University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Davidson
Women's Basketball Heads To Davidson On Sunday
February 19, 2022 | Women's Basketball
The Minutewomen and Wildcats tip off at noon on CBS Sports.
| University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information | |
| Game 27 | Massachusetts (21-5, 9-3 Atlantic 10) at Davidson (13-12, 4-9 Atlantic 10) |
| Date // Time | Sunday, February 20Â // 12Â p.m. |
| Location | Davidson, N.C. // John M. Belk Arena |
| Watch | CBS Sports Network |
| Live Statistics | LiveStats |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts // Davidson |
| Spectator Policies | Davidson's COVID-19 Policies |
| Social Media | Facebook:Â UMass Women's Basketball Twitter:Â @UMassWBBÂ //Â @CoachVerdiUMass Instagram:Â @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
Davidson College athletics will require spectators, ages 5 and older, to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Those 12 and older must be fully vaccinated, while children between ages 5-11 will be required to provide proof of at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. All spectators must wear a mask in all indoor venues. For more information, click here.
Last Time Out
University of Massachusetts broke the record for the most wins in a singles season after erasing a 15-point deficit to win 60-57 over Fordham on Wednesday night. The Minutewomen improved to 21-5 overall and 9-3 in the Atlantic 10 conference. The win put UMass at a six-game win streak, which is currently the longest streak in the league.Â
Sam Breen (21 pts., 14 rebs.) and Destiney Philoxy (12 pts., 10 rebs.) led the effort by each recording a double-double, marking the 16th of the season for Breen (39th of her career) and second for Philoxy. Philoxy also added a game-high six assists, while Ber'Nyah Mayo swiped the ball away from Fordham a team best three times. The team outrebounded the Rams, 51-34.
All-Time Series vs. Davidson
The Minutewomen and the Wildcats are meeting for the 12th time, with UMass leading the all-time seris, 8-3, including 4-1 at Davidson. The two program's first met on Feb. 18, 2015, in Amherst, as UMass came with the 60-49 victory. The last meeting between UMass and Davidson took place on January 8, 2021, where Massachusetts topped the Wildcats, 82-61.
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.Â
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 21-5, surpassing the most wins in program history with the 1995-96 and 2019-20 seasons, which saw 20. 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 first in the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring offensively, averaging 72.2 points per game (1,878 pts), with Richmond following close behind, averaging 71.1 ppg (1,849 total). The team also is third in the scoring margin with 11.7 per game.
With a 43.6 field goal percentage (716-of-1,651), UMass sits in third, while ranking second in combined team rebounds (41.9 rpg), tallying 14.5 offensive rebounds per game (1st; 376 total). They are also first in rebounding margin with 9.7. The team is 13th in the nation in total rebounds (1,090) and 11th in rebound margin (9.7), being one of two A-10 teams in the top-25 of the category (URI - 15th).
Sam Breen currently ranks fourth in the conference in scoring with a 16.4 ppg (427 pts), and is second in rebounds with 10.7 per game, placing first in total boards with 278. In the nation, she is 11th in rebounds and tied for 10th with 16 double-doubles this season. Breen also is ranked in field goal attempts (11th; 427), field goals made (T-21st; 176) and rebounds per game (24th; 10.7).
Sydney Taylor sits in eighth in scoring (15.4 ppg, 401 pts) in the A-10 and is second with 2.5 three-point FGs per game. In the nation, Taylor is 11th in 3FGs attempted (188) and tied for 18th in 3FGs made (65).
Angelique Ngalakulondi is 95-for-157 from the field, placing first in the A-10 with a 60.5 percentage. She is also tied for second in total offensive rebounds with teammate Breen (89) and tied for third in offensive rebounds per game with a 3.4 average. Destiney Philoxy has aided her teammates, averaging 5.8 assists per game (150 total), to sit in first in the league, while tying for 10th in the nation with her total dimes and 13th in assist per game. Ber'Nyah Mayo is second in the league with 63 steals (2.4 per game) and tied for 25th in the nation with her total swipes.
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 12th in career points (1,241), while Philoxy is now 13th in career points (1,191) in program history, passing Tamara Tatham on the list (1,186; 2003-07).
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 13th on the career points scored list (1,197). The graduate student has also collected 755 career rebounds, so far, to tie for seventh in all-time career records with Tamara Tatham (755; 2003-07). Philoxy hit 400-plus career assists on Dec. 11, 2021. She is now etched in fourth in the career records all-time with 491, so far, surpassing Leah McDerment (368 - 2014-18). She is nine assists away from reaching 500 in her career, and will be only the fourth Minutewomen to achieve 500-plus dimes. Philoxy also played in her 100th career game on Jan. 22 at George Washington.
Head Coach Tory Verdi is four wins away from achieving his 100th victory at the helm of Massachusetts. His current record with the Minutewomen stands at 96-77.
Breen, the Double-Double Machine
Sam Breen has collected 16 double-doubles on the season for UMass, moving her career total to 39. She tallied double-doubles against Harvard, Iona, Holy Cross, versus Kent State, against No. 13 Iowa State, Fairfield, UMass Lowell, Vermont at Richmond, at Rhode Island, vs. Dayton, at George Washington, at Saint Joseph's, at St. Bonaventure, vs. George Mason and against Fordham, so far this season. Her 16 double-doubles in 26 games have helped the graduate student tie for 10th in the nation. The graduate student recorded four consecutive double-doubles from Nov. 27 through Dec. 5, and again from Jan. 15 through Jan. 22. She is currently the only A-10 player to have as many double-doubles and be in the top-50 in the nation.
Breen owned a league-leading 15 double-doubles last season and 23 in her career, including 14 such performances in the last 19 games of 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.
Queen[s] of the Assist (well, almost)
Senior Destiney Philoxy has established herself among the top ball distributors in the country, as she averaged 6.5 assists per game last year. That ranked 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 150 assists (5.8 assists/game), and is tied for 10th in the nation. The senior has had three contests, so far this season, with 10-plus assists.
Next Up
UMass hosts VCU on Wednesday, February 23, for its final game of the regular season at the Mullins Center. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
