Women's Basketball Home Finale Brings George Washington To Mullins Center for Senior Day

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information
Game 29	Massachusetts (23-5, 13-2 A-10) vs. George Washington (17-11, 9-6 A-10)
Date // Time	Saturday, Feb. 25 // 4 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center
Watch	NESN+/ESPN3
Stream	ESPN3
Live Statistics	LiveStats
Game Notes	Massachusetts \| George Washington
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.

How To Watch
Fans can watch the game on ESPN3 through a verified TV Provider, if you already have one. If a lock icon appears next to the stream, verify your TV account. Non-participating TV provider customers may have access to ESPN3 programming online through https://www.espn.com/watch/, by subscribing to a participating service provider.

Last Time Out
UMass enters Saturday's contest with a 23-5 overall record, including 13-2 in the A-10, after Saint Louis snapped a 12-game winning streak, with UMass falling 77-75, on Wednesday night.

Sam Breen led with 23 points and eclipsed the all-time career points record, and grabbed a team best nine boards. Ber'Nyah Mayo and Destiney Philoxy followed with 16 and 12 points, respectively, while Philoxy totaled a team-high six assists.

All-Time Series vs. George Washington
The Minutewomen and the Colonials will meet for the 56th time in program history, as George Washington holds the advantage in the all-time series, 11-44, including the record in Amherst at 17-10. The two programs first met at a neutral site on January 10, 1981, with GW defeating UMass, 82-56. The two teams met last season on the road, with the Minutewomen picking up a 68-41 win, earning the first victory at George Washington in program history.

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 (2,120 pts). The team is first with a 13.1 scoring margin. The team ranks 32nd in the nation with its scoring offense.

UMass is tied for third in combined team rebounds (40.3 rpg), tallying 13.7 offensive rebounds per game (3rd; 384 total). The Minutewomen are third with a 5.3 rebounding margin.

Sam Breen is third in the conference in scoring with 17.7 ppg (495 pts), and is first in rebounds with 10.0 per game (281 total). In the nation, she is 15th in rebounds, 23rd in rebounds per game and tied for 12th with 15 double-doubles this season. She is also tied for third with one triple-double.

Sydney Taylor sits seventh in scoring (16.4 ppg, 442 pts) in the A-10 and is first with 3.1 3FGs per game. Taylor is eighth in the nation with her 3FGs per game and eighth with her three-pointers made (85 total).

Angelique Ngalakulondi averaged 3.1 offensive rebounds per game (84 total), so far, this season, to sit fifth in the A-10. Ber'Nyah Mayo sits in third in the league with 2.6 steals per game (73 total). Mayo is 26th in the nation with her swipes per game and tied for 19th in total steals.

Destiney Philoxy continues to aid her teammates, dishing out 145 dimes, averaging 5.2 assists per game, placing second, currently, in the league. Philoxy is tied for 24th in the nation with her total assists, while sitting tied for 28th 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 the all-time leader in career points (1,880), passing Sue Peters (1,858; 1976-80), while Philoxy is now sixth in career points (1,526) in program history, passing Kate Mills on the list (1,525; 2004-08). 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 1,375 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 third on the career points scored list (1,363). The graduate student has also collected 1,090 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 1,037 boards, good enough for second 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 673, 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 142 contests, so far, passing Hailey Leidel (123; 2016-20) and on the career steals list, ranking third with 205, 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 124-84, while his career record sits at 199-152.

MinuteWWWWWWWWWWWWomen
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 streak came to an end on Feb. 22, 2023 to a close 77-75 loss at Saint Louis.

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 gets set for Atlantic 10 Conference Championships on Wednesday, March 1, through Sunday, March 5, in Wilmington, Delaware. Seedings will be determined on Saturday night, along with game day, times and opponents for the Minutewomen.

Scoreboard