Women's Basketball Begins Five-Game Homestand With Saturday Matinee Against Columbia

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 11	Massachusetts (8-2) vs. Columbia (8-2)
Date // Time	Saturday, Dec. 10 // 12 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center
Watch	NESN/ESPN+
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	LiveStats
Game Notes	Massachusetts // Columbia
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.

Last Time Out
The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team split the weekend at the Briann January Classic, hosted by Arizona State, dominating ASU 88-64 last Friday, before falling to Missouri on Saturday, 71-66.

The win over the Sun Devils marked the program's first over a Power Five opponent since November 28, when UMass defeated Colorado on the road, 70-62. Angelique Ngalakulondi led the way with a career- and game-high 21 points, followed by Breen with 16 points and a game best 11 rebounds for her 45th double-double of her career. Destiney Philoxy and Sydney Taylor also reached double figures, tallying 13 apiece. Ber'Nyah Mayo dished out a career and game best 10 assists, while Taylor had a career-high nine dimes. Kristin Williams scored a career best six points on the night and Laila Fair matched her career best in blocks with three. Fair was also one board shy of matching her career-high, registering 10.

Against Missouri, Philoxy became the program's all-time leader in both career games played with 124 and career assists, breaking the record after garnering her 579th assist. Breen led the Minutewomen in points with 19, with Philoxy following close behind with 18. Ngalakulondi registered a team-high 10 rebounds, as Breen came down with seven boards. Philoxy dished out a team best six dimes, bringing her career total to 584. Breen also matched a career-high in steals with four.

All-Time Series vs. Columbia
Massachusetts and Columbia will only meet for the second time in history, with the first meeting being last season, when the Minutewomen took down the Lions 87-75 on the road. It will be the first meeting for the teams in Amherst.

In the Latest Polls...

USA TODAY/WCBA Coaches Poll

Oct. 26 - 1 vote; Nov. 15 - 2 votes; Nov. 22 - 5 votes; Nov. 29 - 4 votes; Dec. 6 - 4 votes

AP Top 25 Poll

Nov. 28 - 2 votes

Home Court Advantage
The Minutewomen are currently on an eight-game win streak at home, dating back to Feb. 5, 2022. It is the program's third longest streak in Amherst in the Atlantic 10 era. The longest streak dated from Feb. 18, 1995 to Feb. 27, 1996, with 15 total games, with the second longest being a 10-game win streak from Jan. 19, 2006 to Dec. 13, 2006.

Statistically Speaking
The Minutewomen currently sit in first the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring offensively, averaging 77.3 points per game (773 pts), while tying for fourth in defensive scoring with a 65.8 average (658 pts). The team is also third with an 11.5 scoring margin. The team ranks 40th in the nation with its scoring offense.

UMass ranks second in combined team rebounds (42.9 rpg), tallying 14.7 offensive rebounds per game (1st; 147 total), good for 48th in the nation. The Minutewomen are tied for second with a 4.5 rebounding margin.

Sam Breen is second in the conference in scoring with 18.2 ppg (182 pts), and third in rebounds with 9.4 per game, placing first in total boards with 94 and placing second in offensive rebounds (34), behind fellow teammate Angelique Ngalakulondi. In the nation, she sits in 11th in rebounds and tied for ninth with five double-doubles this season.

Sydney Taylor sits third in scoring (18.0 ppg, 162pts) in the A-10 and first with 3.2 3FGs per game. Taylor is tied for 12th in the nation with her 3FGs per game and tied for third with her three-pointers made (29 total).

Angelique Ngalakulondi averaged 4.7 offensive rebounds per game (42 total), so far, this season, to sit in first in the A-10. She is eighth with her offensive rebounds per game in the NCAA.

Destiney Philoxy continues to aid her teammates, dishing out 53 dimes, averaging 5.3 assists per game, placing second, currently, in the league. Philoxy sits tied for 11th in the nation with her total assists, while sitting 29th with her average.

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 fifth in career points (1,567), passing Kate Mills (1,525; 2004-08), while Philoxy is now 12th in career points (1,363) in program history, passing Jasmine Watson on the list (1,291; 2009-13). Sydney Taylor became the 23rd Minutewomen to join the 1,000-point club after garnering her 1,000th career point on Nov. 22, 2022. She currently sits 21st on the list with 1,095 points, surpassing Alison MacFarland (1,060; 1996-00).

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 be in sixth on the career points scored list (1,523). The graduate student has also collected 850 career rebounds with the Minutewomen, so far, to place fourth in all-time career records, passing Maggie Mulligan (838; 2014-18) on the list. Philoxy hit 400-plus career assists on Dec. 11, 2021 and 500-plus career assists on Feb. 26, 2022. She is now second in the career records all-time with 581, claiming the top spot in the category, passing Sabriya Mitchell (578; 1994-98). She is only the fourth Minutewomen to achieve 500-plus dimes, along wiht Mitchell, Christel Zullo (1985-89) and Kathy Coyner (1997-01). Philoxy also played in her 100th career game on Jan. 22 at George Washington, while Breen reached her 100th career game played in the A-10 Quarterfinals vs. Fordham (March 4).

Philoxy has also put her name on the career games played list, playing 124 contests, so far, passing Hailey Leidel (123; 2016-20) and on the career steals list, ranking seventh with 180, also passing Leidel, so far, in her career. Fellow teammates Ber'Nyah Mayo and Sam Breen are etched on the career steals list in the record book, as Mayo sits tied for 12th with Rebecca Kucks (153;1982-86), while Breen is 14th, with 142, passing Pam Rosanio (130; 2004-08).

Head Coach Tory Verdi achieved his 100th victory at the helm of Massachusetts in the 76-58 win over Saint Joseph's in the A-10 Semifinals on March 5. His current record with the Minutewomen stands at 108-81.

Double Figures Reached
Destiney Philoxy and Sam Breen recorded eight 10-plus point contests, whiel Sydney Taylor acheived double figures for the seventh time this season, including scoring 20-plus points in four consectuive games. Ber'Nyah Mayo also reached double figures in six of the 10 contests this season. Angelique Ngalakulondi totaled four, while Makennah White has registered three contests reaching double figures on the year.

Next Up
Massachusetts will take an 11-day break before returning to the hardwood for a 2 p.m. matchup against Saint Peter's on Wednesday, December 21, on NESN/ESPN+.

Scoreboard