Women's Basketball Welcomes Saint Louis To Mullins Center For Saturday Matinee

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 22	Massachusetts (16-5, 4-3 Atlantic 10) vs. Saint Louis (6-12, 2-4 Atlantic 10)
Date // Time	Saturday, February 5 // 12 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center
Watch	NESN
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	LiveStats
Game Notes	Massachusetts // Saint Louis
Spectator Policies	2021-22 In-Arena 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
For the most updated in-arena policies for the Mullins Center, please visit here.

Last Time Out
University of Massachusetts improved to 16-5 overall, including 4-3 in the Atlantic 10, with a 74-48 victory on the road over Saint Joseph's last Saturday.

Sam Breen, Sydney Taylor and Destiney Philoxy led the Minutewomen in its victory with 18, 17, and 13 points, respectively. Breen earned her 13th double-double of the year, and 36th of her career, after coming down with 10 rebounds, as well. Philoxy recorded a game-high eight assists, while Breen and Ber'Nyah Mayo had three steals apiece.

All-Time Series vs. Saint Louis
The Minutewomen and the Billikens are meeting for the 22nd time, with Saint Louis holding the all-time series record at 6-15, while UMass and Saint Louis are tied 3-3 in the series at Amherst. The two program's first met on Feb. 23, 2006, when the Billikens won, 61-57. The last meeting between Massachusetts and Saint Louis was in the semifinals of the A-10 Championship last season. The Minutewomen knocked off the Billikens, 90-81, on March 13.

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 16-5, surpassing with the 2019-20 season through 21 games (16-6). 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 71.2 points per game (1,495 pts), with Richmond ahead, averaging 71.3 ppg. The team also is third in the scoring margin with 10.5 per game.

With a 42.5 field goal percentage (559-of-1,316), UMass sits in third, while ranking third in combined team rebounds (41.6 rpg), tallying 14.5 offensive rebounds per game (1st; 305 total). They are also first in rebounding margin with 9.0. The team is 18th in the nation in total rebounds (874) and is 15th in rebound margin (9.0).

Sam Breen currently ranks fifth in the conference in scoring with a 16.9 ppg (354 pts), and is second in rebounds with 11.0 per game, 230 boards total. In the nation, she is eighth in rebounds and tied for ninth with 13 double-doubles this season, while ranking 25th in defensive rebounds per game (7.6; 159 total). Breen also is ranked in field goal attempts (12th; 347), field goals made (26th; 144) and rebounds per game (19th; 11.0).

Sydney Taylor sits in ninth in scoring (15.1 ppg, 318 pts) in the A-10 and is fourth with 2.4 three-point FGs per game. In the nation, Taylor is tied for 14th in 3FGs attempted (153).

Angelique Ngalakulondi is 75-for-129 from the field, placing first in the A-10 with a 58.1 percentage. She is also second in total offensive rebounds (81) and in offensive rebounds per game with a 3.9 average. In the nation, Ngalakulondi is tied for 21st in the offensive rpg category. Destiney Philoxy has aided her teammates, averaging 5.4 assists per game (113 total), to sit in first in the league, while tying for 18th 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 13th in career points (1,168), while Philoxy is now 18th in career points (1,120) 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 707 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 454, 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 nine wins away from achieving his 100th victory at the helm of Massachusetts. His current record with the Minutewomen stands at 91-77.

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 6.4 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 81 offensive rebounds in total, while tying for 21st in the nation with a 3.9 offensive rpg average.

Breen, the Double-Double Machine
Sam Breen has collected 13 double-doubles on the season for UMass, moving her career total to 36. 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 and at Saint Joseph's, so far this season. Her 13 double-doubles in 21 games have helped the graduate student tie for ninth in the nation. The graduate student recorded four consecutive double-doubles from Nov. 27 through Dec. 5.

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.

Next Up
UMass hit the road on Wednesday, February 9, for a 7 p.m. contest at St. Bonaventure, in Olean, N.Y. The matchup will be aired on ESPN+.

Scoreboard