Megan Olbrys’ Career Day Propels Women’s Basketball To 82-66 Victory Over La Salle

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts women's basketball (9-8, 4-2 A-10) cruised past La Salle University (7-12, 1-5 A-10), 82-66, at the Mullins Center on Wednesday afternoon.

Scoring a season-high 82 points, the Minutewomen were led by a career-high 22 points from Megan Olbrys. Olbrys connected on seven of her eight shots, including 8-10 from the free throw line, to go along with nine rebounds and four assists to lead the UMass offensive unit.

Senior forward Stefanie Kulesza added 19 points and nine boards of her own, also shooting a very efficient 8-12 from the field, including hitting half of her three-point attempts.

Yahmani McKayle did a bit of everything on the day, as the guard chipped in 12 points of her own and dished out a team-high five assists to pair along five rebounds and three steals.

Breaking Down the Action

Megan Olbrys scored the Minutewomen's first points of the night and snapped a 5-0 La Salle run to make the score 5-2 with 8:10 left in the first quarter.
Two converted and-one buckets from Stefanie Kulesza and Olbrys capped off a 15-0 run for UMass, leading 15-5 with over five minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
Massachusetts continued its fast start as Chinenye Odenigbo converted on an inside feed to push the Minutewomen's run to 17 consecutive points.
Three straight scores, including a corner three, from Kulesza pushed the UMass lead back up to double digits, controlling La Salle 28-18 at the end of the first.
Yahmani McKayle buried a three from the top of the key, breaking a two-minute stalemate for the Minutewomen, extending their lead 31-22 with 8:35 left in the first half.
Two quick scores from Allie Palmieri once again gave UMass a double-digit 35-24 lead with 7:26 left in the second quarter.
Olbrys' second and-one of the day and an acrobatic Mckayle layup continued Massachusetts' run to nine straight points halfway through the second quarter.
The two-player show of McKayle and Olbrys gave the Minutewomen their second 14 point or better run, as Olbrys hit McKayle for a corner three with four minutes remaining in the quarter pushing the UMass lead to 45-24.
A coast-to-coast rebound and score from Kulesza gave Massachusetts its largest run of the day, capping off an 18-straight point stretch.
La Salle beat the buzzer to end the half, with UMass entering the locker room leading 51-28.
Olbrys picked up where she left off in the first half, scoring a hook layup for Massachusetts' first points of the second half with 7:09 left in the third.
McKayle split a pair of Explorer defenders to become the third Minutewoman to enter double figures.
A pair of free throws by Olbrys propelled her past the 20-point mark, giving UMass a 60-37 lead with 4:49 in the third and matching her career high of 21 points.
Lilly Ferguson put back an offensive rebound and was fouled, converting the and-one and pushed the Massachusetts lead to 64-39 with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter, its largest lead of the night.
The Minutewomen ended the penultimate quarter with a Kasey Bretones free throw leading 68-47 heading into the final frame.
Odenigbo converted on consecutive possessions to keep the UMass lead at 20, on top 72-52 with under eight minutes left in the game.
A steal and score from McKayle continued her strong performance, increasing the Minutewomen's lead to 74-54 with 6:35 to go.
Kulesza and Olbrys connected on an inside feed with 3:10 left, marking the last action for the starting unit.
Bretones capped off the scoring for UMass, hitting a three from the left wing with 1:10 remaining in the game.
Massachusetts left the floor winning 82-66, a season high in points for the Minutewomen.

By the Numbers

83: UMass scored a season-high 83 points against La Salle, beating the previous season-best by two points (vs. Northeastern – 81 (12/5)).
73.7: Massachusetts shot 73.7% from the charity stripe, making 14-of-19 attempts.
51: Massachusetts posted 51 of its 82 points in the first half of the contest alone.
46: The Maroon and White out-rebounded the Explorers, 46-32.
37: The Minutewomen held the lead for 37 minutes and eight seconds of game action.
25: UMass' largest lead came at the 2:18 mark of the third quarter, as the team led by 25 points (51-26) over the Explorers.
22: Megan Olbrys tallied a career-high 22 points on the afternoon.
20: Massachusetts registered 20 assists, seven more than their competitors.
18: UMass went on its longest run, 18-0, in the second quarter. The run elapsed for six minutes and 10 seconds.
2: It marks the second-straight game for the Minutewomen with 40-plus points in the paint (at St. Bonaventure – 44 (1/12); vs. La Salle – 44 (1/15)).

UP NEXT
The Minutewomen host Saint Joseph's on Saturday, January 18, for a 12 p.m. contest at the Mullins Center on ESPN+.

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