Minutewomen Cruise Past Revolutionaries, 71-54

AMHERST, Mass. -- Massachusetts (11-10, 6-4 A-10) put together a complete effort on both ends of the floor on Wednesday night, cruising past George Washington (8-12, 1-8 A-10) in a 71-54 decision as five Minutewomen reached double figures in the scoring column.

Stefanie Kulesza led all scorers with 17 points on 8-14 shooting from the field. The senior captain added 8 rebounds and 3 steals to her totals.

Megan Olbrys recorded her sixth double-double of the season, tallying 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal. Olbrys went a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line to lead an 86.7% shooting night from the charity stripe for UMass.

Yahmani McKayle, Chinenye Odenigbo, and Allie Palmieri rounded out the top scorers for Massachusetts. McKayle put up 12 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals in her first start since Dec. 1, as Odenigbo and Palmieri each added 10 points.

Breaking Down the Action

The Minutewomen got points on the board first with a free throw from Chinenye Odenigbo.
The Revolutionaries then took an early lead with back-to-back 3-pointers before UMass regained the lead with back-to-back 3-pointers of their own.
A second-chance layup by Stefanie Kulesza at 3:50 resulted in an 18-8 Massachusetts lead, capping off a 17-2 scoring drive.
Megan Olbrys completed a layup off an opponent turnover to end the quarter, putting the game at 24-12 UMass heading into the second.
Momo LaClair kicked it off for the Minutewomen in the second quarter with a midrange jumper after a steal by Odenigbo.
Then, the Revolutionaries slowly regained some ground, cutting their deficit to 32-24 with a layup from Miriam Diala at 4:03.
Despite strong efforts from George Washington, Massachusetts stood their ground and closed out the first half with a 38-28 lead.
After a drive layup by the Revolutionaries, the Minutewomen clashed back with a 3-pointer by Allie Palmieri to start the second half.
Massachusetts then increased their lead to 19 with a 10-2 scoring run capped off by a turnaround jumper from Olbrys.
After this, George Washington went on a scoring drive of their own, cutting the lead to ten.
Two free throws from Olbrys helped the Minutewomen regain lost ground with 24 seconds to go in the third.
Massachusetts entered the final quarter of play up 59-45.
The Minutewomen started off the fourth quarter with a 6-0 scoring run, granting them a 20 point lead with 7:24 remaining in the game.
The Revolutionaries went on a scoring drive in an attempt to get back in the game, but the Minutewomen maintained a solid lead nonetheless.
Jess Ross completed a fast break layup to make the score 71-54 with 1:44 remaining, solidifying a UMass victory.

By the Numbers

3: Megan Olbrys tied her career high of three blocks in the game.
38: The Minutewomen held the lead for 38 minutes of the game.
20: The Minutewomen had 20 points off turnovers.
40: UMass had 40 rebounds in the game.
17: Massachusetts' 17-2 scoring drive in the first quarter started their momentum which lasted until their victory.
22: 22 second chance points for the Minutewomen

Up Next

The Minutewomen travel to Philadelphia, Pa. looking to complete the series sweep against La Salle on Feb. 2. Tipoff is set for 2:00 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

Team Stats

Stefanie Kulesza

Megan Olbrys

Yahmani McKayle

Chinenye Odenigbo

Players Mentioned

Stefanie Kulesza

Momo LaClair

Yahmani McKayle

Chinenye Odenigbo

Megan Olbrys

Allie Palmieri

Jess Ross

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics