Minutewomen Return to Mullins Center Thursday vs. Duquesne

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 23	Duquesne (11-10, 5-3 Atlantic 10) at Massachusetts (11-11, 3-5 Atlantic 10)
Date // Time	Thursday, Feb. 7 // 7 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	SIDEARM Stats
Game Notes	Massachusetts (available shortly) // Duquesne
Twitter	@UMassAthletics // @UMassWBB // @CoachVerdiUMass
Instagram	UMass Women's Basketball
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball
Tickets	UMass Athletics Ticket Central
Special Events	Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night

Thursday's Fan Giveaways
University of Massachusetts faculty and staff are encouraged to turn out early to Thursday's game as the first 150 to pass through the Mullins Center doors will receive a complimentary UMass coffee mug. The first 150 students through the turnstiles will be given a free miniature basketball hoop.

Mark Your Calendars
Two special events sit ahead on UMass' remaining home schedule, beginning on Sun., Feb. 10 when the Minutewomen host Rhode Island in conjunction with the program's Play4Kay Game. Held annually to raise breast cancer awareness, fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of the fight against the disease. Additionally, the Minutewomen will host Senior Day and Alumnae Weekend on Feb. 15-16. For additional details on Alumnae Weekend, click here.

Recap in a Minute
A furious UMass rally effort fell just short on Sun., Feb. 3 as the Minutewomen were topped by Richmond, 62-58, at the Robins Center. Junior Vashnie Perry led the Minutewomen with 11 points on the day on 4-of-9 from the field, while freshman Destiney Philoxy put down 10 of her own and handed out four assists. Three Massachusetts players in sophomore Bre Hampton-Bey, junior Hailey Leidel and senior Genesis Rivera had seven rebounds each.

On the Cusp
While the Minutewomen are looking to rebound from a three-game slide, less than five points have been the difference in each setback throughout the stretch as well as five this season including against some of the top competition in the Atlantic 10 and beyond. At league-leading VCU on Jan. 30, the Minutewomen were neck-and-neck for the majority of the contest before falling, 52-48; while a buzzer-beating three-pointer lifted then-undefeated Northeastern over the Maroon and White, 53-52, on Dec. 2.

Sharp-Shooting Squad
Massachusetts enters Thursday's game as the second-best shooting team in the Atlantic 10 with a field goal percentage of 40.6, while also holding the top three-point mark (34.4 percent) in the league. The latter ranks No. 62 nationally with Oregon State atop the Division I ranks.

Good Things Come in Threes
With one make from downtown at Richmond on Feb. 3, Hailey Leidel now has put down 208 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 14.9 points throughout her time in Amherst, Leidel is 11th on the all-time scoring list at UMass with 1,225 career points–a figure that also ranks No. 16 among active Division I juniors. She needs 66 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 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.

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.

Scoreboard

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jessica George

Bre Hampton-Bey

Hailey Leidel

Asia McCoy

Jessica Nelson

Vashnie Perry

Destiney Philoxy

Genesis Rivera

Anil Soysal

Mackenzie Sullivan

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics