University of Massachusets Athletics

Wednesday, February 5
6:00 p.m.

University of Massachusetts

13-10,8-4Atlantic 10

81
vs
54

St. Bonaventure

5-18,1-11Atlantic 10

1
2
3
4
F
St. Bonaventure
13
13
17
11
54
Massachusetts
23
13
22
23
81
Yahmani McKayle

Minutewomen Down Bonnies In Double-Digits, 81-54

February 05, 2025 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Yamani McKayle matched career-high with 21 points

AMHERST, Mass. -- Massachusetts (13-10, 8-4 A-10) women's basketball earned a dominant 81-54 win over St. Bonaventure (5-18, 1-11 A-10) on Wednesday night. The Minutewomen held the advantage since the early minutes of the first quarter and led by as many as 29 points in the impressive showcase.  

Yahmani McKayle led the way for UMass, tying her season-high in points with 21. The freshman guard went 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-8 beyond the arc, while posting four rebounds and five assists across the contest.  

Allie Palimeri put up 12 points, four rebounds and three assists for the Minutewomen in 35 minutes on the court. 

Megan Olbrys was the third Minutewomen to reach double digits, knocking down 10 points and leading the squad in assists with 8.  
 

Breaking Down the Action 

  • The Bonnies got on the board first with an early triple with 9:07 on the clock. 

  • UMass answered back with a three-pointer of its own from Palmieri before the first quarter's 7:23 media timeout. 

  • The teams continued to trade baskets, until Palmieri splashed one from behind-the-arc at 5:11 to lend the Minutewomen their first lead of the night, 11-9.  

  • Massachusetts continued the momentum by mounting a 9-0 run, keyed by McKayle's three-pointer with 4:40 left in the first quarter. 

  • After St. Bonaventure got one back, UMass' Olbrys made a layup with 00:05 remaining to grant Massachusetts' a 10-point advantage heading into the second quarter. 

  • Olbrys scored the first basket of the second quarter to make it a 25-13 game at 9:33. 

  • After holding the Bonnies scoreless across nearly five minutes, Macy Smith's jumper put them back within 13 points with 7:24 remaining in the second quarter. 

  • Aleah Sorrentino added a pair of consecutive layups to add to UMass' then 32-18 lead at 4:53. 

  • The teams went back-and-forth, making it a 36-26 score heading into halftime.  

  • The Minutewomen kick started the second half scoring with a three-pointer from Yamani McKayle at 9:23. 

  • The Bonnies responded back with three straight three-pointers; cutting UMass' lead to 5 points with 7:00 remaining in the third quarter. 

  • The Minutewomen responded with a contested layup from Stefanie Kulesza at the 6:11 marker. 

  • St. Bonaventure answered back with a 5-0 run to make it a tight 41-40 game with 5:12 on the clock.  

  • The Bonnies tied the game by way of three-pointer from the corner at 4:19. 

  • McKayle responded with two straight three-pointers to key a 12-0 run, as the Minutewomen garnered a 12-point advantage in the waning minutes of the third quarter. 

  • Kulesza banked a buzzer-beater triple to extend UMass' 15-0 run and make it a 58-43 score heading into the fourth quarter.  

  • Lily Ferguson's layup began the fourth quarter scoring. 

  • The two teams exchanged buckets until Ferguson's and-one at 4:39 brought UMass to what would be a 14-0 run elapsed across more than four minutes. 

  • Jess Ross's layup extended the Minutewomen's lead to 29 points and cemented a 81-54 UMass win 
     

By the Numbers 

  • 3: Three Minutewomen reached double-digits on the evening: McKayle, (21 points) Palmieri, (12 points) and Olbrys (10 points) 

  • 6: Ferguson led the team in rebounds with six.  

  • 8: Olbrys notched a team-high eight assists across the contest 

  • 17: The Minutewomen went on a 17-0 tear at the end of the fourth quarter to extend their impressive lead over the Bonnies.   

  • 21: McKayle led the Minutewomen with 21 points, matching her career-high  

  • 28: of Massachusetts' 81 points were scored in the paint.  

  • 29: UMass garnered a game-high 29-point lead (81-52) over the Bonnies with 00:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

  • 31: points were scored off the bench, a testament to the full-team effort. 

  • 34: The Minutewomen picked up 34 rebounds opposed to The Bonnies' 19. 

  • 77: UMass was strong from the charity stripe, notching 77% of all free throws taken. 

Up Next 

  • The Minutewomen host Davidson for their National Girls and Women in Sports Day Game on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tipoff is scheduled at 1:00 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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Davidson
L, 38-56

Feb 8 (Sat)

1:00 p.m.
Box ScoreRecapGame BookWatch (ESPN+)PreviewLive Stats History
Full Schedule

Team Stats

SBU
UMass
FG%
.417
.556
3FG%
.480
.500
FT%
.667
.769
RB
19
34
TO
17
12
STL
6
4

Game Leaders

03

Yahmani McKayle

Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
2
24

Allie Palmieri

Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
1
22

Lilly Ferguson

Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
11

Megan Olbrys

Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0

Players Mentioned

44

Stefanie Kulesza

G
/ Women's Basketball
10

Yahmani McKayle

G
/ Women's Basketball
11

Megan Olbrys

F
/ Women's Basketball
30

Jess Ross

F
/ Women's Basketball

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