A Career-High 20 Points from Olbrys Powers UMass to Dominant Victory Over Monmouth

AMHERST, Mass. – The Minutewomen (2-2, 0-0 A-10) made their presence felt in front of the Massachusetts faithful, claiming a dominating 76-53 win over Monmouth (0-4, 0-0 CAA) on Friday night.

Megan Olbrys continued to dominate the interior, tallying a career-high 20 points in addition to five rebounds and three steals on 7-12 shooting from the field. Olbrys scored 10 of her 20 in the fourth quarter going 3-3 from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe in the final 10 minutes.

Point guard Yahmani McKayle carried the momentum from her career game against CCSU, scoring 17 points on 7-12 shooting from the field and 50% from behind the arc. McKayle added six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and one block to cap off a strong performance on both ends.

Freshman Jess Ross was a spark plug off the bench, putting together a career-high six points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in 20 minutes of action. Ross helped energize the Massachusetts 23-5 run in the second quarter, scoring her first career basket and grabbing seven rebounds in just nine minutes.

Breaking Down the Action

Off the tipoff, Yahmani McKayle completed a tough layup to start the scoring at 9:24.
After a scoring drive by the Hawks, Megan Olbrys responded with free throws to tie the game 6-6 with 6:35 minutes remaining in the quarter.
McKayle then hit a three to give the Minutewomen a three-point lead with 5:05 to go.
Back-to-back baskets from Monmouth gave them the lead 11-9 at 3:23.
The Minutewomen held a 12-9 disadvantage entering the second quarter.
The teams traded several baskets before Jess Ross completed a second-chance layup to grant Massachusetts a 15-14 lead at 7:49.
A drive layup by McKayle added on to the UMass lead, putting them up 18-14 with 6:18 left in the first half.
McKayle snapped the Minutewomen's 4:23 minute scoring drought with an and-1 layup, granting them a 25-17 lead.
Kulesza then hit a three for the Minutewomen with 1:10 left in the first half to extend their lead to 11.
After dominating in the first half of play, Massachusetts entered the third quarter with a 32-17 lead.
Sorrentino and Palmieri both hit jumpers to start the second half and make their lead 37-21 at 8:44 of the third quarter.
A 7-0 Hawks run capped off with a Taisha Exanor three cut the UMass lead to 37-28 before a Minutewomen timeout with 6:37 left in the third quarter.
After free throws by Monmouth, Momo LaClair drained a triple to cut the Hawks' momentum short.
A spin and a layup by Megan Olbrys extended the Minutewomen lead back to 8 at 1:07 in the third.
The Hawks closed out the third quarter with a triple at the buzzer, chopping the Minutewomen's lead down to 48-41 entering the final quarter.
Allie Palmieri got the UMass lead back to double digits with a step-back jumper at 7:43 in the fourth.
After a Monmouth scoring drive, an offensive rebound and layup by McKayle created an 11-point lead for UMass with 4:37 left to play.
McKayle and Ross combined for a three and a layup to break out a 20-point Minutewomen lead and 11-0 run late in the fourth.
A late layup by Lilly Ferguson caps off a 23-point UMass victory. Final score: 76-53

By the Numbers

25: The Minutewomen went on a 25-3 run over the entirety of the second quarter, taking a 32-17 lead into the halftime break
42.9: Massachusetts shot 42.9% from behind the arc.
31: UMass held the lead for 31 minutes of the game.
33: Massachusetts held the Hawks under 33% shooting from the field.
40: Massachusetts scored 40 points in the paint versus the Hawks 26.
19: The Minutewomen dished out 19 assists on the night to Monmouth's 10.
20: Megan Olbrys scored a career high 20 points during the game.

UP NEXT

The Minutewomen host Holy Cross Wednesday, Nov. 20 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