Minutewomen Travel to Philadelphia for Second Meeting with La Salle

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts at La Salle
Date \| Time	Feb. 2 \| 2:00 p.m.
Location	John Glaser Arena \| Philadelphia, Pa.
Twitter	@UMassWBB
Instagram	@umasswbb
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts women's basketball program (11-10, 6-4 A-10) is set for a matchup with La Salle (8-15, 2-8 A-10) on Sunday, Feb. 2 in Philadelphia, Pa. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., action will be streamed live on ESPN+, with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

The Matchup

Massachusetts and La Salle are set to play in their 28th matchup, dating back to the 2005-06 season.
The Minutewomen hold a 16-11 record against the Explorers, taking the most recent contest 82-66 earlier in the season

Last Time Out

Massachusetts put together a complete effort on both ends of the floor on Wednesday night, cruising past George Washington 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.

Meg Doesn't Miss

Junior forward Megan Olbrys shot 89.5% from the field (17-19 FG) last week, earning Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the first time in her career.
The Norwood, Mass. native averaged 21.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2 blocks on the week against the likes of La Salle and Saint Joseph's.

Want Some Fries With That 30-Piece?

Senior guard Allie Palmieri tallied a career-high 31 points against Fordham in her Atlantic 10 debut.
This was the third-highest single-game scoring total by a Minutewoman in the last 11 years.
Palmieri shot an efficient 9-17 from the field, netting 6-10 of her attempts from range.
The Trumbull, Conn. native added three steals on the defensive end, another career-best on the day.

Double-Double Duo

Senior forward Stefanie Kulesa and transfer forward Megan Olbrys became the first UMass pair since Feb. 4, 2023 to each record double-doubles in the same game as the Minutewomen took a 72-55 victory against Saint Louis last Thursday.
Kulesza set a career-high in scoring with 21 points and added 12 rebounds.
Olbrys tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Mani is Money

Freshman point guard Yahmani McKayle had a career-high 21 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals in UMass's first win of the season on Nov. 10 vs. CCSU
The Queens, N.Y. native followed up with 17 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds in to help UMass secure a 76-53 win over Monmouth
McKayle is averaging 12.6 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game on the season, earning A-10 rookie of the week on December 9th.

New Faces in New Places

The Minutewomen welcome seven newcomers, three of which enter as transfers.
Massachusetts brings freshmen Taylor Derkack (Colonia, N.J.), Yahmani McKayle (Queens, N.Y.), Kasey Bretones(Linwood, N.J.), and Jess Ross (Eastham, Mass.) into the mix for the 2024-25 season.
Lipscomb transfer Aleah Sorrentino arrives to Amherst off a 12.3 points per game season, adding 6.4 rebounds in 26.8 minutes. The redshirt senior spent a year at Ole Miss prior to her two-year stint at Lipscomb.
Megan Olbrys spent her last two seasons at Villanova, averaging 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 7.2 minutes of action.
Drexel transfer Momo LaClair is coming off a 2024 CAA Championship run as a key member of the rotation. LaClair played 17.8 minutes a game, adding 3.2 points and 1.5 assists per game.

Up Next

The Minutewomen host St. Bonaventure in their Play4Kay Pink Game on Wednesday, Feb. 5. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard