UMass Falls to Rhode Island in 60-58 Heartbreaker

KINGSTON, R.I. – The Minutewomen (9-10, 4-4 A-10) late-game rally ended in heartbreaking fashion on Wednesday night, dropping a 60-58 decision to Rhode Island (9-11, 4-3 A-10) on the road.

Yahmani McKayle led the Minutewomen on the offensive end, scoring 16 points on 8-15 shooting from the field. The freshman guard added two steals and two rebounds on the night.

Megan Olbrys hit double figures in the scoring column, tallying 13 points including a nine-point run in the third quarter.

Stefanie Kulesza also notched a double-digit scoring night, putting up 12 points and 6 rebounds in addition to a block and a steal.

Breaking Down the Action

Stefanie Kulesza opened the scoring with a transition layup following a steal by Megan Olbrys.
Momo LaClair scored a layup through contact shortly after, giving UMass the 4-0 lead to open play.
The Rams answered with a run to go up 10-6 with 5:44 left in the first.
Allie Palmieri found Kulesza for a pull-up jumper, followed by a layup by Chinenye Odenigbo to tie the game at 10-10.
URI's Harsimran Kaur ended the quarter with a last-second jumper, making it a 14-10 game after the first quarter.
Yahmani McKayle and Allie Palmieri combined for a five-point swing, cutting the deficit to four points with 3:00 left in the half.
A McKayle layup ended the first half with the score at 30-25 in favor or Rhode Island.
UMass opened the third on a 10-4 run, claiming a 35-34 lead with 4:10 left in the quarter off an Olbrys layup.
Both sides would trade scores in the last minute of the third, heading into the final quarter knotted at 40-40.
McKayle would score six of the Minutewomen's first eight points as UMass took a 48-42 lead with 5:56 remaining in regulation.
An 8-0 run by URI was answered by a layup from Odenigbo to tie the game once again at 50-50.
Four lead changes and four ties would take place in the final three minutes of action, with Olbrys tying the game at 58-58 with 16.3 seconds remaining.
A last-second layup by Sophia Vital would win it for Rhode Island, 60-58.

By the Numbers

44: UMass cored 44 points in the paint.
18: The Minutewomen forced 18 turnovers on the defensive end, only surrendering nine turnovers as a team.
17: Massachusetts scored 17 points off of turnovers.
11: The score was tied 11 times throughout the contest, including five lead changes.
10: Yahmani McKayle scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, going 5-5 from the field.

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

Players Mentioned

Stefanie Kulesza

Momo LaClair

Yahmani McKayle

Chinenye Odenigbo

Megan Olbrys

Allie Palmieri

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics