Minutewomen Drop Tight Contest to Army, 64-61

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Massachusetts	18	11	13	19	61
Army West Point	15	12	16	21	64

Massachusetts

Army West Point

West Point, N.Y. -- University of Massachusetts women's basketball (7-1, 0-0 MAC) fell to Army (7-2, 0-0 CAA), 64-61, during a regional matchup Saturday afternoon at Cristl Arena.

The Minutewomen showed flashes of grit throughout the contest shooting over 43 percent from the field and knocking down four triples, along with a strong defensive showing totaling eight steals and two blocks. Despite clutch shooting from Yahmani McKayle and Megan Olbrys down the stretch, Army's three-point barrage was too much to overcome.

Senior forward Megan Olbrys was the largest contributor for the Minutewomen, tallying 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists on an efficient 6-for-9 from the field.

McKayle stuffed the stat-sheet, as she added 11 points, five rebounds and five assists in the afternoon.

The Minutewomen totaled 32 points in the paint along with 33 rebounds and 14 assists.

Breaking Down The Action

Olbrys found a cutting McKayle off the opening tip to put UMass on the board first, 2-0, three seconds into the game.
McKayle connected on a free-throw-line-extended jumper following a steal from Franks to push the Minutewomen lead to 6-3 with 5:42 remaining in the opening quarter.
Following a pair of Army treys, Ferguson connected on a layup to bring the game to 12-12 with under two minutes left in the first.
Massachusetts ended the quarter with an 18-15 lead thanks to triples from Palmieri and Aiyanna Perkins on back-to-back possessions.
Franks responded to an Army three by calling her own number, hitting a baseline fadeaway to keep UMass a 20-18 lead with 9:00 left in the half.
Perkins hit nothing but net on her second triple of the night from the top of the arc, giving the Minutewomen a 23-20 lead with 6:32 remaining.
In a defensive second quarter, Army finished the remaining 6:30 minutes outscoring UMass 7-6, with the Minutewomen holding onto a 29-27 lead at the break.
McKayle found a cutting Olbrys on back-to-back possessions underneath for the Minutemen's first points of the second half, putting UMass ahead 33-30 with 6:41 remaining in the third quarter.
Franks pushed the Massachusetts scoring streak to seven after finishing an and-one with 5:20 left in the third, giving the Minutewomen a 36-30 lead.
Olbrys ended an 8-0 Black Knight run knocking down a pair of free throws to even the score at 40 with 1:32 left in the third quarter.
Perkins finished at the rim with 0:31 but a last-second triple by Camryn Tade gave the Black Knights the lead, 43-42, entering the final frame.
Odenigbo put back her own miss to score the Minutewomen's first points of the fourth, cutting the Army lead down to 47-44 with 7:59 left in the game.
After making a layup, Olbrys found a cutting Chinenye Odenigbo on the ensuing possession to recapture the lead for the Minutewomen, putting UMass ahead 52-51 with 5:17 remaining.
McKayle buried a trey from the left wing to tie the game at 57 with 3:20.
The Black Knights ended the contest on a 7-4 run in a 64-61 Army victory.

By The Numbers

2: Two Minutewomen recorded double digits in the afternoon – Olbrys (16) and McKayle (13).
14: The Minutewomen dished out 14 assists on the afternoon.
16: Olbrys led the Minutewomen with 16 points.
32: The Minutewomen registered 32 points in the paint.
33: The Minutewomen nabbed 33 total rebounds in the contest.

Up Next

The Minutewomen continue a five-game road stretch with a matchup at Florida Atlantic on Friday, December 19, at 1 p.m., on ESPN+, in Miami, Florida, during the first leg of the FIU Christmas Classic.
Links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Yahmani McKayle

Chinenye Odenigbo

Megan Olbrys

Aiyanna Perkins

Olbrys Megan

McKayle Yahmani

Odenigbo Chinenye

Perkins Aiyanna

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics