The Massachusetts women’s basketball team was given yet another close game opportunity on Sunday afternoon and finished the job this time around, winning 66-60 against Central Connecticut State.
“The basketball gods put us right back in the same spot that we were [Thursday] and it gave us an opportunity to execute and respond and stick together,” head coach Mike Leflar said. “Those are things we talked about after last game, and we did that, so I couldn’t be more proud of the group.”
With only three minutes left in the game and the score knotted at 53-53, freshman point guard Yahmani McKayle received a pass from Allie Palmieri behind the arc. McKayle shot and drained the three to end the Minutewomen’s (1-2) scoring drought of five minutes and propel the team to the win.
Two minutes later, Palmieri sank a contested three-pointer to push UMass’ lead to six points. From there, the Minutewomen followed the momentum they built in those last few minutes to close the game.
Palmieri boosted the team’s score in pivotal moments with her 3-point shot, shooting 4-7 from behind the arc. With 16 points in the game, she unselfishly passed the ball as well, tallying four assists.
While McKayle finished the game with 21 points and shot 38 percent from three, her scoring wasn’t her only contribution to her team. McKayle read the floor well on the offensive and defensive ends, adding seven assists and four steals.
Junior transfer Megan Olbrys led the way in the second half, scoring 12 of her total 15 points in the latter half of the game. When her shots weren’t falling, Olbrys boosted her team with her rebounding. She grabbed the most on the team on Sunday, finishing with eight.
The Minutewomen found their rhythm on Sunday through their passing. UMass finished with an overall 21 assists and gave up only nine turnovers. Players like Momo LaClair, who didn’t hit a shot, still contributed with five assists and three rebounds.
Turnovers plagued the Blue Devils (0-3), as they finished the contest with 20. The Minutewomen took advantage and scored 21 points from these turnovers.
Despite 15 missed layups, UMass still found a way to score under the rim. It finished with 30 points in the paint, with players from all positions helping out.
“I think just helping our guards understand how we want to get it there, when we want to get it there,” Leflar said. “That’s not just the post players. We’re able to post [Stefanie Kulesza] and [Palmieri] up a lot as well.”
The Minutewomen struggled with fouls early in the game but did not let that kill their momentum. Players that racked up fouls quickly were easily relieved by their teammates, keeping individual players out of unnecessary foul trouble.
“We were able to sustain and keep people on the bench with two,” Leflar said. “We have to take some steps understanding when we have one or have two and can’t pick up a third in some situations.”
UMass will stay at home for its next matchup against the Monmouth Hawks. The game is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m.
“My expectations remain high, but today was a really nice step in a great positive direction,” Leflar said. “I’m sure the team feels that and it’s always nice to grab a win, winning is hard.”
Rachel Toth can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X/Twitter @RachelToth46.
