Minutewomen Defeat Central Michigan In Saturday Matchup, 69-50

AMHERST, Mass. – Massachusetts women's basketball (19-6, 11-3 MAC) victory over Central Michigan (16-10, 10-5), 69-50, on a Saturday afternoon tilt at McQuirk Arena. The Minutewomen got on the board first with a Yahmani McKayle triple at 7:50 and never gave up the lead.

The Minutewomen were led by Megan Olbrys, who posted her eighth double-double of the season and third in the last four games with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Olbrys also swiped a career high five steals.

Palmieri added a team-high 19 points and six rebounds with an efficient 5-10 from behind the arc. McKayle was an assist shy from a double-double herself, chipping in 16 points and nine assists.

UMass connected on a season-high 11 three pointers on a red-hot 55 percent from the field. It marks the first time since Nov. 9, 2023, against Northeastern, where Massachusetts hit double-digit triples, going 11-of-33 in that contest.

With the victory, Massachusetts has won 13 straight games coming off a loss.

Breaking Down the Action

The Minutewomen started off the action, going 8-0 in the first four minutes with two three-point plays from McKayle and an Odenigbo layup
Allie Palmieri got her first points of the game with a shot beyond the arc at 5:05, the third three-pointer of the game
Olbrys extended the lead to 13 with a layup, assisted by Odenigbo
A foul from Central Michigan's Buschell let McKayle capitalize with two free throws with less than two left in the quarter.
Perkins made it a ten-point lead with 28 seconds left, ending the first quarter 18-8.
Perkins continued the hot streak into the second quarter, nabbing a pair of free throws 17 seconds in.
Olbrys added a layup at 8:25
The Minutewomen went on another 8-0 run within one minute, led by Palmieri who scored five points and a three pointer from Franks
Olbrys continued to convert, nabbing a steal and then a layup at 4:05
The Minutewomen continued to extend the lead, going on a 10-0 run to end the half, led by Perkins who dished out four points
The Chippewas Morson, finished off the half with a three pointer at the buzzer, narrowly keeping Central Michigan's deficit under 20 points.
McKayle started the second half for the Minutewomen, sinking her third three-point shot at 7:33
Olbrys found her away around Central Michigan's defense to put in a jumper
Palmieri added her fourth shot beyond the arc to put the Minutewomen to 50 points with less than five left in the quarter
The Chippewas went on a 10-0 run to attempt to close the 22-point deficit in the third and fourth quarter
The Minutewomen quickly found their stride in the final quarter, going on a 10-2 run, with two three pointers from Perkins and Palmieri.
Ferguson added another two with a layup and drew a foul from Anderson to get the chance to make it a three-point play but is unable to convert at 4:51
This started off another small 6-0 run, to extend the Minutewomens lead to 23
A turnover from Anderson allowed McKayle to dish out another two points
Bullard finished the game off with a free throw with 35 seconds left in the match
Johnson from Central Michigan made a three-point play with an and one, but it wasn't enough to recover from the Minutewomens offensive pressure, ending the game 69-50

By The Numbers

4: Four Minutewomen collected double-digit points – Palmieri (19), McKayle (16), Olbrys (10), and Perkins (10)

5: Megan Olbrys recorded a career-high five steals

11: The number of threes made recorded in the contest, five were made by Palmieri

10: The largest run the Minutewomen went on, which was recorded twice in the matchup

23: The Minutewomens largest lead in the contest, recorded at 1:20 in the fourth quarter

Up Next

The Minutewomen return home for a second matchup of the season against Kent State on Wednesday, Feb. 25. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter)

Scoreboard