Women’s Basketball Claims Play4Kay Victory over Rhode Island, 56-34

AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts women's basketball never trailed en route to a 56-34 victory over Rhode Island on Sunday afternoon at the Mullins Center. UMass' third straight win against the Rams moves the Minutewomen to 13-11 this season and 5-5 in the Atlantic 10, while Rhody falls to 7-16 and 2-9 against conference opponents.

In conjunction with UMass' annual Play4Kay game, the Minutewomen sported pink uniforms and shoes during Sunday's tilt. In addition, breast cancer survivor Heather Verdi, wife of UMass head coach Tory Verdi, was recognized prior at the beginning of the afternoon with a game ball delivery.

Junior Vashnie Perry contributed 11 points for the Minutewomen and sophomore Bre Hampton-Bey put down 10 of her own in Hampton-Bey's second consecutive start. Junior Hailey Leidel had nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the win.

For the afternoon, UMass shot 37 percent (20-for-54) from the field and held the Rams to 23.9 percent (11-for-46). URI also went without a make from three-point land, marking the first time since Feb. 19, 2013 that a Massachusetts opponent went an entire game without connecting from downtown.

The Maroon and White set the tone early with a 7-0 game-opening run spearheaded by five points from Leidel. The momentum would carry into the second quarter and beyond as Hampton-Bey went a perfect 3-of-3 from the field to continue the spark and send the home squad into halftime with a 32-15 lead.

The home stretch of the contest saw the Minutewomen continue to pull away, swelling their advantage to as much as 26 points late in regulation in part as a result of holding URI under 30 percent in the second half.

Nicole Jorgensen was the lone double-figure scorer for Rhode Island with a game-high 16 points. Jorgensen narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds and also had three blocks plus a steal.

Massachusetts now jets south to Philadelphia for a Wed., Feb. 13 game against Saint Joseph's. Opening tip will take place at 7 p.m. from Hagan Arena.

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.

Thanks to @UMassSportsNet for collecting some of the top moments from the victory today!#Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/Jzb2g4Fyt4
— UMass W. Basketball (@UMassWBB) February 10, 2019

Scoreboard