Minutewomen's Win Streak Ends at the Hands of Richmond on Sunday

AMHERST, Mass. – The Minutewomen (7-7, 2-1 A-10) snapped a three-game winning streak on Sunday, dropping an 82-52 decision against the defending A-10 Champions: Richmond (11-5, 2-1 A-10).

Freshman guard Yahmani McKayle led all scorers with 18 points off the bench for UMass, shooting 7-14 from the field. The Queens, N.Y. native added three rebounds, three assists, and three steals in addition to hitting two threes. 14 of McKayle's 18 came in the second half, going 5-9 in the final 20 minutes of action.

Allie Palmieri also reached double figures in the scoring column, tallying 15 points on the day. The senior guard also found her rhythm in the second half, scoring 13 points on 3-6 shooting from deep.

Breaking Down the Action

A slow first half proved insurmountable for UMass, as the team struggled to answer the early 29-8 Richmond surge in the first quarter.
Despite a much-improved defensive effort by the Minutewomen, holding the Spiders to 35.3% shooting from the field, Richmond was able to extend its lead to 44-15 heading into the halftime break.
Massachusetts attempted to regroup in the second half, ending the second half with a 7-4 offensive rebounding advantage for 14 second-chance points compared to Richmond's 2.
The Minutewomen also protected the ball much better in the final 20 minutes, winning the turnover battle 3-6 and 8-4 on points off turnovers.
Allie Palmieri got the offense going for UMass in the third quarter, scoring 8 points on 2-3 shooting from three.
Yahmani McKayle scored 10 points in the final quarter of action, shooting 4-5 from the field and 2-3 from behind the arc.
The Minutewomen outscored the Spiders 23-20 in the final quarter with shooting numbers of 55.6% from the field and 42.9% from three, however, the production was too late for UMass to build any momentum.

UP NEXT

The Minutewomen travel to Dayton, Ohio for a matchup against the Flyers on Jan. 8. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

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