The long-time Atlantic 10 rivalry between the Massachusetts women’s basketball team and Rhode Island came to a close on Sunday, in fitting fashion. The Rams (16-13, 11-5 Atlantic 10) scored their lowest point totals of the season, still coming away with a tightly contested 42-40 victory.
The Minutewomen (15-13, 10-7 A-10) were held to eight points in both the first and third quarters, leaving them simply unable to break through the suffocating defense that Rhode Island brought to the matchup. Despite the lack of scoring, UMass still had a prime opportunity to win down 41-40 with 14 seconds to play. The team’s drawn-up play was completely shut down and Yahmani McKayle ended up dropping the ball out of bounds with four seconds on the clock, effectively ending the game.
“There was an option for a drive and a kick, or a post-up and ultimately we just never got to it,” head coach Mike Leflar said. “They did a good job defending us one-on-one all game. I’m sure there were opportunities for the ball to move a little quicker than it did, and unfortunately, it didn’t, and on that possession it didn’t either.”
Megan Olbrys initially gave the Minutewomen into the lead at 40-39 with just under three minutes remaining, but similar to the first matchup against the Rams this season, they couldn’t get it done in the clutch. McKayle missed a driving layup for the lead, which was followed by a pair of missed free throws from URI’s Sophia Vital to give UMass one last crack at it. The Rams’ defense continued to hold strong, as it did for the entire 40 minutes.
Even though the Senior Day celebration was spoiled, seniors Stefanie Kulesza and Mikenzie Jones were honored prior to the game. Jones played 57 minutes in the 2023-24 season, but has not appeared this year. Kulesza spent five years at the school, amassing 110 games played and 60 starts. She started all 32 possible games last season and is on track to do so again. Poetically, Kulesza scored the first four points of Sunday’s game.
“I’m grateful for all of it, I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Kulesza said. “[That’s] pretty much it.”
Kulesza finished with a team-high 11 points in her final game at the Mullins Center, accounting for over one-fourth of the team’s total points. She also grabbed 10 rebounds to complete a double-double performance. Olbrys joined her with 11 points of her own. The Minutewomen shot 33.3 percent for the game and connected on 18.2 percent of their looks from beyond the arc.
UMass failed to score in the first three and a half minutes of the opening three quarters, but it got stops to remain in the game regardless. The defense forced 23 turnovers, but those shifts in possession resulted in very few points. Rhode Island’s lack of scoring came as a result of its leading scorer Harsimran Kaur making just one field goal.
“I think we frustrated [Kaur],” Leflar said. “I thought we did a really great job in the second half there at their place, and we just continued that. We made it difficult for her to catch on the block, I thought our zone was very active today. She didn’t have many open looks on the perimeter, and then when she did catch it on the block, we doubled her.”
In the first matchup between the teams on Jan. 22, the Rams won 60-58, meaning they stole both games this season in two-point victories. The all-time series between the schools has now been closed to 27-25 in favor of the Minutewomen. The two schools will not face off in 2025-26 with UMass’ departure from the A-10, but URI head coach Tammi Reiss said the schools hope to re-establish the rivalry during the following year.
The loss keeps the Minutewomen in the No. 6 spot in the A-10 standings. Heading into the final stretch of games, they are locked into a single bye in the upcoming A-10 Tournament. They will play their first game of the tournament on day two of the competition, which is March 6.
First, they will visit George Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 26 to close out the regular season. Tipoff is set for 12:00 p.m. for the game that will be streamed on ESPN+. UMass will then have a one-week break prior to the commencement of the conference tournament.
“I know why we’re crying, but we do have a lot of basketball to play, so I really have not thought about anything other than the game,” Leflar said. “To me, we have a lot of season left, and a lot of things that we are doing well on the court we need to keep doing well, and a lot of things that we need to work on. We’re going to be in this position in a game like this in the next two weeks, and we got to understand what it takes to close it out.”
Cameron Pellegrino can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @cam_pellegrino.
