Minutewomen Welcome Rams in Senior Day Clash

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts vs. Rhode Island
Date \| Time	Feb. 23 \| 1:00 p.m.
Location	Mullins Center \| Amherst, Mass.
Twitter	@UMassWBB
Instagram	@umasswbb
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. -- The Minutewomen (15-12, 10-6 A-10) look to send their seniors off on the right note in the final home game of the 2024-25 season, taking on URI (15-13, 10-5 A-10) at 1:00 p.m. in the Mullins Center on Sunday. The Senior Day ceremony is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. with action streaming live on ESPN+ in addition to links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

Last Time Out

Massachusetts claimed its 15th victory and 10th conference win of the season in dominating fashion, besting Loyola Chicago in an 87-62 decision on Wednesday night. 10 Minutewomen found the scoring column, totaling UMass' highest-scoring game of the season.
Megan Olbrys put together a career-night, scoring a personal best 23 points while tying her career mark in rebounds with 13. Olbrys added three assists and one block, shooting 9-17 from the field.
Stefanie Kulesza kept her momentum going off her first A-10 Player of the Week nod, tallying 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. Kulesza was both effective and efficient, shooting 8-12 on the night.
Yahmani McKayle continued her seven-game double-digit scoring streak, putting up 15 points and tying her career-high of eight assists while shooting 6-10 from the field. The freshman guard has now scored 11+ points in 14 of her last 15 games.

Kulesza Cleans the Glass

Senior Stefanie Kulesza grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds in UMass' 72-52 win over Duquesne on Feb. 12, tying the fourth-best single game mark in program history.
The Wilmington, Del. Native secured 18 rebounds in the first half alone, helping the Minutewomen jump out to a 42-16 lead at the break.
Kulesza added 14 points, good for her fourth double-double of the season.
Kulesza earned her first A-10 Player of the Week nod on Feb. 17, averaging 12.0 ppg and 13.5 rpg last week.

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 13.4 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game on the season, earning A-10 Rookie of the Week on December 9th, February 10th, and February 17th.

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 travel to the nation's capital for the regular season finale against George Washington. Tip-off is scheduled for Noon.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Kasey Bretones

Taylor Derkack

Stefanie Kulesza

Momo LaClair

Yahmani McKayle

Megan Olbrys

Allie Palmieri

Jess Ross

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics