Women's Basketball Hits The Road For A Wednesday Matinee At Hartford

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 14	Massachusetts (11-2) at Hartford (0-10)
Date // Time	Wednesday, December 22 // 12 p.m.
Location	West Hartford, Conn. // Chase Arena
Watch	ESPN+
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	LiveStats
Game Notes	Massachusetts // Hartford
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 improved to 11-2 on the season after defeating Vermont at the Mullins Center, 68-63, on Sunday afternoon.

Sydney Taylor led the team with 19 points. Angelique Ngalakulondi (17 pts, 11 rebs) and Sam Breen (12 pts, 12 rebs) recorded a double-double each, while Ngalakulondi also regsitered a pair of blocks. Ber'Nyah Mayo totaled 10 points, as her and Taylor knocked down two three-pointers apiece. Destiney Philoxy tallied six assists in the victory.

All-Time Series vs. Hartford
The Minutewomen and Hawks are meeting for the 17th time, as UMass leads the all-time series, 9-7, although Hartford leads the road series 4-3. The two teams first met on February 16, 1985, in Amherst. UMass knocked off the No. 13-ranked Hawks, 66-35. The programs' last meeting was on November 17, 2019, when the Minutewomen defeated Hartford, 74-48, at the Mullins Center.

Shaking Up the Record Book
UMass is out to one of its best starts of the season since the 1976-77 season, when the Minutewomen were 11-2 through the first 13 games. It is only the third time in the program the Minutewomen have had that starting record (1968-69; 1976-77).

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 73.7 points per game (958 pts). The team also is second in the scoring margin with 10.8 per game.

With a 42.4 field goal percentage (353-of-832), UMass sits in third, while ranking first in rebounding offense (44.3 rpg), tallying 15.8 offensive rebounds per game. The team sits in second in the nation in total rebounds with 576 and sits in 18th in rebounds per game.

Sam Breen currently ranks second in the conference in scoring with a 17.5 ppg (228 pts), and is first in rebounds with 11.2 per game, 145 boards total. In the nation, she ranks fourth in rebounds and is tied for second with eight double-doubles this season, while tying for ninth in defensive rebounds per game (8.0; 104 total). Breen is also ranked in field goal attempts (2nd; 216), FGs made (T-7th; 92), final points (11th; 228) and rebounds per game (13th; 11.2).

Sydney Taylor sits in fourth in the A-10 with 2.5 three-point FGs per game. In the nation, Taylor is tied for 18th in FG attempts (183), tied for second 3FGs attempted (104) and tied for 17th in 3FGs made (32).

Angelique Ngalakulondi is 55-for-89 from the field, placing first in the A-10 with a 61.8 percentage. Destiney Philoxy has aided her teammates, averaging 5.2 assists per game (67 total), to sit in third in the league.

Walking the [Mile]Stone Path
Sam Breen and Destiney Philoxy each eclipsed their 1,000th career point on Dec. 8, 2021. They became the 21st and 22nd Minutewomen to achieve the feat, while becoming the third pair in progam history to earn it in the same season, and first since 2006-07. The duo may also be the first to reach the milestone in the same game in NCAA history. Breen is now 21st in career points, while Philoxy sits 22nd in career points in program history.

In addition to reaching the career milestone, Breen is approaching 1,000 points in the Massachusetts uniform. Her UMass point total sits at 998, needing only two more to achieve the mark. Philoxy hit 400-plus career assists on Dec. 11, 2021. She is now etched in fourth in the career records all-time, surpassing Leah McDerment (368; 2014-18)

Head Coach Tory Verdi is 12 wins away from achieving his 100th victory at the helm of Massachusetts. His current record with the Minutewomen stands at 88-74.

Breen, the Double-Double Machine
Sam Breen has collected eight double-doubles on the season for UMass, moving her career total to 31. She tallied double-doubles against Harvard, Iona, Holy Cross, versus Kent State, against No. 13 Iowa State, Fairfield, UMass Lowell and Vermont, so far this season. Her eight double-doubles in 13 games have helped the graduate student tie for second in the nation. Breen recorded four consecutive double-doubles from Nov. 27 through Dec. 5.

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 was during the 2017-18 season, when three players did so.

Ngalakulondi's Glass
Angelique Ngalakulondi was absolutely dominant on the offensive glass last season. Overall, the now junior avergaed 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, including going off for a career-high 19 points and nin rebounds vs. VCU (3/14/21). 34 of Ngalakulondi's 56 boards came at the offensive end in the 2020-21 season.

Ngalakulondi has averaged 7.6 rebounds per game for the Minutewomen in the 2021-22 season, coming down with a career best 14 at Columbia. The Junior is second in the Atlantic 10 with 61 offensive rebounds in total, while ranking seventh in the nation with a 4.7 offensive rpg average.

Next Up
UMass travels to Hanover, N.H., on Tuesday, December 28, to take on Dartmouth at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

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