Late Game Surge Falls Short as UMass Drops 67-64 Decision to Dayton

DAYTON, Ohio – The Minutewomen (7-8, 2-2 A-10) late-game rally ended in heartbreaking fashion on Wednesday night, dropping a 67-64 decision to Dayton (9-6, 3-1 A-10) on the road.

Yahmani McKayle led the Minutewomen on the offensive end, scoring 18 points on 8-14 shooting from the field. The freshman guard added five steals, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists on the night.

Allie Palmieri also reached double figures in the scoring column, putting up 15 points in addition to hitting three attempts from behind the arc.

Three other Minutewomen neared double-digit point totals, as Stefanie Kulesza (9), Megan Olbrys (8), and Chinenye Odenigbo (8) each contributed to the UMass offensive efforts shooting 50%+ from the field.

Breaking Down the Action

Allie Palmieri opened the game in rhythm, hitting two threes in the first five minutes of action.
UMass took an early 13-9 lead after Stefanie Kulesza found Megan Olbrys for the layup.
Aleah Sorrentino extended the Massachusetts lead to 17-12 after the putback finish from an offensive rebound with 34 seconds left in the first quarter.
Free throws by Dayton's Ivy Wolf cut the lead to three as a 5-5 start from the line had her up to 10 points in the opening period.
Yahmani McKayle would send UMass into the second quarter with a 5-point lead, converting a layup off an assist from Momo LaClair.
McKayle opened the following quarter with a personal 6-2 run, starting the game 4-4 from the field with 10 points.
A Palmieri layup extended the Minutewomen lead to 9 with 6:27 left in the half.
Dayton would go on an 13-4 run to tie the game at 31 with 2:34 remaining in the second quarter.
Another layup from McKayle gave back the lead to Massachusetts momentarily but back-to-back threes from the Flyers ended the half 37-35 in favor of Dayton.
Field goals by Olbrys and Kulesza opened the second half for UMass, as both sides matched each score with one of its own.
6-straight points from Chinenye Odenigbo gave the Minutewomen a 45-44 lead with 4:07 left in the third period.
McKayle would extend the lead to 3 off an assist by Kulesza, however both sides would enter the final quarter of play tied after a layup and made free throw by Dayton.
The Flyers opened the fourth strong, scoring 5 unanswered in the first 2:09 of the fourth.
LaClair knocked down a mid-range jumper off a setup from Olbrys to break the ice for Massachusetts.
UMass would relent a 5-0 run to go down 57-49, answered by Olbrys to get the Minutewomen back on track.
Layups by McKayle and Odenigbo made it a 61-55 game with 4:41 left in regulation.
Back-to-back possessions by UMass ended in a Kulesza mid-range jumper, as Massachusetts battled all the way back to make it a one-point game with 2:28 remaining.
Wolf would go 1-2 at the charity stripe after Odenigbo fouled out, giving the Flyers a 63-61 lead.
Dayton extended the lead to four after a made layup by Arianna Smith.
Palmieri gave the Minutewomen one last surge, hitting a three to cut the lead to one with 16 seconds left.
After made free throws by the Flyers, UMass was unable to score the equalizer in the final possession.

By the Numbers

34: UMass scored 34 points in the paint.
25.3: 25.3% of points surrendered by Massachusetts came at the charity stripe.
22: The Minutewomen bench outscored Dayton's 22-9.
16: Massachusetts dished out 16 assists on the night, out-passing Dayton 16-11.
14: UMass tallied 14 points in transition off of turnovers.
8: The lead changed 8 times over the course of the game, with both sided tying the score on seven different occasions.
5: Yahmani McKayle recorded a career-high 5 steals.

UP NEXT

The Minutewomen finish up the week on the road on Jan. 12, taking on St. Bonaventure. Tipoff is scheduled for 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