#7 Minutewomen Draw #10 Billikens in Second Round of the A-10 Championship

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Notes & Information
Matchup	#7 Massachusetts vs. #10 Saint Louis
Date \| Time	Mar. 6 \| 5:00 p.m.
Location	Henrico Sports & Events Center \| Glen Allen, Va.
Twitter	@UMassWBB
Instagram	@umasswbb
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. -- The seventh-seeded Minutewomen (16-13, 11-7 A-10) are set to take on the 10th-seed Saint Louis (14-18, 7-11 A-10) in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Championship on Thursday evening. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. The Action will be streamed live on ESPN+, with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

The Matchup

Massachusetts crosses paths with Saint Louis for the second time this season, and 28th time in the program's history.
The Minutewomen took the regular season matchup earlier in the year, claiming a 72-55 victory on the road.

Last Time Out

Massachusettsexecuted down the stretch of its regular season finale against George Washington, out-scoring the Revs 22-13 in the final quarter of play to claim win number 16 of the year last Wednesday.
Megan Olbrys led all scorers with 20 points, adding five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. The Junior forward helped seal the deal in the final minutes of action, scoring five points of an 11-2 run to close the game.
Yahmani McKayle finished with 18 points on the day, adding two assists and a steal. The freshman guard showed complete composure in crunch time, hitting 6-8 free throw attempts throughout the game.
Allie Palmieri was the third Minutewoman to hit double-digit scoring numbers, putting up 14 points, five rebounds, and two steals.

End-of-Season Recognition

Yahmani McKayle was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, in addition to receiving an All-Rookie team selection while Megan Olbrys received All-Conference Third-Team honors, announced by the conference prior to the start of the A-10 Tournament.
McKayle headlined the A-10 rookie class, averaging 13.4 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.86 steals per game to lead in all three categories among first-years.
The freshman standout ranked 12th overall in the conference in scoring, T-10th in assists, and 4th in steals per game. McKayle's play elevated throughout conference action with averages of 13.8 points, 3.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.94 steals.
McKayle becomes the first Minutewomen since Hailey Leidel (2016-17) to earn Rookie of the Year honors.
Olbrys led the Minutewomen in scoring and on the glass, averaging 14.1 points, 8.1 rebounds on a team-high. 53.7% shooting from the field.
Olbrys amassed seven double-doubles on the 2024-25 regular season campaign, including four against Atlantic 10 opponents.
The Junior forward averaged career-bests in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, FG%, 3PT%, FT%, and minutes to cement a breakout year for the Massachusetts newcomer.

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 the week prior.

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, 3.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on the season, earning A-10 Rookie of the Week on December 9th, February 10th, February 17th, and March 3rd.

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.

Scoreboard