Sunday was senior day at the Mullins Center, and the Massachusetts women’s basketball team notched another substantial win, trumping Duquesne 89-59.
UMass (20-5, 8-3 Atlantic 10) has now played three games in five days yet showed no signs of fatigue as it triumphed in all three contests. The Minutewomen’s unbeaten streak extends to five games, and they have now won 11 of their last 14 games, dating back to their victory at Columbia in December.
A common theme in the recent run of games is the Minutewomen’s emphasis on unselfish play. On the year, UMass has averaged 14.7 assists per game, the best average in the A-10 conference. Over the last four games, the team has averaged 20.5 assists a game, and has not dished out less than 18 in a single game over that span. UMass tallied 21 against the Dukes (9-15, 4-8 A-10.)
“We shared the basketball offensively and it was beautiful to watch,” head coach Tory Verdi said. “We had some good shots where people could have pulled the trigger, we made the extra pass and got a great shot.”
Making the extra pass to find the best available shot each time down the floor is something that Verdi has preached all season long, and a mentality the team has gotten more attuned to as the season has progressed.
Senior Destiney Philoxy lead the team in personifying this mentality. The senior captain is the engine that makes UMass run, and she proved it Sunday afternoon by putting up a stat line of 26 points (11-17 from the field, 4-7 3-pointers), nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals in 37 minutes of action. On the day that commemorates what could possibly be her final season in a Minutewomen jersey, Philoxy was a lone rebound and assist away from a triple double.
Her nine dimes are indicative that Philoxy was tirelessly looking to create for others, not just herself. Her undisputed trust in her team led to a phenomenal shooting game, as the team collectively knocked down nine three-pointers at a 42.9% shooting clip.
“It wasn’t about me tonight, it was about my team also,” Philoxy said. “I wanted to make sure everybody got involved … Make sure everyone on the team gets their buckets, gets their rebounds, whatever the case may be. It was not about me tonight, it was about everybody.”
Verdi’s confidence in Philoxy and all his players can be traced back to the beginning of his tenure as head coach here at UMass. Coming in as the head coach in 2016, Verdi had huge aspirations for the trajectory of the program.
“It’s evolved and it’s taken time,” Verdi said of the women’s basketball program. “I think because you don’t have tradition, you don’t have history, people don’t respect you. When you look at how we’ve evolved, I had to go out and I had to sell story. And my story was ‘Guys, we’re going figure it out, we’re going hang banners at some point in time.’ We’ve done that. We’re going to win a championship.”
Verdi was named ESPN’s women’s college basketball Coach of the Week honors back in December.
“I got to credit our administration because they support us and I have an unbelievable coaching staff, as well,” Verdi said. “By no means am I doing this by myself. This is about our players and their will to win.”
UMass will look to make history in front of their home crowd against Fordham on Wednesday for the finale of the three-game homestand at 7 p.m.
Michael Araujo can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @araujo_michael_.
