Women's Basketball Hits The Road For Wednesday Night Tilt At Fordham

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 18	Massachusetts (13-4, 3-1 A-10) at Fordham (12-6, 4-1 A-10)
Date // Time	Wednesday, Jan. 18 // 7 p.m.
Location	Bronx, N.Y. // Rose Hill Gym
Watch	ESPN+
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	LiveStats
Game Notes	Massachusetts \| Fordham
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
UMass enters Wednesday's contest with an 13-4 overall record, including 3-1 in the A-10, after handing Saint Joseph's its first Atlantic 10 Conference loss, edging out the Hawks, 58-56, in a fourth quarter battle.

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.

All-Time Series vs. Fordham
The Minutewomen and the Rams will meet for the 48th time in program history, with UMass holding a 25-22 advantage in the all-time series. The two teams first met on Feb. 29, 1980 at the EAIAW Tournament, when Fordham knocked off Massachusetts, 81-63. UMass and Fordham met last season in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals on March 4. The Minutewomen found a rhythm in the fourth quarter to push past the Rams, 66-63 to advance to the Semifinals.

Seeing Double (And Triple) Double

Sam Breen - 49 Double-Doubles* | 1 Triple-Double (* total includes at Penn State)

2022-23: 9 | 1 (Triple-Double)
2021-22: 17
2020-21: 15
2019-20: 8

Angelique Ngalakulondi - 7

2022-23: 2
2021-22: 5

Destiney Philoxy - 4

2022-23: 1
2021-22: 2
2020-21: 1

Makennah White - 3

2022-23: 1
2021-22: 1
2020-21: 1

Ber'Nyah Mayo - 2

2021-22: 2

Laila Fair - 1

2021-22: 1* (* at Saint Joseph's)

Statistically Speaking
The Minutewomen currently sit in first the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring offensively, averaging 75.4 points per game (1,281 pts), while placing fifth in defensive scoring with a 63.2 average (1,074 pts). The team is second with a 12.2 scoring margin. The team ranks 42nd in the nation with its scoring offense.

UMass ranks third in combined team rebounds (40.6 rpg), tallying 13.5 offensive rebounds per game (T-2nd; 229 total). The Minutewomen are second with a 5.0 rebounding margin.

Sam Breen is second in the conference in scoring with 17.7 ppg (301 pts), behind Fordham's Asiah DIngle, and tied for first in rebounds with 9.8 per game (166 total). In the nation, she is 27th in rebounds and tied for 16th with nine double-doubles this season. She is also tied for second with one triple-double.

Sydney Taylor sits sixth in scoring (15.7 ppg, 251 pts) in the A-10 and tied for first with 2.9 3FGs per game. Taylor is tied for 21st in the nation with her 3FGs per game and tied for 27th with her three-pointers made (46 total).

Angelique Ngalakulondi averaged 3.6 offensive rebounds per game (57 total), so far, this season, to tie for third in the A-10.

Destiney Philoxy continues to aid her teammates, dishing out 83 dimes, averaging 4.9 assists per game, placing third, currently, in the league. Philoxy tied for 36th in the nation with her total assists, while sitting tied for 38th 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 (1,686), passing Kate Mills (1,525; 2004-08), while Philoxy is now 10th in career points (1,436) in program history, passing Julie Ready on the list (1,406; 1977-81). 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 15th on the list with 1,184 points, passing Nekole Smith (1,165; 1998-03).

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 fifth on the career points scored list (1,642). The graduate student has also collected 975 total career rebounds, so far, to place third in all-time career records, passing Octavia Thomas (903; 1992-96) on the list. With the Minutewomen, Breen has totaled 922 boards, good enough for third on the list. Philoxy hit 400-plus career assists on Dec. 11, 2021 and 500-plus career assists on Feb. 26, 2022. She is in the career records all-time with 611, 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 with Mitchell, Christel Zullo (1985-89) and Kathy Coyner (1997-01), and the only player in program history to reach 600-plus dimes. 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 131 contests, so far, passing Hailey Leidel (123; 2016-20) and on the career steals list, ranking fifth with 191, passing Tamara Tatham (190; 2003-07), 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 eighth with 177 and Breen is tied for 12th with 169.

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 114-83.

Double Figures Reached
Sam Breen recorded 14 double figures contests, while Sydney Taylor had 10-plus point games for the 13th time this season, including Taylor scoring 20-plus points in four consecutive games. Destiney Philoxy has 12 games in double digits, while Ber'Nyah Mayo also reached double figures in 12 of the 17 contests this season. Makennah White has seven double figure games and Angelique Ngalakulondi has four on the year.

Next Up
Massachusetts heads to Dayton, Ohio, to battle Dayton, for an A-10 Championship rematch. Tipoff is slated for 12 p.m. on ESPNU.

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