Minutewomen Visit Rams for Mid-Week Contest

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts at Rhode Island
Date \| Time	Jan. 22 \| 6:35 p.m.
Location	Ryan Center \| Kingston, R.I.
Twitter	@UMassWBB
Instagram	@umasswbb
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts women's basketball program (9-9, 4-3 A-10) visits Rhode Island (8-11, 3-3 A-10) on Wednesday for a mid-week matchup in Kingston, R.I. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. with action streaming live on ESPN+ in addition to links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

The Matchup

Massachusetts and Rhode Island are set to play in their 93^rd matchup, dating back to the 1973-74 season.
The Minutewomen are 50-42 against the Rams with the Minutewomen dropping the most recent contest 63-48 on the road.

Last Time Out

The University of Massachusetts women's basketball fell to Saint Joseph's University 67-55, at the Mullins Center on Saturday afternoon.
Junior forward Megan Olbrys led UMass in points with 21, making 10-of-11 field goals. Olbrys added four rebounds, two assists and a career-best three blocks on the day.
Freshman guard Yahmani McKayle also finished in double figures, securing 11 points. McKayle and sophomore center Chinenye Odenigbo tallied five assists each, marking a career-high for Odenigbo.
Senior guard Allie Palmieri came down with a career and team-best seven rebounds.

Meg Doesn't Miss

Junior forward Megan Olbrys shot 89.5% from the field (17-19 FG) last week, earning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the first time in her career.
The Norwood, Mass. native averaged 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2 blocks on the week against the likes of La Salle and Saint Joseph's.
Olbrys currently ranks Top-25 in the NCAA in field goal percentage (58.28%), leading the team in points (13.9), rebounds (8.4), assists (3.0), and minutes (32.8)

Want Some Fries With That 30-Piece?

Senior guard Allie Palmieri tallied a career-high 31 points against Fordham in her Atlantic 10 debut.
This was the third-highest single-game scoring total by a Minutewoman in the last 11 years.
Palmieri shot an efficient 9-17 from the field, netting 6-10 of her attempts from range.
The Trumbull, Conn. native added three steals on the defensive end, another career-best on the day.

Double-Double Duo

Senior forward Stefanie Kulesa and transfer forward Megan Olbrys became the first UMass pair since Feb. 4, 2023 to each record double-doubles in the same game as the Minutewomen took a 72-55 victory against Saint Louis last Thursday.
Kulesza set a career-high in scoring with 21 points and added 12 rebounds.
Olbrys tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds.

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 17 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds in to help UMass secure a 76-53 win over Monmouth
McKayle is averaging 12.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.0 steals per game on the season, earning A-10 rookie of the week on December 9th.

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.

Up Next

The Minutewomen travel to Richmond, Va. to take on VCU on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is scheduled of 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

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kasey Bretones

Taylor Derkack

Momo LaClair

Yahmani McKayle

Chinenye Odenigbo

Megan Olbrys

Allie Palmieri

Jess Ross

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics