Women’s Hoops Welcomes George Mason for Field Trip Day

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 15	George Mason (8-8, 0-3 A-10) at Massachusetts (10-7, 2-1 A-10)
Date // Time	Wednesday, Jan. 16 // Noon
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center
Television	NBCSN (channel finder)
Stream	NBC Sports Live Extra
Live Statistics	SIDEARM Stats
Game Notes	Massachusetts // George Mason
Twitter	@UMassAthletics // @UMassWBB // @CoachVerdiUMass
Instagram	UMass Women's Basketball
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball
Tickets	UMass Athletics Ticket Central
Special Events	Field Trip Day

Be Social!
Follow UMass women's basketball on Twitter (@UMassWBB), Instagram (UMassWBB) and Facebook (UMass Women's Basketball) for the latest news and updates around the program. In addition, fans can follow head coach Tory Verdi on Twitter @CoachVerdiUMass.

Field Trip Day Set For Wednesday
As part of Wednesday's Field Trip Day festivities, over 3,100 local elementary and middle school students along with their teachers are expected to be in attendance. Should that projection hold, UMass will welcome its largest crowd for the occasion since Feb. 11, 2009, when 3,781 turned out from area schools to watch the Minutewomen knock off former Atlantic 10 rival Temple, 71-60.

McCoy...That Rings a Bell
As part of an 11-point showing at La Salle on Jan. 13, freshman Asia McCoy showed a flair for the dramatic with a half-court buzzer-beater to close the second quarter.

McCoy is not related to Jim McCoy, the all-time leading scorer for the UMass men's basketball program. Longtime fans will recall that Jim McCoy connected from 66 feet before halftime against Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA Sweet 16. Coincidentally, that game was also played in Philadelphia a few miles away at The Spectrum.

Asia McCoy is just out here knocking down half-court buzzer-beaters.

What say you, @ESPNAssignDesk #SCTop10?#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/JjgznTNXzC
— UMass W. Basketball (@UMassWBB) January 13, 2019

From South Hadley to Scholarship
Senior Mackenzie Sullivan was awarded a full scholarship during a team meeting held on Fri., Jan. 11. Sullivan, a native of nearby South Hadley, Massachusetts, initially walked on to the Minutewomen squad in Sept. 2018.

Hard work pays off!

The smile on @MackenzieSully2 when she learned she was being given a full scholarship is one you need to see.

Congrats, Kenz!#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/yg8kWdSA6z
— UMass W. Basketball (@UMassWBB) January 14, 2019

"Mackenzie earned that scholarship because she comes to practice every single day and is exactly what we want to coach here at the University of Massachusetts," said head coach Tory Verdi. "She's an unbelievable teammate, she's coachable and she brings it each and every day. Mackenzie is relied upon and is well-deserving of her scholarship."

Climbing to the Top
Now a senior, fans have watched Jessica George grow tremendously during her time at Massachusetts. After seeing just 13 games as a freshman in 2015-16, George has settled into the starting five and taken on a leadership role as a co-captain with Leidel. She is frequently on the floor for over 30 minutes per game and has scored double figures in six of her last seven contests. In the La Salle win on Jan. 13, the Maryland native also contributed five assists, two short of a career-high.

Massachusetts is 5-1 this season when George puts down more than 12 points.

Good Things Come in Threes
With two makes from downtown at La Salle on Jan. 13, Hailey Leidel now has put down 196 three-pointers in her UMass career, setting a new program record in that category. Former Minutewoman Katie Nelson previously held the mark with 191 makes from 2001-06.

Averaging 15.1 points throughout her time in Amherst, Leidel became the 20th 1,000-point scorer in UMass history against Bucknell on Fri., Nov. 23. She boasts double figures in 50 of her 75 contests donning the Maroon and White.

Home Cookin' (try the clam chowdah)
Massachusetts has won eight of its last 10 contests played within the confines of the Mullins Center, including three consecutive games against Atlantic 10 foes. "The Bill" has generally been kind to the Maroon and White recently as the squad boasts a winning record on the home hardwood in each season dating back to 2014-15.

They Say Sharing is Caring...
Massachusetts heads into Wednesday's game second in the Atlantic 10 in total assists (228) while ranking fourth in the league in the per game category (13.4). On the individual level, sophomore Bre Hampton-Bey checks in at fifth with 3.6 dimes per game.

Starting Fresh
Massachusetts' win over Saint Louis win on Jan. 6 snapped the team's nine-game losing streak against the Billikens dating back to Jan. 19, 2011. It also marked the first time since 2012-13 that the Minutewomen opened up the Atlantic 10 schedule on the winning end.

Welcome to the Show
Freshman Asia McCoy enjoyed a breakout game despite a losing effort at Northeastern on Sun., Dec. 2 with her first career double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds). The Lawrenceville, Georgia native has made nine starts on the season and shot 5-of-9 en route to a 14-point showing against Saint Louis on Jan. 6.

McCoy highlights a trio of impact freshmen along with Jessica Nelson and Destiney Philoxy, in addition to redshirt freshman Anil Soysal.

George Collects Atlantic 10 Weekly Honor
Jessica George was tabbed a co-recipient of the Atlantic 10's Player of the Week award on Mon., Dec. 31. She was key in UMass' Sat., Dec. 29 victory at Marist, a 70-55 decision to conclude the non-conference schedule. The native of Waldorf, Maryland put down a game-high and career-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a 6-of-8 showing from three-point land. George added three rebounds plus one steal and one assist and did not have a single turnover in her 38 minutes played.

'90s on 9
Helped in part by a 55.9 percent (38-of-68) showing from the field and 53.3 percent (8-of-15) clip from three-point land, UMass never trailed and picked up a convincing 90-61 win over Brown on Sat., Nov. 24. The last time the Minutewomen put up at least 90 points against a Division I foe was on Jan. 22, 2008 in the squad's non-conference finale, a 91-57 rout of Yale in Amherst at the Mullins Center.

Aye Aye, Captain
Senior Jessica George and junior Hailey Leidel will guide the Minutewomen this season as captains.

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Players Mentioned

Jessica George

Bre Hampton-Bey

Hailey Leidel

Asia McCoy

Jessica Nelson

Destiney Philoxy

Anil Soysal

Mackenzie Sullivan

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics