-rebound night, and freshman Jaylen Curry dropped a career-high 15 points in what was one of – if not – the best team performance on both sides of the ball in the Frank Martin era. Everybody had a hand in the action.

UMass (10-3, 1-0 A-10) plays at Dayton (11-2, 1-0 A-10) on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. That one will really show where the Minutemen are at in early January.

Elsewhere, 14 of the 15 teams in the Atlantic 10 were in action Wednesday night, with Richmond standing as the bye team. Here is a quick look at the other six A-10 games:

George Mason 77, La Salle 62 — Keyshawn Hall put up 27 points and 13 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes for the Patriots (1-0). La Salle (0-1) led 43-39 at the halftime break before being shut down over the next 20 minutes.

Fordham 119, George Washington 113 (3OT) — Fordham (1-0 A-10) withstood 38 points from George Washington’s (0-1 A-10) Darren Buchanan Jr. and 32 points from James Bishop IV with three 20-plus point scorers (Japhet Medor, Antrell Charlton, and Elijah Gray) of its own.

Rhode Island 78, Saint Joseph’s 74 — Four double digit scorers led by David Green (16 points, 10 rebounds) off the bench helped the Rams (1-0 A-10) do just enough to pick up a win over the Hawks (0-1 A-10).

Dayton 72, Davidson 59 — The Flyers (1-0 A-10) received a strong performance from star forward DaRon Holmes II (18 points, four rebounds) to withstand a well-played second half by the Wildcats (0-1 A-10).

Loyola Chicago 80, Saint Louis 73 — Desmond Watson’s 24 points on 70 percent shooting lifted the Ramblers (1-0 A-10) to a road victory over the Billikens (0-1 A-10). Saint Louis shot 8-for-19 from the free throw line.

St. Bonaventure 89, VCU 78 — Chad Venning took over the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds, standing as one of the five Bonnies (1-0 A-10) in double figures in their win over the Rams (0-1 A-10). St. Bonaventure never trailed in a tough road win.

UMass women pick up first A-10 win, Saint Louis next

The Minutewomen (3-11, 1-1 A-10) brought the fire to Dayton in the second half of Tuesday evening’s win over the Flyers – which stood as head coach Mike Leflar’s first conference win of his career.

Kristin Williams hit three 3s en route to a team-high 15 points, and freshman Lily Taulelei tied her career high with 14 points. Stefanie Kulesza added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds in the victory.

UMass is getting closer and closer to fully healthy, and the team hopes to be finding its stride at the right time with conference play in full swing (the Minutewomen trailed a 12-win VCU team by just six points at halftime in their conference opener last weekend before the Dayton win).

Even better, UMass hosts a Saint Louis team that has been headed in the wrong direction of late. The Billikens have lost seven of their last eight, including five in a row. The Minutewomen certainly have a chance to pick up their second consecutive conference win, and boost their confidence as Atlantic 10 play ramps up.