McKayle's Career-High 21 Points Lifts UMass Over CCSU

AMHERST, Mass. – The Minutewomen (1-2, 0-0 A-10) recorded their first win of the season in front of a home crowd, claiming a 66-60 decision over Central Connecticut State University (0-3, 0-0 NEC) on Sunday afternoon.

Freshman point guard Yahmani McKayle shined in her second home game of her young collegiate career, leading the Massachusetts offense with a career-high 21 points, seven assists, and four steals. The Queens, N.Y. native helped ice the game in the closing moments, hitting a pull-up jumpshot with 36 seconds left and a free throw with 11 seconds remaining to bring the UMass lead to six.

Allie Palmieri continued her strong start to the 2024-25 campaign, scoring 16 points on 4-7 from behind the arc. This is the third-straight game the Senior guard has scored 15+ points for Massachusetts.

Megan Olbrys was a force in the paint on Sunday, scoring 15 points and grabbing eight rebounds on 6-11 shooting from the field. Eight points and five rebounds from Olbrys's totals came in the third quarter, matching the Blue Devils' team point total in the quarter.

Breaking Down the Action

Off the winning topoff, Megan Olbrys got the offense started with a hook shot in the post at 9:53.
After some back-and-forth scoring, Central Connecticut took a 7-6 lead with 6:15 remaining in the first quarter.
Massachusetts cut the lead to just one to end the quarter off a buzzer-beating layup by Yahmani McKayle.
Allie Palmieri put the Minutewomen back in the lead with a transition triple to open the quarter.
UMass took a five-point lead after Aleah Sorrentino made back-to-back baskets at 3:53.
After the Blue Devils led with 1:49 left in the first half, McKayle answered with an and-one layup to retake the scoring advantage.
Trailing 33-36 after the break, UMass opened the second half with a 9-0 run while holding CCSU scoreless for nearly five minutes.
Massachusetts surrendered a small run by Central Connecticut, leaving the score tied at 44-44.
Back-to-back scores by Olbrys and Palmieri granted the Minutewomen a four-point advantage heading into the final quarter of play.
Both sides traded several baskets until Dagny Slomack hit a game-tying three with 6:02 remaining.
After forcing three straight CCSU turnovers, McKayle went on an individual 5-0 run to gain a five-point lead.
UMass continued to build momentum in the closing moments, as a step-back three from Palmieri, pull-up midrange from McKayle, and free throws by Olbrys extended the lead to eight with 19 seconds remaining.
Despite late free-throws from the Blue Devils, Massachusetts iced the game for its first win of the season.

By The Numbers

0: UMass committed 0 turnovers in the fourth quarter.
8: Megan Olbrys led the team with 8 rebounds on the day.
21: Massachusetts recorded 21 assists as a team.
21: Yahmani McKayle led the Minutewomen with a career-high 21 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals.
26: Massachusetts held the lead for 26 minutes of game action.
27: The Minutewomen defense held the Blue Devils to just 27% from the field in the third quarter.
30: UMass scored 30 points in the paint, a new season best.

UP NEXT

The Minutewomen host Monmouth in their third-straight home contest on Friday, Nov. 15 at the Mullins Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

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Team Stats

Yahmani McKayle

Allie Palmieri

Megan Olbrys

Stefanie Kulesza

Players Mentioned

Yahmani McKayle

Megan Olbrys

Allie Palmieri

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics