Minutewomen Wrap Up Texas Visit At UTRGV Battle on the Border

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes
Game 8	Massachusetts (4-3 overall) at UT Rio Grande Valley (6-2 overall)
Date \| Time	Friday, Dec. 1 \| 8 p.m. Eastern Time
Location	UTRGV Fieldhouse; Edinburg, Texas
Series History	First Meeting
Game Notes	Massachusetts \| UTRGV
Live Statistics	SIDEARM Statistics
Listen	91.1 FM WMUA \| WMUA Online
Tickets	(956) 665-3415 \| UTRGV Athletics Ticket Office
Watch	WAC Digital Network
Twitter	@UMassWBB \| @UMassAthletics \| @CoachVerdiUMass
Instagram	UMass Women's Basketball \| UMass Athletics

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes
Game 9	Massachusetts vs. Mississippi Valley State
Date \| Time	Saturday, Dec. 2 \| 1 p.m. Eastern Time
Location	UTRGV Fieldhouse; Edinburg, Texas
Series History	Massachusetts leads, 1-0. Last Meeting: Massachusetts 84, MVSU 66; Dec. 1, 1995
Game Notes	Massachusetts \| MVSU (available shortly)
Live Statistics	SIDEARM Statistics
Listen	91.1 FM WMUA \| WMUA Online
Tickets	(956) 665-3415 \| UTRGV Athletics Ticket Office
Watch	Live Video Unavailable
Twitter	@UMassWBB \| @UMassAthletics \| @CoachVerdiUMass
Instagram	UMass Women's Basketball \| UMass Athletics

Setting The Scene
After a midweek victory over Incarnate Word in San Antonio, University of Massachusetts women's basketball travels south to Edinburg, Texas to take part in the UT Rio Grande Valley Battle on the Border. The Minutewomen will ring in the month of December against host UTRGV on Fri., Dec. 1 with an 8 p.m. Eastern Time matchup and close the weekend on Sat., Dec. 2, taking on Mississippi Valley State at 1 p.m. Eastern Time.

Recap In A Minute
Hailey Leidel had a game-high 22 points and five steals as UMass defeated Incarnate Word, 64-45, on Wednesday night at the McDermott Center. The Minutewomen posted the outcome in part as a result of a 45.3 percent (24-of-53) shooting effort while also holding UIW to 27.9 percent (17-of-61) from the field. Joining Leidel in double-figure scoring for Massachusetts were Maggie Mulligan (13) and Bre Hampton-Bey (13). Leah McDerment dished out four assists and Mulligan recorded four blocks for the second consecutive game.

Massachusetts never trailed in the game and maintained the upper hand from the 4:33 mark of the first quarter through the balance of the contest.

Set Your Alarms and Tune Your Radio
Every Friday morning at 11:30 a.m., fans can tune their radio to 91.1 FM WMUA and hear about the week that was for the Minutewomen on the UMass Women's Basketball Coaches' Show. Head coach Tory Verdi along with selected guests will visit with Mike Knittle, Josh McCawley and other hosts to discuss the latest happenings around the team and look ahead to upcoming matchups.

Fans outside of the WMUA listening area can listen to the show free of charge online at WMUA.org.

'Twas A Classic Indeed
Massachusetts makes the trip to the UTRGV Battle on the Border on the heels of hosting the inaugural UMass Thanksgiving Classic from Nov. 24-25 at the Mullins Center. After spending the Thanksgiving holiday together as a team in Amherst, the Minutewomen welcomed Houston, Liberty and in-state foe Northeastern for the two-day event. Houston finished the weekend undefeated while UMass and Northeastern posted split efforts.

Free? Thank You Kindly
UMass ranks third in the Atlantic 10 in free throw percentage (75.2 percent), a figure in part composed by two perfect nights at the charity stripe. In the Minutewomen's season-opener on Nov. 10, UMass drained all 22 attempts from the line against Maine-Fort Kent, before turning in a perfect 14-of-14 effort against Northeastern on Nov. 24.

George Washington (76.8 percent) and Fordham (76.3) sit ahead of the Maroon and White for the conference lead in the category. All three squads are among the top 50 across Division I.

Nah, Nah, Nah...Not In My House
After tying her season-high with four blocks in the UIW win on Wednesday, Maggie Mulligan has now registered a total of 20 on the season, averaging 2.86 swats per game. Both figures stand atop the Atlantic 10 and rank 11th and 17th, respectively, across the country.

Feels Like The First Time
Observant fans will notice that the non-conference schedule for the Minutewomen features six opponents with which the Maroon and White have not previously crossed paths. That group includes Maine-Fort Kent (Nov. 10), Towson (Nov. 12), North Dakota (Nov. 19), Incarnate Word (Nov. 28), UT Rio Grande Valley (Dec. 1) and Fisher College (Dec. 7).

Triple The Fun
Sophomore Hailey Leidel drained 6-of-12 three-pointers in the Nov. 10 season opener against Maine-Fort Kent at the Mullins Center. In recording those six makes, Leidel finished in a tie for second in program history for triples in a single game. Former Minutewoman Alyx Stiff also posted six buckets from downtown against George Washington on Jan. 21, 2017, while Cierra Dillard owns the top mark with seven at Rhode Island on Feb. 24, 2016.

Over The Century Mark
In recording a 111-45 triumph over Maine-Fort Kent on Nov. 10, UMass surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time since Dec. 13, 1980 when the squad defeated Vermont, 105-74. Additionally, the UMFK result reset a program record for largest margin of victory (65), which previously stood at 51.

UMass Adds Five During Early Signing Period
University of Massachusetts women's basketball and head coach Tory Verdi welcomed five new members to the program on Mon., Nov. 13, as Alexa Kellner (Stamford, Connecticut), Madison Lowery (Virginia Beach, Virginia), Asia McCoy (Lawrenceville, Georgia), Jessica Nelson (Buford, Georgia) and Destiny Philoxy (Queens, New York) signed their respective National Letters of Intent. Regarded as one of the highest-caliber classes in program history, the group was ranked No. 57 nationally by Blue Star Basketball as well as No. 62 in the country by PASS.

Leidel, Mulligan Collect A-10 Preseason Recognition
Hailey Leidel and Maggie Mulligan received Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Team as announced by the league office on Oct. 23. Leidel was placed on the All-Conference Second Team, while Mulligan earned herself a spot on the All-Conference Third Team.

Welcome To The Show!
UMass welcomes seven newcomers in 2017-18 in Alexia Allesch (Basking Ridge, New Jersey), Autumn Giles (Fort Myers, Florida), Bre Hampton-Bey (Toledo, Ohio), Paige McCormick (Ogdensburg, New York), Vashnie Perry (Nashville, Tennessee), Genesis Rivera (Caracas, Venezuela) and Anil Soysal (Istanbul, Turkey).

We're Telling The Truth, No Lying Here
Now-sophomore Hailey Leidel took home Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honors in 2016-17 after averaging 15.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, ranking fourth in scoring among all NCAA rookies. She tied a UMass program record with 78 made 3-pointers and set program-bests among freshmen in in scoring (465), three-point field goals made, and free throws made (111).

Candice Finley Joins UMass As Assistant Coach
University of Massachusetts women's basketball head coach Tory Verdi announced in May the addition of Candice Finley as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. The addition of Finley reunited the duo after they worked together for four years at Eastern Michigan. The native of Detroit earned a bachelor's degree from Eastern Kentucky in 2002, then played professionally in Luxembourg for a season.

Next Up
UMass will fly back to the Bay State after Saturday's game and prepare for a Thurs., Dec. 7 contest against Fisher College at the Mullins Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

UMass Women's Basketball On Social Media
Follow UMass women's basketball on Twitter (@UMassWBB), Instagram (UMassWBB) and Facebook (UMass Women's Basketball) for the latest news and updates around the team.

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