University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
VCU
Women's Hoops Heads to VCU on Saturday Afternoon
January 27, 2017 | Women's Basketball
Minutewomen and Rams set for 1 p.m. tip-off.
AMHERST, Mass. -Â After a narrow loss on the road at La Salle on Wednesday, the UMass women's basketball team heads to VCU on Saturday afternoon looking to bounce back before hosting a key two-game stretch at home next week. The game against the Rams will be streamed online via the Atlantic 10 Digital Network and broadcast locally on 91.1 FM WMUA.
UMass led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter on Wednesday at La Salle, but a late fourth quarter rally by the Explorers proved the difference maker in a 68-64 loss for the Minutewomen. Hailey Leidel and Maggie Mulligan each had double-doubles in the game. Leidel scored a game-high 20 points while pulling down a career-high 14 rebounds. Mulligan scored 12 points while recording 11 rebounds. The Explorers missed 19 straight shots in the first and second quarters, but found their shot late hitting 9-of-12 second half three pointers to pull out the win.
Leidel continues to lead UMass in scoring this season with 16.7 points per game while also averaging 5.8 rebounds. Maggie Mulligan is second in scoring with 13.6 points a night while also hauling down 11.5 rebounds per game. Alyx Stiff (10.8 points) and Ryan Holder (10.0 points) round out UMass' top scoring leaders with Stiff having averaged 15 points over the last four games.
In the A-10, UMass is currently in 12th in the standings, while the VCU (11-10, 4-4 A-10) is seventh overall.Â
Leidel continues to lead all A-10 rookies in scoring and is third overall. She leads the league in three-pointers made (60) which is the fourth-most in a single-season at UMass. The freshman also ranks sixth in the league in steals. Mulligan ranks 11th overall in scoring, is second in rebounds per game, and ranks third in blocked shots (1.9). Leah McDerment rounds out the league leaders for the Minutewomen ranking third in assists with 5.4 per game.
Nationally, Mulligan continues to rank second nationally in double-doubles with 16 - just one behind Washington's Chantel Osahor. Her 11.6 rebounds per game ranks fourth overall in the NCAA. Leidel is tied as the NCAA's No. 1 rookie scorer alongside UNC Greensboro's Nadine Soliman. Her 60 three-pointers made are tied for 20th nationally.
VCU is coming off a pair of wins over Rhode Island and Fordham entering the weekend. The Rams did not play a mid-week contest prior to the visit from the Minutewomen. Keira Robinson is the lone player to average double-figures with 11.4 points per game. Mooriah Rowser and Curteeona Brelove are just behind Robinson with 9.7 and 9.1 points per game, respectively. Isis Thorpe, one of VCU's all-time best three-point shooters, enters the game averaging 8.4 points a night.Â
UMass will return home to host Saint Louis next Wednesday, Feb. 1 and Davidson on Saturday, Feb. 4. The Davidson game will be the Minutewomen's annual Play4Kay cancer awareness game.
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. Tickets for home games can be purchased by calling 866-UMASS-TIX, logging on to www.UMassAthletics.com, and by visiting the Mullins Center Box Office.
