Minutewomen's Comeback Effort Falls Short Against George Mason, 76-66

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Massachusetts (14-12, 9-6 A-10) fought to the bitter end in hostile territory, however were unable to overcome George Mason (23-3, 13-2 A-10) on Sunday in a 76-66 decision. The Minutewomen struggled to avoid foul trouble throughout the contest, surrendering a 19-10 foul discrepancy in addition to a 26-8 free throw advantage in favor of the Patriots.

Yahmani McKayle put together another career-day, tying her best in points (21) while setting a new mark in assists with eight. McKayle added four rebounds, four steals and shot 2-3 from three-point range on the day.

Allie Palmieri tallied her second-striaight 16-point performance, adding six rebounds while going 4-7 from deep.

Stefanie Kulesza was the final Minutewomen in double-figures, recording 10 points, five rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Breaking Down The Action

Yahmani McKayle scored the first two baskets for Massachusetts, jumping out to a 4-3 lead in the opening minutes.
Baskets by Lilly Ferguson and McKayle tied the game at 8-8 with 5:10 left in the quarter.
Jess Ross hit her first career three pointer to cut the George Mason lead to two points.
A 7-2 run by McKayle and Megan Olbrys gave UMass the 18-17 lead at the end of the first.
Three-consecutive threes by the Patriots made it a 26-20 ball game in favor of George Mason with 6:42 left in the half.
Momo LaClair answered with a steal and fastbreak score reset play.
The Patriots would jump out to a 10-point advantage after a three by Nekhu Mitchell.
Allie Palmieri netted a three on the break, followed by a layup from Olbrys to make it a 27-36 game at the halftime break.
After a George Mason three, Stefanie Kulesza and Chinenye Odenigbo opened the second half with back-to-back baskets to cut the lead to eight.
A second-chance basket by Olbrys capped off a 8-2 Massachusetts run, making it a one-point game with 4:23 left in the quarter.
Crucial hustle play by Ferguson set up another second-chance layup, as Kulesza converted to keep the deficit at one.
With two seconds left in the quarter, McKayle hit a floater to make it a 51-53 game going into the final 10.
UMass and George Mason traded 6-0 runs, as the lead remained at two points for the Patriots with 3:53 left in regulation.
Massachusetts would surrender three straight trips to the line, as George Mason netted 5-6, followed by a Mitchell three to go up double-digits.
Palmieri would hit two more threes down the final stretch, however timely free throw shooting by the Patriots would ice the game, 76-66.

By The Numbers

58.3: The Minutewomen shot 58.3% from three, hitting 7-12 attempts.
21: Yahmani McKayle tied her career-high of 21 points for the third time this season.
18: UMass tallied 18 stocks (10 steals, 8 blocks) on the night. Yahmani McKayle (4) led the steals effort, while Chinenye Odenigbo (3) controlled the paint in the blocks department. Stefanie Kulesza and Jess Ross each tallied two blocks and two steals.
9: Megan Olbrys led the team on the glass with nine rebounds on the day.
8: McKayle set a new career-high of 8 assists.
3: Jess Ross hit her first three-pointer of her career.

Up Next

The Minutewomen return home to host Loyola Chicago on Feb. 19. 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).

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