Kulesza Notches 22-Rebound Double-Double as UMass Dominates Dukes on the Road

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Massachusetts (14-11, 9-5 A-10) delivered on the road with seeding implications on the line, claiming a dominant 72-52 victory over Duquesne (15-9, 6-7 A-10) on Wednesday night.

Stefanie Kulesza etched her name into the Massachusetts record books, grabbing a career-high 22 rebounds including 18 in the first half. This ties the fourth-best single-game rebounding performance by a Minutewoman, becoming the first since Maggie Mulligan (2017) to reach this mark. The Senior added 14 points and three assists, netting 4-8 attempts from the field.

Megan Olbrys also showed out for UMass, putting together 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal. Olbrys shot an efficient 57.1% from the field (8-14) and hit all four attempts at the charity stripe.

Allie Palmieri also filled the scoring sheet, tallying 16 points and four assists on 2-3 from behind the arc. Palmieri added two steals and a block on the night for a complete performance on both ends of the floor.

Yahmani McKayle was the fourth Minutewomen in double-figures, scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds.

Breaking Down the Action

Yahmani McKayle opened the scoring for Massachusetts, netting a triple off a feed from Megan Olbrys.
Stefanie Kulesza converted a putback off a missed layup to cap off a 9-0 start to the first quarter.
Duquesne would hit its only field goal of the quarter, as Jerni Kiaku hit a three pointer with 7:05 left in the first.
The Minutewomen ended the quarter on a 9-2 run, finishing the first 10 minutes of action up 19-5.
Olbrys hit back-to-back layups to resume action in the second quarter.
Allie Palmieri traded threes with Andjela Matic to make it a 26-10 game with 6:42 left in the half.
Consecutive layups by Palmieri and Jess Ross made it a 32-14 score in favor of UMass.
A 6-0 solo run by Kulesza sparked a team 10-0 run to end the half with the Minutewomen leading 42-16.
Chinenye Odenigbo, McKayle, and Palmieri combined for a six-point swing to open the half.
Olbrys scored eight of UMass' next 11 points, heading into the final quarter up 59-33.
A Palmieri three would disrupt a surge by the Dukes early in the fourth quarter, as a series of triples and free throws would help Duquesne cut the lead to 16.
McKayle and Olbrys swung five points in the Minutewomen's favor, increasing the lead to 21 with 3:29 left in regulation.
Massachusetts would end the game going 5-6 from the free throw line, quelling any hope of a late-game miracle by Duquesne.

By the Numbers

50: UMass out-rebounded Duquesne 50-23, the first 50-rebound performance of Mike Leflar's head coaching career at Massachusetts.
42: 42 points were scored in the paint tonight by UMass.
29.1: Massachusetts held the Dukes to 29.1% shooting from the field and 21.6% from three.
22: Stefanie Kulesza grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds, tying for fourth in UMass history for most rebounds in a single game.
20: Megan Olbrys scored a team-high 20 points in tonight's win, adding nine rebounds on 8-14 shooting from the field.
4: Four Minutewomen scored in double-figures tonight (Olbrys – 20, Palmieri – 16, Kulesza – 14, McKayle – 13).

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