The Massachusetts women’s basketball team lost 57-53 to a Siena team containing just six active players, all of whom are listed as guards. The Saints (2-4) stayed out of foul trouble and dominated the Minutewomen (2-5) in the second half.
Siena’s Teresa Seppala took the game into her own hands in the third quarter during a 17-6 run. The Finnish junior nailed a tough turnaround jumper on the opening possession of the frame to cut the deficit down to four. On the ensuing defensive sequence, she grabbed a steal and went the length of the court for a layup. Halfway through the third, Seppala drilled two consecutive 3-pointers which extended the lead to seven.
UMass held a lead for nearly 25 minutes, compared to the Saints’ 12 minutes. The inability to knock down shots and take care of the ball plagued the Minutewomen as the game progressed. They posted a measly 22.7 percent from beyond the arc on 5-for-22 shooting.
The tallest player out of the six Siena put on the court stood at 6-foot, yet UMass scored just 28 of its points in the paint. Whenever Megan Olbrys was fed the ball inside, she scored at will. The Minutewomen moved away from this, however, despite the fact it seemed to be working.
Olbrys earned her first double-double of the season, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. She was an incredibly efficient 9-for-10 from the field and was poised for an even bigger game had her superior size been accounted for over Siena’s guard-only lineup. Olbrys finished third on the team in usage percentage, behind Yahmani McKayle and Allie Palmieri.
As expected, UMass dominated the boards, but it still was not enough. It out-rebounded the Saints 40-27 and snatched almost triple the offensive rebounds of its opponent. The Minutewomen collected a heavy 17-2 second chance points discrepancy as a result. Turnovers and shaky transition defense made all the difference, as Siena skunked UMass 16-0 in the fastbreak points category.
Palmieri struggled with her deep ball in the contest, missing on all eight long-range attempts. Her 3-point percentage sat at 50 percent earlier in the season but has dropped to 35 percent. The Minutewomen’s leader in points per game shot 2-for-13 and scored four points, alongside a team-leading five turnovers.
Freshman guard McKayle tied Palmieri for the team lead in turnovers, meaning that the starting backcourt combined for double-digit giveaways. McKayle contributed 13 points in 27 minutes. She attempted a comeback with seconds to play, though the effort was too little, too late. She pulled up from way downtown and sent a rainbow of a shot sailing cleanly through the net, which was ultimately matched by dagger free throws from the Saints.
Despite lacking a normal rotation due to all its injuries, Siena managed to keep all of its players eligible for all 40 minutes. Only Seppala got into foul trouble with four fouls and the whole team was whistled just 13 times. Four Saints played at least 37 minutes, while the other two shared about half the game each.
“Well, only five can play,” Siena head coach Terry Primm said postgame on the ESPN+ broadcast. “So, as long as we got five, we should be alright. And hats off to our girls, they fought really hard.”
UMass will return home to the Mullins Center to host Northeastern, before embarking on a three-game road trip entering the holiday season. The Thursday, Dec. 5 matchup will tip off at 6 p.m. and can be watched live on NESN.
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected]u and followed on X @cam_pellegrino.
