Women's Basketball Returns To Mullins Center For A Midweek Tilt Against Fairfield

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 9	Massachusetts (7-1) vs. Fairfield (3-3)
Date // Time	Wednesday, Dec. 1 // 7 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center
Watch	NESN
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	LiveStats
Game Notes	Massachusetts // Fairfield
Social Media	Facebook: UMass Women's Basketball Twitter: @UMassWBB // @CoachVerdiUMass Instagram: @UMassWBB

The Need to Knows
Follow the Minutewomen 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 program. In addition, fans can follow head coach Tory Verdi on Twitter @CoachVerdiUMass.

Breen and Philoxy Tabbed Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference
Breen was named to the preseason all-conference first-team coming off a season where she averaged 18 points per game and 10 rebounds on her way to being named to the A-10 All- Conference First-Team in 2020-21. The graduate student led the league in double-doubles with 15, including a stretch where she recorded seven straight from Jan. 29-March 13. Breen reached double figures in scoring in 22 of 24 contests, including eight games with 20 or more.

Philoxy was tabbed to both the preseason all-conference second-team and all-defensive team after leading the Atlantic 10 and ranking eighth nationally in assists a season ago as a junior with 156. The guard played in all 24 contests for the Minutewomen and scored in double figures in 12 games on her way to being named second-team all-conference in 2020- 21. Philoxy averaged 11.5 points to go along with 6.5 assists per game.

Last Time Out
University of Massachusetts competed in the three-day Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla., Friday, Nov. 26 through Sunday, Nov. 28. The Minutewomen went 2-1 on the weekend, defeating both South Dakota State (81-63) and Kent State (72-64), and falling, 76-71, in the championship match up with No. 13 Iowa State.

In Sunday's game, UMass cut a 21-point deficit early in the second half to comeback within a five point margin to the Cyclones. Sam Breen led the effort, recording her fifth double-double of the season, logging a team-high 21 points and 12 rebounds on the day, including 11 defensively. Destiney Philoxy followed with 15 points and team-leading five assists, while Angelique Ngalakulondi and Ber'Nyah Mayo earned 14 and 13 points, respectively.

All-Time Series vs. Fairfield
The Minutewomen and Stags prepare for their eighth meeting, as UMass holds a 5-2 advantage over Fairfield in the all-time series, including 2-0 in Amherst.

The two programs first met on Feb. 20, 1982, as Massachusetts defeated Fairfield, 64-60, at home. The last meeting between the two teams was last season on Dec. 3, 2020 in Fairfield, Conn., with the Minutewomen coming away with the 71-50 triumph.

Shaking Up the Record Book
UMass is out to one of its best starts of the season since the 2006-07 season when the Minutewomen went 8-1 to begin the year.

Massachusetts was on a nine-game winning streak that dated back to last season (Mar. 20, 2021 - Nov. 27, 2021), before that came to an end when the team fell to No. 13 Iowa State. The nine consecutive wins for the Minutewomen matched the second most victories in a row achieved three times in program history - the 1968-69 inaugural season (9-0 to begin the year), in 1976-77 (Jan. 21, 1977-Feb. 8, 1977) and in 1997-98 (Feb.4-March 1, 1998).

Statistically Speaking
The Minutewomen lead the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring offensively, averaging 76.4 points per game (611 pts). The team also is second in the scoring margin with 13.9 per game, leading with a 76.4 offensive point margin.

With a 44.7 field goal percentage (227-of-508), UMass sits in second, while ranking first in both rebounding offense (43.1 rpg) and rebounding defense (31.4 rpg).

Sydney Taylor leads the conference in scoring with a 17.3 ppg average (138 pts) with teammate Sam Breen following close behind in second with 16.9 ppg (135 pts). Breen sits atop the leaderboard in rebounds, averaging 11.3 per game, with 90 boards total.

Angelique Ngalakulondi is 34-for-47 from the field, leading the A-10 with a 72.3 percentage. Destiney Philoxy has aided her teammates, averaging 5.0 assists per game (40 total).

Double Figures Reached
Six Minutewomen have reached double figure points this season. Sydney Taylor and Sam Breen have both logged 10 or more points in seven of eight games played.

Ber'Nyah Mayo added to her total to six double figure games with when she captured 13 points against 13th nationally-ranked Iowa State, while Destiney Philoxy collected five double figure contests with 15 points against the No. 13 Cyclones. Angelique Ngalakulondi has registered four and Makennah White recorded two double figure contests.

Breen, the Double-Double Machine
Sam Breen collected five double-doubles on the season for UMass, moving her career total to 28. She tallied double-doubles against Harvard (23 pts., 12 rebs), Iona (13 pts., 13 rebs, Holy Cross (19 pts., 13 rebs), versus Kent State (17 pts., 11 rebs) and against No. 13 Iowa State (21 pts, 12 rebs), so far this season. Her five double-doubles in eight games have helped the graduate student tie for fourth in the nation.

Breen owned a league-leading 15 double-doubles last season and 23 in her career, including 14 such performances in the last 19 games in the 2020-21 season, and narrowly missed the feat in the final game of the season vs. Ohio (3/22/21)–finishing with 27 points and nine rebounds. She was one of just three players in the A-10 to average both double-figure scoring and rebounding. She finished last year second in scoring (18.0 ppg) and fourth in the league rebounding (10.0 rpg).

Breen was one of just 12 players nationally to own as many double-double performances last season. The last time an Atlantic 10 player had 15 such games.

"Swish" Taylor
Junior Sydney Taylor has been one of the most improved Minutewomen since the 2019-20 season, and entered the WNIT ranking second on the team and No. 5 in the Atlantic 10 in scoring (15.2 ppg) last season. Taylor was outstanding during the 2020-21 A-10 Tournament, averaging a team-high 20 points and being named to the A-10 All-Championship Team alongside Sam Breen and Destiney Philoxy, while adding a career-high-tying 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting, that came in the Quarterfinal win over Fordham.

Taylor kept the momentum going into this season, logging double figures in seven of eight games played. She tallied a team best 16 points against Central Connecticut State in the season-opener, registered 17 against Harvard, and added 25 points versus Iona, nearly tying her career best of 27. On the road, she has continued to have the hot hand putting up 13 at Holy Cross, 26 over Providence, 23 more vs. South Dakota State and 16 in the win over Kent State.

The Huntington Station, N.Y., native, is the Atlantic 10 leader in scoring, tallying 138 points (17.3 ppg). She is also tied for second in three-point field goals per game, averaging 2.4, with 19 recorded.

Next Up
UMass continues the home stretch when it welcomes UMass Lowell to the Mullins Center on Sunday, December 5, for a 12 p.m. contest. The game will be streamed on NESN+.

Scoreboard