Final Regular Season Road Trip Brings Women's Basketball To Saint Louis

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 28	Massachusetts (23-4, 13-1 A-10) at Saint Louis (12-17, 8-6 A-10)
Date // Time	Wednesday, Feb. 22 // 8 p.m. / 7 p.m. CT
Location	Saint Louis, Mo. // Chaifetz Arena
Watch	ESPN+
Stream	ESPN+
Live Statistics	LiveStats
Game Notes	Massachusetts \| Saint Louis
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 a 23-4 overall record, including 13-1 in the A-10, after earning a new program-record 12 straight with a 78-64 win against Davidson on Sunday afternoon.

Sam Breen led the Minutewomen with her 15th double-double of the season, 55th of her career, with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Breen added four assists, two steals and two blocks on the day. Sydney Taylor, who competed in her 100th career game, followed close behind with 20 points of her own, while Ber'Nyah Mayo and Angelique Ngalakulondi collected 11 points apiece. Destiney Philoxy dished out a team-leading seven dimes and Ngalakulondi had a game-high three blocks.

All-Time Series vs. Saint Louis
The Minutewomen and the Billikens will meet for the 24th time in program history, as Saint Louis holds the advantage in the all-time series, 15-8, including the road record at 11-3. The two programs first met on February 23, 2006, with SLU edging UMass, 61-57. The two teams met for home-and-home series last season, with the Minutewomen winning both competitions.

Seeing Double (And Triple) Double

Sam Breen - 55 Double-Doubles* | 1 Triple-Double (* total includes at Penn State)

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

Angelique Ngalakulondi - 8

2022-23: 3
2021-22: 5

Destiney Philoxy - 4

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

Makennah White - 4

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

Ber'Nyah Mayo - 2

2021-22: 2

Sydney Taylor - 2

2022-23: 2

Laila Fair - 1

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

Shaking Up the Record Book
After a 26 win season last year, UMass is currently holding 23 wins, marking the first time the program has had 20-plus wins in back-to-back seasons. This season, the Minutewomen has the second least amount of overall losses (four), behind the inaugural year of 1968-69, which had two in its 15-game season. The team also holds the least amount of losses in the A-10 Conference in program history with only one, followed by three in the 1994-95 season and four last year.

Statistically Speaking
The Minutewomen currently sit in first the Atlantic 10 conference in scoring offensively, averaging 75.7 points per game (2,045 pts). The team is first with a 13.6 scoring margin. The team ranks 33rd in the nation with its scoring offense.

UMass ranks third in combined team rebounds (40.5 rpg), tallying 13.7 offensive rebounds per game (3rd; 370 total). The Minutewomen are second with a 5.9 rebounding margin.

Sam Breen is third in the conference in scoring with 17.5 ppg (472 pts), and is first in rebounds with 10.1 per game (272 total). In the nation, she is 16th in rebounds and tied for 12th with 15 double-doubles this season. She is also tied for third with one triple-double.

Sydney Taylor sits sixth in scoring (16.8 ppg, 436 pts) in the A-10 and is first with 3.2 3FGs per game. Taylor is sixth in the nation with her 3FGs per game and seventh with her three-pointers made (83 total).

Angelique Ngalakulondi averaged 3.2 offensive rebounds per game (83 total), so far, this season, to sit fifth in the A-10. Ber'Nyah Mayo sits in third in the league with 2.7 steals per game (73 total). Mayo is 22nd in the nation with her swipes per game and tied for 18th in total steals.

Destiney Philoxy continues to aid her teammates, dishing out 139 dimes, averaging 5.1 assists per game, placing second, currently, in the league. Philoxy is 25th 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 second in career points (1,857), passing Hailey Leidel (1,841; 1992-96), while Philoxy is now seventh in career points (1,514) in program history, passing Barbara Hebel on the list (1,498; 1982-86). 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 13th on the list with 1,369 points, passing Jasmine Watson (1,291; 2009-13).

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 tied for third on the career points scored list (1,813). The graduate student has also collected 1,081 total career rebounds, so far, to place second in all-time career records, passing Rashida Timbilla (1020; 2012-16) on the list. She collected her 1,000th career board at Dayton (1/22/23). With the Minutewomen, Breen has totaled 1,028 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 667, 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, 2022 at George Washington, while Breen reached her 100th career game played in the A-10 Quarterfinals vs. Fordham (March 4, 2022). Sydney Taylor competed in her 100th career game vs. Davidson (Feb. 19, 2023).

Philoxy has also put her name on the career games played list, playing 141 contests, so far, passing Hailey Leidel (123; 2016-20) and on the career steals list, ranking third with 202, passing Rashida Timbilla (198; 2012-16), so far, in her career, while fellow teammate Ber'Nyah Mayo is fourth in career steals with 201, passing Timbilla. Sam Breen etched her name on the career steals list in the record book, ranking ninth with 183.

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. At Massachusetts, Verdi coached his 200th game vs. VCU (Feb. 26, 20223). His current record with the Minutewomen stands at 124-83, while his career record sits at 199-151.

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UMass made program history on Feb. 19, 2023 as the squad defeated Davidson for its 12th consecutive victory, continuing past the previous record of 11-straight, which was tied this season with the 2019-20 season.

The 12-game winning streak, dating back from Jan. 7, 2023, is the longest by any team led by head coach Tory Verdi and second-longest by a team with Verdi on staff. Back in 2009-10, Verdi was an assistant on the Nebraska squad that started the season 30-0 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16.

All 12 straight victories this season have come in Atlantic 10 Conference play, being the first time the team has had as many straight wins in league competition.

The previous 11-game winning streak from Jan. 7, 2023 to Feb. 16, 2023, as well as the Nov. 29, 2019-Jan. 19, 2020 streak was the longest by any team with Verdi as head coach until recently.

Up Next
Massachusetts concludes its regular season at the Mullins Center on Saturday, Feb. 25, against George Washington, at 4 p.m. on NESN+/ESPN3. The team will honor Sam Breen and Destiney Philoxy for Senior Day in a ceremony prior to the contest.

Scoreboard