UMass Opens 2025 With 72-55 Win Over Saint Louis

St. Louis, Mo. – The Minutewomen (7-6, 2-0 A-10) brought the same winning energy into the new year, securing a 72-55 victory over Saint Louis (6-9, 0-2 A-10) on Thursday Night.

Stefanie Kulesza stared against the Billikens, tallying 21 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. The senior forward was a force on the interior, grabbing five offensive rebounds.

Megan Olbrys joined Kulesza in recording double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds. The duo becomes the first pair since Feb. 2023 to record double-doubles in the same game.

Freshman guard Yahmani McKayle was a spark plug off the bench for the Minutewomen, scoring 12 points including eight coming in the fourth quarter. McKayle finished 5-9 attempts from the field, netting 2-3 shots from behind the arc.

Breaking Down the Action

UMass opened the night on a 10-1 run, led by five points out of the gates from Stefanie Kulesza.
Chinenye Odenigbo and Megan Olbrys each answered scores from the Billikens to make it a 14-5 game with 4:20 left in the first quarter.
Kulesza hit her second three-pointer of the quarter to extend the Massachusetts led to 19-10 off the assist from Allie Palmieri.
A steal by Kulesza led to an easy transition two by Yahmani McKayle.
Momo LaClair would beat the Q1 buzzer with a mid-range jumper in traffic to double the SLU score 28-14 after one.
Saint Louis opened the quarter with a 5-0 run, halted by an and-one putback by Odenigbo.
Olbrys went on her own 6-0 run with 3:53 left in the half to give UMass the 39-21 lead.
Kulesza added on a pull-up jumper from the short corner to extend the lead to 20.
Free throws by Palmieri capped off a 10-0 run by the Minutewomen, as a last-minute layup by SLU's Shavers made it a 43-23 game at the break.
After the opening basket by Kulesza, Massachusetts surrendered an 11-0 run to Saint Louis in the third quarter.
A three by Palmieri would end the run, bringing the UMass lead back up to 14.
The Billikens brought the game within single digits with 3:42 left in the third off a made free throw by Tierra Simon.
Following a formidable third-quarter surge by SLU, the score stood at 50-46 in favor of the Minutewomen heading into the final quarter of play.
Saint Louis's Anumele netted the opening make from deep to cut the lead to one.
Two-consecutive threes by McKayle gave UMass a 58-53 lead with 5:33 left in regulation.
The Minutewomen brought the lead back into double-figures off two layups by Kulesza and one by McKayle.
Massachusetts would hold SLU scoreless in the final 3:10, closing out the game on a 17-2 run and outscoring their opponents 22-9 in the fourth.

By the Numbers

2023: Stefanie Kulesza and Megan Olbrys became the first UMass pair since 2023 to each record double-doubles in the same game.
50: Massachusetts shot 50% from behind the arc.
49: The Minutewomen out-rebounded their opponents 49-31.
33.33: The Billikens were hindered to just 33.33% shooting from the field.
24: UMass had 24 second chance points on the night.
23: Kulesza (12) and Olbrys (11) combined for 23 rebounds.
21: Kulesza scored a season-high 21 points.
19: Offensive rebounds were grabbed by Massachusetts.
17: UMass closed out the game on a 17-2 run.

UP NEXT

The Minutewomen return home to host Richmond on Jan. 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Mullins Center
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