University of Massachusets Athletics
Wednesday, February 22
Saint Louis, Mo.
8 PM
University of Massachusetts
23-5,13-2Atlantic 10
75
at
77
Saint Louis
13-17,9-6Atlantic 10
1
2
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F
Massachusetts
28
16
6
25
75
Saint Louis
21
15
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77
Photo by: Chris Tucci - UMass Athletics
Women’s Basketball Edged By Saint Louis, 77-75
February 22, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Breen claims first in all-time career points, breaking a record held for 43 years by Sue Peters.
ST. LOUIS - University of Massachusetts women's basketball team battled hard in the final minutes, but fell, 77-75, to Saint Louis University on Wednesday night at Chaifetz Arena. Sam Breen became the program's all-time leader in career points with her first basket of the night, surpassing Sue Peters, who held the record for 43 years.
UMass moved to 23-5 on the year and 13-2 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, while Saint Louis improved to 13-17 overall, including a 9-6 mark in the league. The loss ends Massachusetts' program-record 12-game winning streak, which stood tied for the fifth-longest in the nation.
Breen led the Minutewomen with 23 points, followed by Ber'Nyah Mayo and Destiney Philoxy with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Breen also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, with Makennah White coming down with seven boards. Philoxy tallied a team best six assists and three steals on the night.
The Minutewomen recorded an 80.0 free throw percentage, going 12-for-15 from the charity stripe.
UMass got off to an early 3-0 lead, thanks to a three-pointer by Philoxy in the opening seconds. Saint Louis took a brief 4-3 lead, but Sydney Taylor knocked down a triple of her own, which began a 10-0 run for the Minutewomen to lead 13-4. Massachusetts continued its run, making it 12-2, to extend its lead, 15-6, with 5:57 remaining in the first. SLU went on an 8-2 run to get within three at 17-14, before back-to-back threes from Philoxy and Taylor pushed UMass ahead, 23-14. The Billikens put up seven more points to the Minutewomen's five, but Massachusetts held on to a 28-21 lead.
In the second quarter, both teams were even with 16 points each. Saint Louis hit a three-pointer only nine seconds in, as UMass maintained a four-point lead at 28-24. A small 6-2 run pulled Massachusetts ahead, 34-26, before the two teams traded four points apiece to make it a six-point contest. Stefanie Kulesza made her shot from beyond the arc brought the Minutewomen's lead to nine, but back-to-back layups from the Billikens brought UMass' lead to only five. Mayo sank a three-pointer at the 2:30 mark of the quarter to enter halftime with a score of 44-36, in favor of Massachusetts.
A 20-6 run throughout the third quarter allowed SLU to claim a 56-50 lead, as a made three with 4:31 left on the clock gave the Billikens a 49-48 edge. Breen made one from beyond the arc to close the gap to three in the final frame, starting an 11-5 run for the Minutewomen. White capped the run with a jumper at 6:50 to knot the game up at 61-61. Saint Louis went on a 14-7 run elapsing five minutes and 18 seconds, to lead 75-68 over UMass. Massachusetts began a 7-2 run with 1:32 left on the clock, to battle back, including a three from Breen with 0:00.4 seconds remaining, but it was not enough as Saint Louis came away with the 77-75 win.
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 Breen and Philoxy for Senior Day during a pregame ceremony.
UMass moved to 23-5 on the year and 13-2 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, while Saint Louis improved to 13-17 overall, including a 9-6 mark in the league. The loss ends Massachusetts' program-record 12-game winning streak, which stood tied for the fifth-longest in the nation.
Breen led the Minutewomen with 23 points, followed by Ber'Nyah Mayo and Destiney Philoxy with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Breen also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, with Makennah White coming down with seven boards. Philoxy tallied a team best six assists and three steals on the night.
The Minutewomen recorded an 80.0 free throw percentage, going 12-for-15 from the charity stripe.
UMass got off to an early 3-0 lead, thanks to a three-pointer by Philoxy in the opening seconds. Saint Louis took a brief 4-3 lead, but Sydney Taylor knocked down a triple of her own, which began a 10-0 run for the Minutewomen to lead 13-4. Massachusetts continued its run, making it 12-2, to extend its lead, 15-6, with 5:57 remaining in the first. SLU went on an 8-2 run to get within three at 17-14, before back-to-back threes from Philoxy and Taylor pushed UMass ahead, 23-14. The Billikens put up seven more points to the Minutewomen's five, but Massachusetts held on to a 28-21 lead.
In the second quarter, both teams were even with 16 points each. Saint Louis hit a three-pointer only nine seconds in, as UMass maintained a four-point lead at 28-24. A small 6-2 run pulled Massachusetts ahead, 34-26, before the two teams traded four points apiece to make it a six-point contest. Stefanie Kulesza made her shot from beyond the arc brought the Minutewomen's lead to nine, but back-to-back layups from the Billikens brought UMass' lead to only five. Mayo sank a three-pointer at the 2:30 mark of the quarter to enter halftime with a score of 44-36, in favor of Massachusetts.
A 20-6 run throughout the third quarter allowed SLU to claim a 56-50 lead, as a made three with 4:31 left on the clock gave the Billikens a 49-48 edge. Breen made one from beyond the arc to close the gap to three in the final frame, starting an 11-5 run for the Minutewomen. White capped the run with a jumper at 6:50 to knot the game up at 61-61. Saint Louis went on a 14-7 run elapsing five minutes and 18 seconds, to lead 75-68 over UMass. Massachusetts began a 7-2 run with 1:32 left on the clock, to battle back, including a three from Breen with 0:00.4 seconds remaining, but it was not enough as Saint Louis came away with the 77-75 win.
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 Breen and Philoxy for Senior Day during a pregame ceremony.
Team Stats
UMass
SLU
FG%
.403
.431
3FG%
.500
.500
FT%
.800
.688
RB
35
45
TO
12
15
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
6
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's BasketballF
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