Minutewomen Visit In-State Rivals, Boston College, in Wednesday Morning Matchup

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts at Boston College
Date \| Time	Dec. 11 \| 11:00 a.m. ET
Location	Conte Forum \| Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Twitter	@UMassWBB
Instagram	@umasswbb
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts women's basketball program (4-5, 0-0 A-10) is set for a matchup with Boston College (7-4, 1-0 ACC) on Wednesday, Dec. 11 in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Tip-off is scheduled for 11:00 a.m, action will be streamed live on ESPN+, with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

THE MATCHUP

Massachusetts and Northeastern are set to play in their twelfth matchup, dating back to a home 45-60 loss in the 1999-00 season.
The Eagles have consistenly dominated play against, winning ten of the 11 matchups and currently on a 6-game win streak against the Minutewomen.
Massachusetts will look to get back into the win column against the Eagles. The lone Minutewomen win came at home in the 2007-08 season, a narrow 69-67 victory.

LAST TIME OUT

The Minutewomen earned a gritty 67-56 win against Dartmouth College on the road. Freshman point guard Yahmani McKayle led scoring across all players with 19 points, as well as adding four assists and four rebounds to the stat sheet.
Junior forward Megan Olbrys and senior guard Allie Palmieri each recorded double-digit points in the contest. Olbrys notching 13 points to go along with 12 rebounds and a double-double. Palmieri scored 14 points, as well as added three rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
Effortful three-pointers from McKayle and Stefanie Kulesza in the fourth quarter helped the Minutewomen come back and secure their fourth win of the season.

MANI IS MONEY

Freshman point guard Yahmani McKayle had a career-high 21 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals in UMass's first win of the season on Nov. 10 vs. CCSU
The Queens, N.Y. native followed up with a 17 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds in to help UMass secure a 76-53 win over Monmouth
McKayle is averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on the season, earning A-10 rookie of the week on December 9th.

TOP-TIER EFFICIENCY

Transfer forward Megan Olbrys currently ranks 16th in the country in field goal percentage (60.53%)
The former Villanova Wildcat is averaging career highs in minutes (33.3), points (13.4), and rebounds (8.9) per game, leading the team on the glass.
Olbrys has posted a double-double in two out of the last three games, tallying 21 points and 11 rebounds against Siena and 13 points and 11 rebounds against Dartmouth.
The Junior forward became the first Minutewomen since 2017 to shoot a perfect 100% from the field, going 7-7 for 17 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds against Northeastern.

NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES

The Minutewomen welcome seven newcomers, three of which enter as transfers.
Massachusetts brings freshmen Taylor Derkack (Colonia, N.J.), Yahmani McKayle (Queens, N.Y.), Kasey Bretones(Linwood, N.J.), and Jess Ross (Eastham, Mass.) into the mix for the 2024-25 season.
Lipscomb transfer Aleah Sorrentino arrives to Amherst off a 12.3 points per game season, adding 6.4 rebounds in 26.8 minutes. The redshirt senior spent a year at Ole Miss prior to her two-year stint at Lipscomb.
Megan Olbrys spent her last two seasons at Villanova, averaging 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.2 minutes of action.
Drexel transfer Momo LaClair is coming off a 2024 CAA Championship run as a key member of the rotation. LaClair played 17.8 minutes a game, adding 3.2 points and 1.5 assists per game.

KULESZA ON THE RISE

Senior Stefanie Kulesza is coming off one of the most-improved seasons in the Atlantic 10 last year, averaging career-bests in points (11.2), rebounds (7.1), field goal percentage (46.9), and minutes per game (31.4).
Kulesza posted six double-doubles during the 2023-24 campaign, including a career-high game against No. 23 Washington State (20pts, 11reb).
The Wilmington, Del. native led the Minutewomen in total field goals made, rebounds, steals, blocks, and minutes during the 2023-24 campaign. Kulesza also ranked second on the team in total points and three pointers made.

SET FOR SUCCESS

Allie Palmieri and Chinenye Odenigbo are primed to have a strong 2024-25 campaign for the Minutewomen.
Palmieri redshirted in the 2023-24 campaign after a season at Seton Hall and two years at Boston College.
Odenigbo put together 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in her freshman season, missing nine games due to injury.
With the guard-post duo fully healthy and eligible to play, the Maroon and White look for them to be large contributors.

YEAR TWO UNDER COACH LEFLAR

Massachusetts women's basketball enters its second season under Head Coach Mike Leflar in 2024-25 after his tenure as Associate Head Coach (2021-23) and Assistant Coach (2018-21) with the Minutewomen
Leflar has been an integral part of building the most successful era in Massachusetts women's basketball, helping the program to its first regular-season Atlantic 10 championship this past season after the program earned its first Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship in 2021-22, while adding an NCAA Tournament berth in 2022 to go along with WNIT appearances in 2021 and 2023
Leflar most recently worked closely with the Minutewomen forwards, including 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year, Sam Breen. Under Leflar's guidance, Breen developed into one of the most decorated players in program history and earned back-to-back Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors in 2022 and 2023

UP NEXT

The Minutewomen travel to Lowell, Massachusetts to play UMass Lowell in their next game on Friday, Dec. 20. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard