Massachusetts Set to Take on Duquesne in the Steel City

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts at Duquesne
Date \| Time	Feb. 12 \| 6:00 p.m.
Location	UMPC Cooper Fieldhouse \| Pittsburgh, Pa.
Twitter	@UMassWBB
Instagram	@umasswbb
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts women's basketball program (13-11, 8-5 A-10) is set for a matchup with Duquesne (15-8, 6-6 A-10) on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, Pa. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 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

The Minutewomen are set to play in their 58th matchup with the Dukes, dating back to the 1983-84 season that saw Massachusetts take a 61-59 victory.
Massachusetts holds a 26-31 record against Duquesne.
The last matchup between these two teams taking place in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Last Time Out

Massachusetts had its four-game win streak snapped on Saturday, dropping a 56-38 decision to Davidson at the Mullins Center.
Yahmani McKayle led the offense with 14 points, tallying 4 steals. Chinenye Odenigbo recorded a team-high six rebounds on the day.

Mani is Money

Freshman point guard Yahmani McKayle tied a career-high of 21 points, adding 5 assists and 4 rebounds in the Minutewomen's Play4Kay Game win over St. Bonaventure on Feb. 5.
The Queens, N.Y. native dawned the jersey number of program assists and games played leader, Destiney Philoxy, becoming the first player since the UMass great to amass 21+ points, 4+ rebounds, 5+ assists, and 4+ three-pointers made with the UMass great in attendance.
Philoxy and McKayle both hail from Queens, N.Y. and played for South Shore prior to beginning their careers at UMass.
McKayle is averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on the season, earning A-10 rookie of the week on December 9th and February 10th.

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.

New Faced 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 will travel to Fairfax, Va. to play George Mason in their next game on Sunday, Feb. 16. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kasey Bretones

Taylor Derkack

Momo LaClair

Yahmani McKayle

Chinenye Odenigbo

Megan Olbrys

Allie Palmieri

Jess Ross

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics