University of Massachusets Athletics

Photo by: Chris Tucci - UMass Athletics
Women’s Basketball Edges Out Saint Joseph’s, 58-56, In Fourth Quarter Battle
January 14, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Minutewomen hand Hawks first A-10 loss of the season.
AMHERST, Mass. – After a close fourth quarter battle, the University of Massachusetts women's basketball edged out Saint Joseph's University, 58-56, on Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center. UMass improved to 13-4 on the year, including 3-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, while handing Saint Joseph's its first league loss of the season, as SJU fell to 14-3 overall and 4-1 in the A-10.
Ber'Nyah Mayo led the team with 19 points, followed by Sydney Taylor and Makennah White with 10 points each. Sam Breen finished with a game-high eight rebounds, while adding nine points on the day. Mayo and Destiney Philoxy both recorded a team best three assists apiece, as Breen and White totaled four steals, marking a career-high for White.
Massachusetts outshot Saint Joseph's in points in the paint (32-26), points off turnovers (15-7), second chance points (6-2), fast break points (18-4) and bench points (12-3), on the afternoon.
UMass got off to a 2-0 start, but Saint Joseph's hit a three-pointer to take the lead. A layup from Taylor put the Minutewomen ahead by one at 4-3. The Hawks began a 14-6 run that lasted seven minutes and 44 seconds, pushing ahead 17-10. Mayo got sent to the charity stripe with three seconds left in the first quarter, making both of her shots and closing the gap to five.
A small 5-0 run for Saint Joseph's extended its lead to 22-12 at the 8:12 mark. Massachusetts responded with an 11-1 run, bringing the game to a 23-23 draw with 4:26 remaining in the second quarter. Two good free throws gave SJU a 25-23 lead, but a Breen and-one knotted it up at 25 apiece, before sinking her shot to give UMass the go-ahead score. Saint Joseph's jumped ahead 30-27 with 1:17 left on the clock. With only five seconds on the clock in the first half, Philoxy knocked down a triple, heading into halftime with a 30-30 contest.
SJU went 8-0 in the opening two minutes of the third, leading 38-30 by the 7:51 mark. The two teams tallied four points apiece with 3:07 left on the clock, as the Hawks held on to a 42-34 advantage. A 12-5 run for the Minutewomen, which included back-to-back three-pointers from Taylor, helped close the gap to three at 47-44, in favor of Saint Joseph's, to close out the third quarter.
In the final frame, Massachusetts began a 7-2, with Mayo giving the Minutewomen the go-ahead basket at 51-49. A jumper from SJU knotted the game up at 51-51, but White answered back with a good jumper of her own to reclaim the lead, 53-51. Breen extended the lead with two shots from the charity stripe, before a layup and a triple put Saint Joseph's up by one at 56-55. UMass continued to fight as White's layup put the Minutewomen back on top, with a Philoxy free throw to seal the deal. With only two seconds left in the fourth, the Massachusetts defense fought hard for the rebounds as the Hawks took their final shots, holding off SJU to win 58-56.
Massachusetts will take a trip to New York, New York, to take on Fordham on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Ber'Nyah Mayo led the team with 19 points, followed by Sydney Taylor and Makennah White with 10 points each. Sam Breen finished with a game-high eight rebounds, while adding nine points on the day. Mayo and Destiney Philoxy both recorded a team best three assists apiece, as Breen and White totaled four steals, marking a career-high for White.
Massachusetts outshot Saint Joseph's in points in the paint (32-26), points off turnovers (15-7), second chance points (6-2), fast break points (18-4) and bench points (12-3), on the afternoon.
UMass got off to a 2-0 start, but Saint Joseph's hit a three-pointer to take the lead. A layup from Taylor put the Minutewomen ahead by one at 4-3. The Hawks began a 14-6 run that lasted seven minutes and 44 seconds, pushing ahead 17-10. Mayo got sent to the charity stripe with three seconds left in the first quarter, making both of her shots and closing the gap to five.
A small 5-0 run for Saint Joseph's extended its lead to 22-12 at the 8:12 mark. Massachusetts responded with an 11-1 run, bringing the game to a 23-23 draw with 4:26 remaining in the second quarter. Two good free throws gave SJU a 25-23 lead, but a Breen and-one knotted it up at 25 apiece, before sinking her shot to give UMass the go-ahead score. Saint Joseph's jumped ahead 30-27 with 1:17 left on the clock. With only five seconds on the clock in the first half, Philoxy knocked down a triple, heading into halftime with a 30-30 contest.
SJU went 8-0 in the opening two minutes of the third, leading 38-30 by the 7:51 mark. The two teams tallied four points apiece with 3:07 left on the clock, as the Hawks held on to a 42-34 advantage. A 12-5 run for the Minutewomen, which included back-to-back three-pointers from Taylor, helped close the gap to three at 47-44, in favor of Saint Joseph's, to close out the third quarter.
In the final frame, Massachusetts began a 7-2, with Mayo giving the Minutewomen the go-ahead basket at 51-49. A jumper from SJU knotted the game up at 51-51, but White answered back with a good jumper of her own to reclaim the lead, 53-51. Breen extended the lead with two shots from the charity stripe, before a layup and a triple put Saint Joseph's up by one at 56-55. UMass continued to fight as White's layup put the Minutewomen back on top, with a Philoxy free throw to seal the deal. With only two seconds left in the fourth, the Massachusetts defense fought hard for the rebounds as the Hawks took their final shots, holding off SJU to win 58-56.
Massachusetts will take a trip to New York, New York, to take on Fordham on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
Team Stats
SJU
UMass
FG%
.385
.386
3FG%
.316
.333
FT%
.714
.588
RB
36
34
TO
18
16
STL
4
13
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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