University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
UAlbany
Women's Basketball Hosts UAlbany For WNIT First Round
March 16, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Minutewomen and Great Danes tip off at 7 p.m. on ESPN3 at the Mullins Center.
| University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes & Information | |
| WNIT • Tournament Central • Printable Bracket | |
| Game 33 | Massachusetts (26-6) vs. UAlbany (22-11) |
| Date // Time | Friday, March 17 // 7 p.m. |
| Location | Amherst, Mass. // Mullins Center |
| Stream | ESPN3 |
| Live Statistics | LiveStats |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | UAlbany |
| 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.
The Opening Tip: The Massachusetts-UAlbany Preview
• University of Massachusetts will open WNIT play on Friday night against UAlbany, marking the third consecutive postseason appearance by the Minutewomen after playing in the 2022 NCAA tournament and the 2021 WNIT.
• It will be the first meeting between the two teams and the winner of the UMass-UAlbany first round matchup will play the winner of the Harvard-Towson game in the second round (date and time TBD).
• Massachusetts was one of 32 automatic qualifiers for the 2023 WNIT, earning the No. 1-seed in the A-10 Championships by finishing the regular season with a 14-2 conference record and a share of the regular-season title.
• In addition to a third consecutive postseason appearance, it will be the sixth overall postseason appearance by UMass, having previously competed in the 1996, 1998 and 2022 NCAA tournaments and the 1995 and 2021 NWIT/WNIT tournaments.
• During the 2022-23 regular season, the Minutewomen posted a program-record 12-game winning streak and finished the regular season with a 24-5 overall record.
• UMass received a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the A-10 Tournament and advanced to the championship for the third straight year with wins over George Mason (63-50) and Richmond (80-60) before falling in overtime to Saint Louis in the final (91-85).
• With the two wins at the A-10 tournament, UMass tied the program record for wins in a season with 26 (26-6), originally set last season.
• Sam Breen leads Massachusetts in points this season with a total of 559, averaging 17.5 per game and sits in first in rebounds (323; 10.1 rpg). Destiney Philoxy leads the team with 162 assists, while Ber'Nyah Mayo ranks first in steals with 81. UMass has averaged 76.0 points per game this season, while averaging 40.3 rebounds per game. The Minutewomen have outscored their opponents 2,432-2,016 this season.
• For the Great Danes, Kayla Cooper sits atop the leaderboard in points, averaging 15.1 per game, and in rebounds with 8.2 per game. Ellen Hahne leads the team in assists and steals with 74 and 36, respectively. UAlbany averages 58.4 points per game and 34.9 rebounds per game.
Statistically Speaking
The Minutewomen currently average 76.0 points per game, 40.3 rebounds per game, 18.0 assists per game and 8.5 steals per game. In the nation, UMass sits in the top-50 in eight categories.
UMass is eighth in assists per game (18.0), while placing 23rd in the scoring margin (13.0) and 27th in scoring offense. In rebounds per game, the team ranks 45th, and 44th in offensive rebounds.
Sam Breen is first on the team with 17.5 ppg (559 pts), and in rebounds with 10.1 per game (323 total). In the nation, she ranks in the top-50 of nine categories. Breen is 12th in rebounds, 22nd in rebounds per game and tied for 10th with 18 double-doubles this season. She is also tied for third with one triple-double.
Sydney Taylor sits second on the team in scoring (15.9 ppg, 492 pts) and is first with 3.1 3FGs per game. Taylor is seventh in the nation in both 3FGs per game and with her three-pointers made (96 total), while tying for fifth in 3FG attempts.
Angelique Ngalakulondi averaged 3.0 offensive rebounds per game (94 total), so far, this season, to rank first on the team. Ber'Nyah Mayo averages 2.5 steals per game and has 81 total on the season. Mayo is 31st in the nation with her swipes per game and tied for 17th in total steals.
Destiney Philoxy continues to aid her teammates, dishing out 162 dimes, averaging 5.1 assists per game to sit atop the leaderboard for UMass. Philoxy is tied for 27th in the nation with her total assists, while sitting 29th with her average.
Shaking Up The Record Book
After a 26 win season last year, UMass is currently holding 26 wins, marking the first time the program has had 20-plus wins in back-to-back seasons and tying the most in program history. The team earned the most A-10 Conference wins in program history with its 14 after an 84-61 win over George Washington (2/25/23). This season, the Minutewomen are third with the least amount of overall losses (six), 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 two , followed by three in the 1994-95 season and four last year.
