The Massachusetts women’s basketball team was firing on all cylinders as it effortlessly pushed past St. Bonaventure 78-59 on Wednesday night.
After being plagued by slow starts all season long, UMass (18-5, 6-3 Atlantic 10) flipped the script and came out the gate swinging. The Minutewomen jumped out to a 16-point, 28-12 advantage over the Bonnies (12-10, 4-7 A-10) at the start of the second quarter and led by double-digits the entire second half.
“We came out with a sense of urgency,” head coach Tory Verdi said. “We talked about the first period, getting out and attacking them both offensively and defensively… It kind of put them on their heels a little bit.”
Efficient shooting was the unsung hero of the game, as UMass shot a collective 32-of-64 from the field – a solid 50 percent. The Minutewomen also connected from distance at an accurate rate, swishing seven threes with a 33 percent accuracy. The precise scoring can be attributed to the wide open looks the team saw all game as a result of unselfish basketball. In opposing territory, the squad dished out 18 assists.
From the start, the Bonnies focused most of their defensive energy on Sam Breen. They limited Breen to 14 points on 6-for-11 shooting, but in doing so, opened the door for the rest of her teammates to score.
“We knew they were doubling [Breen] which opened up [Ngalakulondi] to get drop-off passes,” Verdi said. “Having four people in double-digit scoring shows you that it was a complete balanced scoring attack. I’m super proud. It’s never easy playing here.”
Angelique Ngalakulondi and Ber’Nyah Mayo were the primary beneficiaries, as they finished with 20 and 18 points, respectively. Both point totals were season-highs for the Minutewomen.
Ngalakulondi got hot right off the bat, scoring six of UMass’ first eight points before getting into early foul trouble. Regardless, she made a season-best 9-of-10 from the field in 21 minutes of action.
After Ngalakulondi left the floor in the first quarter, Mayo picked up the slack. Mayo showed off her range by hitting a 3-pointer from a foot behind the arc and displayed her toughness by shrugging off some hard contact with her defender and finishing strong at the hoop. Mayo’s four 3-pointers tied her career-high that she achieved against Harvard earlier this season.
Sydney Taylor was another catalyst for the Minutewomen, as she tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Taylor also hit an impressive barrage of 3-pointers, as three of her four made shots came from downtown.
Verdi was especially enthusiastic following the game about the defensive effort his team put forth tonight, limiting the Bonnies to only 59 points at a 42 percent shooting clip. This marks the fourth time in the last five games that UMass has held its opponent to 60 points or less – an impressive benchmark for a team that is shaping their identity as a defensive-minded program.
“This is a team that was playing really, really well,” Verdi said. “And I thought we did a great job here containing them. I thought our defense bothered them as well, but overall, a great team win.”
UMass will look to extend its three-game win streak when the Minutewomen welcome George Mason to the Mullins Center on Friday at 12 p.m.
Michael Araujo can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @araujo_michael_.
