Women's Basketball Ready To Host Kent State

University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Notes & Information
Matchup	Massachusetts (19-6, 11-3 MAC) vs Kent State (13-13, 7-7 MAC)
Date \| Time	Feb. 25, 2026 \| 6:00 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. \| Mullins Center
Game Notes	Massachusetts \| Kent State
Watch	ESPN+
Live Stats	SideArm Stats
Twitter	@UMassWBB
Instagram	@umasswbb
Facebook	UMass Women's Basketball

AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts women's basketball (19-6) plays host to conference foe Kent State (13-13) at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN+ in Amherst, Mass. at the Mullins Center. Links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

THE MATCHUP

Massachusetts and Kent State will meet for the seventh time in program history, with the Minutewomen holding a 5-1 lead in the all-time series history.
The two teams first met on Dec. 11, 1996 as the Golden Flashes narrowly came out on top 53-51 on the day. UMass and Kent State last met on Jan. 3, 2026, with the Minutewomen erasing a 15-point deficit to defeat Kent State 75-70 on the day. Yahmani McKayle led the charge with a career-high 28 points, 26 of which came in the second half.

LAST TIME OUT

UMass defeated Central Michigan,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.

NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES

The Minutewomen welcome six newcomers, featuring four freshmen.
Massachusetts brings freshmen Anya George, Eva Hannon, Aiyanna Perkins and Brooke Pulpi into the mix for the 2025-26 season.
Rhode Island transfer Ayanna Franks arrives to Amherst off a 3.1 points per game season, adding 1.6 rebounds in 10.7 minutes.
Leah Bullard spent her first season at Oakland, averaging 2.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.4 minutes of action.

OLBRYS ON THE RISE

Senior Megan Olbrys is coming off an impressive season in the Atlantic 10 last year, leading the team with career-best averages in points (14.0), rebounds (8.2), and free throws per game (.786).
Olbrys posted eight double-doubles during the 2024-25 campaign and recorded a season-best 23 points against Loyola Chicago (2/9).
The Norwood, Mass. native earned the A-10 Third Team All-Conference honors at the end of the 2024-25 season and received the 25-player watchlist for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award to start the 2025-26 season.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

UMass is dishing out 16.4 assists per game, good for second in the MAC and 41st in the country.
The team ranks best in the MAC in turnovers per game (15.2). The Minutewomen also rank second in assists/turnover ratio (1.08), scoring defense (60.8), fourth in blocks per game (3.5) and steals per game (10.1).

YEAR THREE UNDER COACH LEFLAR

Massachusetts women's basketball enters its third season under Head Coach Mike Leflar in 2025-26 after his tenure as Associate Head Coach (2021-23) and Assistant Coach (2018-21) with the Minutewomen.
Leflar has been an integral part of building the most successful era in Massachusetts women's basketball, helping the program to its first regular-season Atlantic 10 championship this past season after the program earned its first Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship in 2021-22, while adding an NCAA Tournament berth in 2022 to go along with WNIT appearances in 2021 and 2023, and 2025
Leflar most recently worked closely with the Minutewomen forwards, including 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year, Sam Breen. Under Leflar's guidance, Breen developed into one of the most decorated players in program history and earned back-to-back Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors in 2022 and 2023.

UP NEXT

The Minutewomen return to the road to Kalamazoo, Mich. to face the Broncos on Feb. 28 for second matchup against Western Michigan.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter)

Scoreboard

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Leah Bullard

Ayanna Franks

Anya George

Eva Hannon

Yahmani McKayle

Megan Olbrys

Aiyanna Perkins

Brooke Pulpi