The Massachusetts women’s basketball team took its matchup with Northeastern by the scruff of the neck from the opening tip and coasted to an 81-50 victory. UMass (3-5) outscored the Huskies (1-6) 48-16 in the first two quarters of play.
“The energy, the enthusiasm we played with tonight was really infectious and it does affect the ball going in,” head coach Mike Leflar said. “It does affect the type of possessions you have and to show up like that at practice after a difficult loss was a good testament to our team’s character.”
Guard Allie Palmieri came out of the gates flying, grabbing her own miss and putting it back up for the first bucket of the game. On her next two shot attempts, Palmieri cashed in on a pair of 3-pointers. The Minutewomen grew a 13-4 lead within the first five minutes of the contest. Palmieri led all scorers at the break with 14 points alongside five rebounds.
“We need [Palmieri] to be the threat for us on the perimeter,” Leflar said. “Whether she’s making shots or missing shots, she needs to be ready to step up and take the next one because she knows, as I’ve told her, I’m calling the next one for her.”
Momo LaClair replaced Yahmani McKayle in the starting lineup, earning her first start for UMass. The Drexel transfer capitalized on a Northeastern three-second violation and connected on a 3-pointer of her own during the quick start.
The Minutewomen extended their lead drastically following the media timeout in the initial frame, finishing the quarter on a 21-4 run. UMass spread the scoring out and got some assistance from its bench, an area where the team had been lacking up to this point. Center Chinenye Odenigbo used her size and presence to contribute two early layups.
In the waning moments of the first quarter, Aleah Sorrentino missed a pair of free throws after her contact fell out of her eye, though her second miss was tipped out of play by the Huskies. Off the ensuing inbound, Lilly Ferguson released the ball two-tenths of a second before the buzzer and increased the Minutewomen lead to 18 with her first of two buzzer-beaters on the night.
Megan Olbrys took over in the post in the second quarter, making all four of her layup attempts. She has emerged as a serious threat for opposing defenses with her nifty post moves and efficient scoring. Between her previous two games, Olbrys has made 16 of her last 17 shots.
“I’m pretty content with where I’m at,” Olbrys said. “My teammates trust me and I think that is what honestly gives me the confidence because I know [my teammates] are going to get the pass to me where I want it, where I need it and just putting my team in position to put the ball in the hoop.”
After finding success from beyond the arc last season, sophomore guard Dallas Pierce finally made her first 3-pointer of 2024-25 in the second quarter. Olbrys also registered six assists in the first half, one of which found Pierce wide open for three after a double-team arrived. A looping pass from McKayle with 20 seconds remaining in the half gave Pierce another uncontested look to knock down.
UMass made exactly half of its 3-point attempts in the first half, shooting 6-of-12. The good shooting improved the team’s chances at victory, especially given its success at exploiting Northeastern’s zone.
“We moved the ball well, we didn’t just get open threes because we got open threes,” Leflar said. “We got open threes because of the ball movement, sharp passing [and] inside-out play.”
Freshman Kasey Bretones made her Minutewomen debut in the first half with a brief two-minute cameo. The New Jersey native finished the game playing eight minutes with one offensive rebound.
Thursday’s win also marked the conclusion of a six-game losing streak in the all-time series against the Huskies. UMass won for the first time since Dec. 20, 2008, when it won by a nearly identical scoreline of 80-51.
The Minutewomen will look to carry their newfound momentum into a three-game road trip. First up on the journey is Dartmouth, on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
“I think it’s really good to know that your teammates have your back,” Palmieri said. “Even though we weren’t going through a good stretch, we still relied on each other, still counted on each other and it was still the same brand of basketball … Being able to put a full 40 minutes together was pretty nice.”
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected]u and followed on X @cam_pellegrino.
