The Massachusetts women’s basketball team lost by 30 points to a Richmond team that hit on all facets of the game Sunday. The story of the game can be told by just looking at the first quarter as the Spiders, (11-5, 2-1 Atlantic 10) missed just two shots and hit seven 3-pointers to get out to a rapid 29-8 lead that the Minutewomen (2-1 A-10) would never recover from.
At the half down 44-15, UMass switched up its offense having at one point four guards on the court at once which made the second half look more modest on the box score losing the half 38-37. However, with the hole dug in the first, there was no coming back.
“We got our butts totally kicked [Sunday], and we really let an opportunity just slip right through our fingers … We experienced [Richmond] coming off a loss and they responded,” head coach Mike Leflar remarked. “I knew Richmond would come out moving the ball and ready to play and I thought even if they jump on us early, we will fight and that didn’t happen. It didn’t happen After the first timeout, didn’t happen after the second timeout, didn’t happen after the quarter or after the half.”
In terms of positives for the Minutewomen, Allie Palmieri and Yahmani McKayle each tallied double digits in the scoring column with 15 and 18 points respectively. Palmieri’s performance eclipsed the 15-point threshold for the eighth time this year. She remains UMass’ leading scorer at 14.4 points a game. McKayle has been a fire off the bench for the Minutewomen at 13 points a game, including 12.8 points per game since being removed from the starting lineup.
“I’ve really seen a ton of growth and [McKayle] has had a little bit of a roller coaster ride as most freshmen do, but so positive from my perspective and I’ve shared that with her. Obviously she’s a difference maker handling the basketball and breaking down the defense … She adds a different dynamic and quite honestly, she’s a sixth starter with the minutes she plays. We rely on her a lot and I think she’s doing a great job,” Leflar said.
On the Richmond side of the ball, three players had double digits and the team hit 17 3-pointers at an impressive 51.5 percent. Rachel Ullstrom, the seventh leading scorer in the A-10, finished with 16 points matching Maggie Doogan’s total for the most on the team. The Spiders were coming off a tough two-point loss to Fordham in their last game and carried that chip on their shoulders into Amherst.
“A great response from our group [Sunday]. Obviously, myself included, we were very disappointed in the result [against Fordham]. As painful as that was, and as much as that one hurt, you want to have a group that will really respond. [Sunday] you look at the scorebook and see what happened, that’s a great response,” Richmond head coach Aaron Roussell said.
UMass now shifts its attention to a matchup in Dayton Ohio against the Flyers on Wednesday Jan. 8. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
“We need to walk in with a little chip on our shoulder [Monday at practice]. [Sunday] we really looked like we had relaxed and we looked like we accomplished something and the only thing we accomplished was winning two games and having the opportunity in the next one. So I hope the disappointment [Sunday] does fuel [Monday],” Leflar said.
Owen Shelffo can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @owen_shelffo
