Women's Basketball Visits Saint Joseph's For Saturday Afternoon Showdown

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 21	Massachusetts (15-5, 3-3 Atlantic 10) at Saint Joseph's (6-11, 2-3 Atlantic 10)
Date // Time	Saturday, January 29 // 2 p.m.
Location	Philadelphia, Pa. // Hagan Arena
Watch	ESPN+
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	LiveStats
Game Notes	Massachusetts // Saint Joseph's
Spectator Policies	Saint Joseph's 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
All fans five (5) years old and older will be required to show proof of vaccination to enter Hagan Arena for men's and women's basketball games. Negative tests will no longer be accepted for entrance into Hagan Arena, and all fans must provide proof of vaccination or exemption in order to attend an event. Additionally, all fans are required to wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth at all times inside Hagan Arena, except when removing intermittently for eating and drinking. For more information, click here.

Last Time Out
University of Massachusetts moved to 15-5 overall, including 3-3 in the Atlantic 10, after falling 60-46 to Rhode Island at the Mullins Center on Wednesday night.

Ber'Nyah Mayo sat atop the leaderboard for the Minutewomen with 14 points and Makennah White followed with 12 of her own. Mayo and Sam Breen led the team with six boards each on the night. Breen came away with a team-high two blocks, while Mayo registered a team best five assists and two steals. Angelique Ngalakulondi also had two swipes of her own.

All-Time Series vs. Saint Joseph's
The Minutewomen and the Hawks are meeting for the 65th time, with Saint Joseph's holding the all-time series record at 51-13, including the road series, 24-4. The two program's on Dec. 22, 1977 at the Central Connecticut Tournamnet in New Britain, Conn., where the No. 8 Hawks defeated UMass, 88-68. The last meeting between Massachusetts and Saint Joseph's was in the second round of the A-10 Championship last season. The Minutewomen knocked off the Hawks, 79-69, in overtime.

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.

On Jan. 11, Massachusetts received three votes and last week (Jan. 18), the Minutewomen received seven in the USA Today's Sports WBCA poll.

Shaking Up the Record Book
Along with becoming the first team in program history to have the best start to a season since the enactment of Title IX and the recognition of women's sports by the NCAA, UMass has one of the best starting records to a season in all of program history at 15-5, surpassing with the 2019-20 season through 20 games (14-6). The Minutewomen tied the 1968-69 season (only a 15 game season) for one of the best starting records to season (13-2) with their win over VCU on Jan. 12, 2022.

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 second in the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring offensively, averaging 71.1 points per game (1,421 pts), with Richmond ahead in total points by 19, averaging a 72.0 ppg. The team also is third in the scoring margin with 9.8 per game.

With a 42.4 field goal percentage (529-of-1,248), UMass sits in third, while ranking third in combined team rebounds (41.4 rpg), tallying 14.3 offensive rebounds per game (1st; 285 total). They are also second in rebounding margin with 8.5. The team is 10th in the nation in total rebounds (828) and is 22nd in rebound margin (8.5).

Sam Breen currently ranks fifth in the conference in scoring with a 16.8 ppg (336 pts), and is second in rebounds with 11.0 per game, 220 boards total. In the nation, she is fifth in rebounds and tied for seventh with 12 double-doubles this season, while ranking 18th in defensive rebounds per game (7.7; 154 total). Breen also is ranked in field goal attempts (8th; 328), field goals made (21st; 135) and rebounds per game (T-18th; 11.0).

Sydney Taylor sits in 10th in scoring (15.1 ppg, 301 pts) in the A-10 and is fourth with 2.4 three-point FGs per game. In the nation, Taylor is ranked 15th in 3FGs attempted (145) and tied for 28th in 3FGs made (47).

Angelique Ngalakulondi is 73-for-123 from the field, placing first in the A-10 with a 59.3 percentage. She is also second in total offensive rebounds (78) and in offensive rebounds per game with a 3.9 average. In the nation, Ngalakulondi ranks 21st in the offensive rpg category. Destiney Philoxy has aided her teammates, averaging 5.3 assists per game (105 total), to sit in first in the league, while placing 16th 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 program 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 14th in career points (1,150), while Philoxy is now 18th in career points (1,107) 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 18th on the career points scored list. The graduate student has also collected 697 career rebounds, so far, to place ninth in all-time career records, surpassing Kate Mills (679; 2004-08). Philoxy hit 400-plus career assists on Dec. 11, 2021. She is now etched in fourth in the career records all-time with 442, so far, surpassing Leah McDerment (368 - 2014-18). Philoxy also played in her 100th career game on Jan. 22 at George Washington.

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 90-77.

Ngalakulondi's Glass
Angelique Ngalakulondi was absolutely dominant on the offensive glass last season. Overall, the now junior averaged 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, including going off for a career-high 19 points and nine 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 6.6 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 78 offensive rebounds in total, while ranking 21st in the nation with a 3.9 offensive rpg average.

Queen[s] of the Assist (well, almost)
Senior Destiney Philoxy has established herself among the top ball distributors in the country, averaging 6.5 assists per game last year. That ranks tied for fifth in the country, with Syracuse's Tiana Mangakahia (7.5 apg) in the national lead and Philoxy. In terms of total assists (156), Philoxy was No. 8 in Division I last season.

The Queens, N.Y. native set up a career-high 11 buckets in the Davidson win on Jan. 8, 2021, and became the first UMass player since Megan Zullo (2010-11) to have multiple games in the same season with 10-plus assists–the other being on Jan. 3 at La Salle (10). She recorded eight-plus dimes in eight games last season.

Philoxy continued to add her to her total, contributing a team-leading 10 assists in the 2021-22 season-opener on Nov. 9, and tying her career high of 11 on Dec. 22 at Hartford. She sits in first in the league currently with 105 assists (5.3 assists/game), and is 16th in the nation.

Next Up
UMass travels to Hanover, N.H. for a non-conference matchup at Dartmouth on February 1, at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

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