Minutewomen Travel to Hanover for Sunday Night Showdown

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts at Dartmouth
Date \| Time	Dec. 8 \| 6:30 p.m. ET
Location	Hanover, N.H.
Twitter	@UMassWBB
Instagram	@umasswbb
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts women's basketball program (3-5, 0-0 A-10) is set for a matchup with Northeastern (3-3, 0-0 IVY) on Sunday, Dec. 8 in Hanover, N.H. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m, action will be broadcasted live on NESN, with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

THE MATCHUP

Massachusetts and Dartmouth are set to play in their 21st matchup, dating back to a 58-44 road loss in the 1980-81 season.
The Minutewomen hold a 10-10 record against Dartmouth, with UMass taking the most recent victory 77-58 at home.
The Big Green hold a 6-4 record against UMass in Hanover, as the Minutewomen look to take one back in hostile territory.

LAST TIME OUT

The Minutewomen dominated Northeastern in an 81-50 decision on Thursday. Junior forward Megan Olbrys went a perfect 7-7 from the field to tally 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Allie Palmieri led the UMass offense, posting an efficient 19 points and five rebounds on 8-12 shooting and 3-5 from deep
Yahmani McKayle poured in 13 points off the bench, going 3-4 from behind the arc.

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 in 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 Chestnut Hill, Mass. to play Boston College in their next game on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kasey Bretones

Taylor Derkack

Stefanie Kulesza

Momo LaClair

Yahmani McKayle

Chinenye Odenigbo

Megan Olbrys

Allie Palmieri

Jess Ross