Senior Day Saturday as Minutewomen Host Davidson

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 26	Davidson (14-10, 8-3 Atlantic 10) at Massachusetts (13-12, 5-6 Atlantic 10)
Date // Time	Saturday, Feb. 16 // 2 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	SIDEARM Stats
Game Notes	Massachusetts // Davidson
Twitter	@UMassAthletics // @UMassWBB // @CoachVerdiUMass
Instagram	UMass Women's Basketball
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball
Tickets	UMass Athletics Ticket Central
Special Events	Senior Day

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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.

Season Ticket Holder Gift Pickup
All UMass season ticket holders can visit the marketing table at the North Entrance to the Mullins Center on Saturday to pick up their commemorative gift, a coaster set.

??Season Ticket Holders??
Make sure to stop by the marketing table at the game on Saturday to receive your coaster set as a sign of our appreciation for your support! #Flagship?? pic.twitter.com/EAmVsVC37Y
— UMass W. Basketball (@UMassWBB) February 14, 2019

Massachusetts to Celebrate Senior Class Saturday
As part of Senior Day, the Minutewomen will hold a pregame ceremony recognizing seniors Jessica George, Genesis Rivera and Mackenzie Sullivan as well as student managers Yvonne Chen and Annie Zampitella.

One of the most improved players in recent program history, George is a four-year member of the squad and serves as a co-captain alongside Hailey Leidel. Rivera arrived in Amherst after a two-year career at Panola College in Texas and has delivered several clutch performances during her UMass career. Sullivan, a South Hadley, Massachusetts native, joined the squad as a walk-on in September 2018 and earned a scholarship on Jan. 14, 2019.

In honor of what's on the docket this Saturday, #TBT to the earlier days of our seniors' careers at the #Flagship??

See you @MullinsCenter Saturday at 2 p.m.!
?? https://t.co/iI0t0ciWDL pic.twitter.com/bduwGEMXdW
— UMass W. Basketball (@UMassWBB) February 14, 2019

Recap in a Minute
Saturday's matchup comes after the Minutewomen were handed a tough loss on Wed., Feb. 13 at Saint Joseph's. Despite a furious rally effort in the fourth quarter spearheaded largely by George and freshman Destiney Philoxy, the Maroon and White came up just short of wiping out an 18-point deficit and fell to the Hawks, 55-54. Philoxy led the offensive charge with a 15-point night, complemented by an 11-point performance from George and 10 from junior Hailey Leidel.

The Last Meeting With Davidson
UMass is looking for a season sweep of Davidson on Saturday after claiming a 70-58 victory at John M. Belk Arena on Sun., Jan. 20. In the brief history of the all-time series, which dates back to 2014-15, neither side has ever taken both contests in one season.

The Massachusetts win over the Wildcats earlier this season gave Davidson its first Atlantic 10 loss of the season. Momentum began to swing UMass' way in the second quarter by way of a 13-2 run and although Davidson battled back to narrow the halftime lead to 27-26, the Minutewomen shot over 50 percent in the second half and used that figure to come away on top. Leidel put down 15 points and Rivera had a season-best 12-point day.

Sharp-Shooting Squad
Massachusetts heads into the weekend as the third-best shooting team in the Atlantic 10 with a field goal percentage of 40.1, while also holding the top three-point mark (33.3 percent) in the league. The latter ranks No. 88 nationally with Oregon atop the Division I ranks.

Good Things Come in Threes
With one make from downtown at Saint Joseph's on Feb. 13, Hailey Leidel now has put down 212 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 14.8 points throughout her time in Amherst, Leidel is 11th on the all-time scoring list at UMass with 1,260 career points. She needs 42 points to pass Jasmine Watson (2009-13) for 10th at UMass while Crystal Carroll (1993-97) sits in ninth place with 1,405 points.

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 11 times this season. 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.

From South Hadley to Scholarship
Senior Mackenzie Sullivan was awarded a full scholarship during a team meeting held on Sat., Jan. 12. Sullivan, a native of nearby South Hadley, Massachusetts, initially walked on to the Minutewomen squad in Sept. 2018.

"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."

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

Hailey Leidel

Asia McCoy

Jessica Nelson

Destiney Philoxy

Genesis Rivera

Anil Soysal

Mackenzie Sullivan

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics