Whether it’s one starter, a bench player, or the whole team, every person on the Massachusetts women’s basketball team has proven they can plant the flag, a tradition head coach Tory Verdi never fails to forget after every game. On Sunday, the team did just that and planted the flag together, as a unit.
The Minutewomen’s (21-4, 11-1 Atlantic 10) offense against the George Mason Patriots (12-14, 5-8 A-10) proved successful on Sunday, winning 78-57 on the road for their 10th straight win. Every player that played Sunday afternoon scored, with contributions coming by utilizing every area of the floor.
UMass made the most out of every offensive possession, using the Patriots’ turnovers as a catalyst to score. It finished the night with 19 points off of George Mason’s 16 turnovers. Some of these turnovers caused fast breaks and UMass took that and ran, with 13 points total on the run.
With 20 assists for the game, playing selfless basketball clearly gave the Minutewomen the edge. All players, bench or starter, were active and involved on the court, hustling to find the next player open.
“We just moved the ball. We’re finding the open person,” Verdi said.
If the first shot in the possession didn’t hit, the offensive board was snagged for another chance. Grabbing 18 offensive rebounds boosted not just the score but likely the confidence on offense for the Minutewomen and it showed. Makennah White may have only notched four points, but she tallied five rebounds and two assists to round out her offensive game.
“I thought [White]’s activity was really good, coming off the bench. She’s probably not happy with the point production, but I thought her physicality and activity was really good,” Verdi said.
Other bench players such as Stefanie Kulesza and Laila Fair contributed when they stepped into the game as well. Early in the fourth quarter, Kulesza grabbed an offensive board for the made put-back. Fair had some chemistry with Sam Breen late in the second quarter, after Breen had been doubled and was left to pass. Fair took notice of this opening and slashed straight down the middle of the paint where Breen found her wide open.
“Our post players obviously [White] and [Angelique Ngalakulondi] got in foul trouble and we went to [Fair] and she did her job,” Verdi said.
With UMass’ starters being the first to command the game, the bench players are left knowing how to navigate their role. Starters such as Ber’Nyah Mayo and Sam Breen finished with an positive offensive performance.
“We took advantage of [Breen] getting her catches,” Verdi said. “She was getting those right around the rim.”
Breen notched 21 points but her contribution on offense didn’t stop there. She added five offensive rebounds as well as assists. Mayo had a similar stat line, totaling 18 points and five assists. Mayo made room for offense, driving whenever she saw an opportunity. If not, she kicked out and found the open man, more of that selfless basketball.
“The fact that when we need baskets, we executed. We got people the ball where they’re supposed to be and we took advantage,” Verdi said.
UMass will look to repeat its fluid offense on the road again on Thursday with a big match up at the University of Rhode Island’s Ryan Center. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
Rachel Toth can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @RachelToth46.
