Trailing by two points entering the final quarter of the Atlantic 10 matchup, it looked as if the Massachusetts women’s basketball team had the tenacity to hand George Mason its fourth loss of the season. The Minutewomen (14-12, 9-6 A-10) came back roaring after being outscored nine to 19 in the second quarter but could not carry through, ultimately falling to the Patriots (23-3, 13-2 A-10) 76-66.
“I am proud of our effort and I am proud of the fact that we fought back and really hung in there and battled, especially in the second half,” head coach Mike Leflar said. “They are a top two team for a reason.”
On paper, the Minutewomen may have not had their best day on the court, but the game was much closer than the final score entails. Entering the third quarter, UMass was down nine, but the trio of Stefanie Kulesza, Allie Palmieri and Yahmani McKayle made up the difference. The three were the main scorers during the Minutewomens 20-12 run over the final seven minutes of the third quarter, putting them within one of the Patriots.
McKayle found her place at the 3-point line with seven minutes to go, starting the momentum that got UMass the closest to a lead all game. Palmieri and Kulesza tossed in layups of their own, finding the spark to close the gap and enter the fourth quarter trailing 53-51.
“It was right there. It was a 50/50 game with 10 minutes to go and I said that in the huddle,” Leflar said. “I’ll take that … we put ourselves in position but didn’t close the deal.”
Going into the fourth quarter trailing by two, UMass was met with back-to-back 3-pointers from George Mason sharpshooters Ta’Viyanna Habib and Louis Volker, giving the Patriots a more comfortable lead of eight points. The Patriots continued putting up points as the Minutewomen trailed behind, ending the game up 10 after outscoring UMass 23-15 in the final quarter of play.
The Minutewomen put up better numbers than George Mason on field goal percentages, shooting 40.6 percent to the Patriots 32.9 percent, but lacked at the free throw line. UMass committed 19 personal fouls and George Mason responded by making 20 of 26 at the line. In contrast, the Patriots handed out 10 total fouls, with the Minutewomen scoring seven points from the charity stripe.
Freshman McKayle scored a game high 21 points in the loss, unable to be stopped due to her speed and range while also grabbing four rebounds.
“[McKayle] brings a lot … I’ve been really happy with her growth and who she has been and what she means to our program, and that’s been throughout the entire year,” Leflar said of McKayle’s efforts. “I’m really proud of her for sure.”
Palmieri continued to be a staple for the UMass offense, making four of her seven 3-point attempts to add to her total 16 points and 6 rebounds. Kulesza had 10 points and five rebounds in the loss, while Megan Olbrys scored eight points.
“We have to keep responding and we’ve done that. We show up [Monday] at practice ready to work,” Leflar said. “A lot of our goals are ahead of us and they are in our control. The next week is really important but it starts with the next time we step on the floor together.”
The Minutewomen take on Loyola Chicago at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19 back home at the Mullins Center.
Lucy Postera can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @lucypostera.
