An explosive third quarter from the Massachusetts women’s basketball team led it to a 60-50 victory over the La Salle Explorers. The Minutewomen (12-10, 7-4 Atlantic 10) outscored the Explorers (8-16, 2-9 A-10) 19-9 in the third quarter.
Coming out of a long injury stoppage for La Salle in the middle of the third quarter, the Minutewomen changed their offensive tempo and went on a 10-0 run across about three minutes. They quickly regained and held the lead that the Explorers could not come back from for the remainder of the game.
This offensive resurgence from UMass was led by three key players: Megan Olbrys, Allie Palmieri and Yahmani McKayle. The efforts of these players did not jump off the stat sheet in the first half, as each finished with five points or less. However, in the second half of the contest, they all tripled their point totals to guide their team over La Salle.
After a few missed layups, Olbrys found her rhythm in the paint with 17 points. Almost simultaneously, Palmieri found hers in crucial moments on the outside, adding 15 points. With four minutes left in the third quarter, Palmieri drained a shot from behind the arc, the catalyst for UMass’ scoring run.
Freshman point guard McKayle found success through her teammates with five assists, proving her value in the starting position that she has shared with Momo LaClair throughout the season. McKayle used her speed to her advantage, weaving in and out of the defense to finish with 12 points on Sunday afternoon.
In their last contest, the Minutewomen showed their strength in the first half and the Explorers did not let that happen again. La Salle held a 28-23 lead at the half after an even first quarter. While the Explorers played solid defense against UMass, they were sloppy on the offensive end, giving up eight turnovers. The Minutewomen capitalized on these mistakes, scoring 20 extra points off of turnovers and were able to stay within reach.
Foul trouble set back the Minutewomen in the first half, with starting forward Olbrys picking up two in the first five minutes of play. She was benched for the majority of the first half. McKayle racked up three fouls in the first half, allowing the Explorers more chances to get ahead early on.
While UMass evenly rebounded La Salle 38-38, it capitalized on every opportunity. The Minutewomen found ways to inflate the score through their continued efforts on the glass, fighting to grab those critical 19 second chance points.
The Explorers’ best players of the afternoon, Ashleigh Connor and Ivy Fox, each drained threes that deflated the momentum of the Minutewomen throughout the game. Yet, Connor’s performance of 16 points and four assists and Fox’s 12 points were not enough to drive their team to the win.
UMass returns to the Mullins Center for its second matchup of the season against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5 and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Rachel Toth can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @RachelToth46.
