Minutewomen Close Non-Conference Docket Thursday Against Marist

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes
Game 10	Massachusetts (8-4 overall) vs. Marist (3-8 overall)
Date \| Time	Thursday, Dec. 21 \| Noon
Location	Mullins Center; Amherst, Mass.
Series History	First meeting
Game Notes	Massachusetts \| Marist
Live Statistics	Sidearm Stats
Listen	91.1 FM WMUA \| WMUA Online
Tickets	866-UMASS-TIX \| UMass Athletics Ticket Office
Watch	Atlantic 10 Digital Network
Twitter	@UMassWBB \| @UMassAthletics \| @CoachVerdiUMass
Instagram	UMass Women's Basketball \| UMass Athletics

Setting The Scene
Riding a four-game winning streak for the first time since 2015-16, University of Massachusetts women's basketball meets Marist on Thurs., Dec. 21 for a noon tilt at the Mullins Center. It is the final non-conference game of the season for the Minutewomen and final contest before a 10-day layoff for the holidays.

Thursday's game will be streamed live on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network as well as on the radio at 91.1 FM WMUA and WMUA.org, with Alex Levitt and Liam Curran behind the microphone.

Recap In A Minute
UMass boasted four double-figure scorers, led by a game-high 21 points from Hailey Leidel, as the Minutewomen defeated UMass Lowell, 73-63, on Wednesday night at the Costello Athletic Center. With 13 points and 13 rebounds, Maggie Mulligan recorded a double-double for the second consecutive game and 25th time in her career donning the Maroon and White. Leidel and Leah McDerment each grabbed three steals, while Alexia Allesch logged her first collegiate block. Bre Hampton-Bey also contributed three assists.

UMass and the MAAC
Thursday's contest is the first matchup between UMass and Marist, however the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference does not stand as uncharted waters for the Minutewomen. All-time, the Maroon and White are 15-8 against current members of the MAAC, with the most recent meeting coming less than two weeks ago on Dec. 10 when UMass downed Saint Peter's, 81-65, at the Mullins Center.

Verdi Approaching 100 Career Wins
Massachusetts head coach Tory Verdi logged his 92nd career victory as a head coach in the win over UMass Lowell on Dec. 13. Prior to arriving at Massachusetts ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, Verdi earned 72 triumphs at the helm of Eastern Michigan (2012-16) and three as interim head coach at Columbia (2004-05).

Nine Would Be Fine
A win on Thursday would put the Minutewomen at 9-4 on the season and match the squad's win total from 2016-17 before beginning the Atlantic 10 portion of the schedule. It would also give UMass its most non-conference victories since pocketing 10 during the 2006-07 campaign.

Record-Breaking Effort
A number of single-game UMass records were broken on Thurs., Dec. 7, notably Hailey Leidel's 10-of-10 performance from three-point land, surpassing the previous top figure of seven triples made. That clip also tied the NCAA Division I single-game record for consecutive makes from beyond the arc.

In addition, the Minutewomen set new team highs in three-pointers made (17), points in a quarter (39, 1st), points in a half (70, 1st), total points (121), assists (34), and largest margin of victory (83).

Hi, How May We Assist You?
UMass has dished out a total of 189 assists this season, which is second across the Atlantic 10 Conference and No. 32 among the Division I ranks. Breaking that down to a game-by-game figure, the Minutewomen are averaging 15.8 assists, an additional figure that sits second in the conference.

Money! ¡Dinero!
Genesis Rivera went a perfect 6-of-6 from downtown in the first quarter on Sat., Dec. 2 against Mississippi Valley State, a feat not previously accomplished at UMass. Of all players across the Atlantic 10, none prior to Rivera have hit six in a single quarter this season. The previous top conference mark in 2017-18 was held by La Salle's Amy Griffin, who went 5-of-5 in the third period against Lafayette on Fri., Nov. 10.

Take It Away!
Massachusetts now has logged 120 steals on the season, averaging an even 10 per game. Both figures lead the Atlantic 10, while the season total sits 26th in the country. Individually, Bre Hampton-Bey boasts a conference-best 32 steals (2.9 per game).

Nah, Nah, Nah...Not In My House
After posting one block against Saint Peter's on Sunday afternoon, Maggie Mulligan has now registered a total of 24 on the season, averaging a pair per game. Both figures rank second in the Atlantic 10 behind Duquesne's Kadri-Ann Lass and are among the top 50 across Division I. Dating back to last season, the senior and Boston native has rejected at least one shot in 13 of her last 15 games.

Over The Century Mark
UMass has surpassed 100-points twice this season, eclipsing that figure against Maine-Fort Kent on Nov. 10 (111-45) and Fisher on Dec. 7 (121-38). In recording that triumph over UMFK, the Minutewomen crossed the century mark for the first time since Dec. 13, 1980 when the squad defeated Vermont, 105-74.

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).

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
The Minutewomen open Atlantic 10 play on New Year's Eve, Sun., Dec. 31, visiting Duquesne for a 1 p.m. rendezvous in Pittsburgh.

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.

Scoreboard

Minutewomen Close Non-Conference Docket Thursday Against Marist

Players Mentioned

Alexia Allesch

Autumn Giles

Bre Hampton-Bey

Hailey Leidel

Paige McCormick

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Vashnie Perry

Genesis Rivera

Anil Soysal

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics