University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Florida International
Women's Hoops Returns to Action at FIU Christmas Classic
December 26, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Minutewomen face FIU on Tuesday, Drexel on Wednesday.
AMHERST, Mass. - After an eight-day break, the UMass women's basketball team returns to action this week with a pair of games at the FIU Christmas Classic taking on host Florida International (1-8) and Drexel (7-2) this Tuesday and Wednesday. Both games are set for Noon tip-offs.
Both games will be carried locally by 91.1 FM WMUA while the game against Florida International will also be available online via CUSA.tv.
In the last outing for the Minutewomen, UMass overcame a 23-point first half deficit to rally in the third quarter for a 69-66 win over Holy Cross to improve to 5-1 at the Mullins Center this year. Hailey Leidel led all scorers with 21 points, while Leah McDerment had a career-best 15 points.
For the season, Hailey Leidel leads UMass in scoring with 16.5 points as the second leading freshman scorer in the NCAA and top in the Atlantic 10. Maggie Mulligan is just behind at 13.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Ryan Holder rounds out the top scoring trio with 12.5 points a contest.
Mulligan is tied for third in the NCAA and leads the A-10 in double doubles with eight, while her rebounding average leads the league and ranks second nationally. The junior center is one of the most improved players in the nation after seeing her scoring average jump nearly nine points and her rebouning average increase by nearly seven from a year ago.
Among the A-10 leaders, Leidel is second overall in scoring and leads the conference in three-pointers made (32). The rookie also ranks seventh in steals (1.9). Mulligan is ninth in scoring and third in blocked shots, while fellow McDerment is third in the league for assists (5.4/game). Alongside Leidel, Holder is the second-leading rookie scorer in the league and 15th overall while also being eighth in blocked shots (1.3/game).
FIU has lost four straight after picking up its only win of the season at Robert Morris on Nov. 27 during the Panthers' Thanksgiving Tournament. Taylor Shade leads the squad with a 13.7 point per game average followed by Tianah Alvarado who is averaging 12.6 points per game. Janka Hegedus (10.3 points) and Kristian Hudson (9.9) round out the scoring leaders.
Drexel will face George Mason on Tuesday afternoon before playing the Minutewomen on Wednesday. The Dragons have won four straight following its last loss which came on the road at Bucknell (Nov. 27). Sarah Curran leads Drexel with 14.6 points per game followed by Jessica Pellechio (12.9 points) and Meghan Creighton (11.2 points).
UMass will head straight from Miami to Dayton to return to A-10 play on Dec. 31 at Dayton (2 p.m.). The game will be streamed live on the A-10 Digital Network and be carried by 91.1 FM WMUA.
For complete coverage of the UMass women's basketball team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassWBB and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
