Women's Basketball Closes Out Virginia Trip At Richmond On Saturday

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 16	Massachusetts (13-2) at Richmond (11-5)
Date // Time	Saturday, January 15 // 4 p.m.
Location	Richmond, Va. // Robins Center
Watch	ESPN+
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	LiveStats
Game Notes	Massachusetts // Richmond
Spectator Policies	Richmond Athletics' COVID-19 Policies
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.

COVID-19 Protocols
The University of Richmond continues to monitor conditions closely, adjusting COVID-19 protocols as needed to maintain the health and safety of our campus community. In alignment with national, state, local and University COVID-19 protocols, Richmond athletics has adopted the following fan requirements as we start the season. All fans are required to wear masks while inside the Robins Center (including restrooms) unless actively eating or drinking, regardless of vaccination status. For more information, click here.

Last Time Out
University of Massachusetts improved to an overall record of 13-2 and an Atlantic 10 conference record of 1-0 after defeating VCU, 72-60, on Wednesday night at the Siegel Center.

Sydney Taylor had an impressive 32-point game, marking a new career-high, while also tying her career best six three-pointers made. Destiney Philoxy and Ber'Nyah Mayo finished the game reaching double figure points with 13 and 11, respectively. Mayo shot 75.0 percent from behind the arc, while Philoxy totaled a team-high six assists. Sam Breen tallied a game-high nine rebounds in the win.

All-Time Series vs. Richmond
The Minutewomen and the Spiders are meeting for the 27th time, with Richmond leading the all-time series, 6-20, including the road series, 1-10. The two teams first met on December 28, 1998, prior to Richmond joining the Atlantic 10, where the Spiders won 84-70. The programs' last meteting was at a neutral site for the final regular season game before the A-10 Championship last season on February 28. UMass came away with a 70-65 victory on the day.

In the Latest Polls...
On January 4, the Minutewomen received one vote in the USA Today's Sports Women's Basketball Coaches Poll. It marks the first time UMass has received votes in a national poll since the 1994-95 season.

In this week's (Jan. 11) USA Today's Sports WBCA poll, Massachusetts received three votes.

Shaking Up the Record Book
UMass has now tied with the 1968-69 season for one of the best starting records of a season, when the Minutewomen were 13-2 in the only 15 game year. The team also became the first team in program history to have the best start to a season since the enactment of Title IC and the recognition of women's sports by the NCAA.

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 are first in the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring offensively, averaging 74.4 points per game (1,116 pts). The team als is second in the scoring margin with 13.2 per game.

With a 45.5 field goal percentage (423-of-930), UMass sits in second, while ranking first in rebounding offense (43.2 rpg), tallying 15.1 offensive rebounds per game, and first in rebounding defense with a 31.3 average. The team is tied for 9th in the nation in total rebounds (648) and is sixth in rebound margin (11.9).

Sam Breen currently ranks fourth in the conference in scoring with a 16.5 ppg (247 pts), and is second in rebounds wiht 10.8 per game, 162 boards total. In the nation, she is tied for 10th in rebounds and tied for 13th with eight double-doubles this season, while ranking 14th in defensive rebounds per game (7.7; 116 total). Breen also is ranked in field goal attempts (T-14th; 237) and rebounds per game (18th; 10.8)

Sydney Taylor sits in third in scoring (17.0 ppg, 255 pts) in the A-10 and is fourth with 2.7 three-point field goals per game. In the nation Taylor is tied for 10th in 3FGs attempts (120) and tied for 20th in 3FGs made (40).

Angelique Ngalakulondi is 63-for-102 from the field, placing first in the A-10 with a 61.8 percentage. She is also first in total offensive rebounds (66) and second in offensive rebounds per game with a 4.4 average. In the nation, Ngalakulondi ranks ninth in the offensive rebounds per game category. Destiney Philoxy has aided her teammates, averaging 5.6 assists per game (84 total), to sit first in the league, while tying for 13th in the nation with her total dimes.

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 20th in career points, while Philoxy sits 21st in career points in program history.

In addition to reaching the career milestone, Breen reached 1,000 points in the Massachusetts uniform on Dec. 22, 2021 at Hartford. With just her UMass career, Breen would sit in 21st on the career points scored list. 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 10 wins away from achieving his 100th victory at the helm of Massachusetts. His current record with the Minutewomen stands at 90-74.

"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 12 of 14 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, 16 in the win over Kent State, 19 at Columbia and 18 at Hartford. At VCU, the junior finished wiht a new career-hihg 32 points that led the way for the Minutewomen.

The Huntington Station, N.Y., native, is third in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, tallying 255 points (17.0 ppg). She also sits in fourth in three-point field goals per game, averaging 2.7, with 40 recorded. In the nation, Taylor is tied for 10th in 3FGs attempted (120) and tied for 20th with 40 3FGs made.

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 7.1 rebounds per game for the Minutewomen in the 2021-22 season, coming down wiht a career best 14 at Columbia. The junior is first in the Atlantic 10 with 66 offensive rebounds in total, while ranking ninth in the nation with a 4.4 offensive rebounds per game average.

Next Up
UMass heads to Kingston, R.I., to take on the Rhode Island Rams on Monday, January 17, at 6 p.m. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+.

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