Minutewomen Await Villanova in WNIT Round One

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
WNIT • Tournament Central • Printable Bracket
Game 22	Massachusetts (14-7) vs. Villanova (15-6)
Date // Time	Friday, March 19 // 8 p.m.
Location	Charlotte, N.C. // Bojangles Coliseum Tickets are unavailable for the general public
Streaming	FloHoops $29.99 / month OR $150 / year; cancel anytime
Live Statistics	SIDEARM Stats
Game Notes	Massachusetts // Villanova
Social Media	Facebook: UMass Women's Basketball Twitter: @UMassWBB // @CoachVerdiUMass Instagram: @UMassWBB

THE OPENING TIP: THE MASSACHUSETTS-VILLANOVA PREVIEW

• For the first time since 1998, Massachusetts is in the national postseason as the Minutewomen have received an at-large bid to the WNIT. The squad was placed in the Charlotte Regional and opens tournament competition on Friday, March 19 against Villanova, with opening tip at 8 p.m. from Bojangles Coliseum. It's the fourth time in program history that UMass is in the postseason, (1995 NWIT, '96 NCAA Tournament, '98 NCAA Tournament).

• On Saturday, UMass will face either Charlotte or Florida in the consolation (2 p.m.) or championship (8 p.m.).

• The entirety of the 2021 WNIT will be streamed on FloHoops, with Friday's contest called by Jake Hromada.

• The Minutewomen last played against Villanova on Nov. 22, 2009, taking a 55-47 victory at the Mullins Center in Amherst. This is the second meeting this season with a BIG EAST foe, as Massachusetts won a thriller against St. John's back on Dec. 13, escaping with the 63-61 victory on a Sam Breen buzzer-beater that ended up the No. 4 play on SportsCenter Top 10 that night.

• UMass comes into the WNIT after an improbable run to the Atlantic 10 Championship Final on March 14, despite having just seven active players. Coming up short against VCU, 81-69, the seventh-seeded Minutewomen were the lowest seed to play for an A-10 title since 2017 when Duquense, also a No. 7 seed, reached the championship game.

• The Minutewomen were playing their fourth game in four days on March 14. UMass opened the Atlantic 10 Tournament on March 11 with a 79-69 overtime thriller over Saint Joseph's, led by a game-high 21 points from Sydney Taylor as four Minutewomen finished in double figures.

• UMass followed up that performance with an upset of No. 2 seed Fordham on March 12 in the Quarterfinals by an 80-70 score. Taylor tied a career-high with 27 points on 8-of-14 from the field, adding six rebounds.

• In the March 13 Semifinal, Sam Breen and Destiney Philoxy scored 28 points apiece as UMass took down another higher seed in No. 3 Saint Louis, 90-81. Breen eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the sixth time this season and recorded her seventh straight double-double, and 15th of the 2020-21 campaign as she added a team-high 10 boards. Ber'Nyah Mayo also reached double-figures for the Minutewomen with 13 points and a team-high four assists.

• The final was a breakout game for Angelique Ngalakulondi, one of several Minutewomen with performances that UMass fans will remember for a long, long time. Ngalakulondi finished with a career-high 19 points and nine rebounds off the bench, eclipsing her previous career-high scoring (11) before halftime. She was absolutely dominant on the offensive glass, securing seven of her nine boards there and directly leading to 10 Massachusetts points.

• Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team honorees included Breen, Philoxy and Taylor. Prior to the A-10 Championship, Breen was named to both the All-Conference First Team and All-Academic Team, while Philoxy was placed on the All-Conference Second Team.

#Savage7 x #Flagship ?? pic.twitter.com/R6ySjo0Niu
— UMass Women's Basketball (@UMassWBB) March 16, 2021

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Players Mentioned

Sam Breen

Ber'Nyah Mayo

Angelique Ngalakulondi

Destiney Philoxy

Sydney Taylor

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