GLEN ALLEN, Va. – Entering the 2024-25 season, expectations for the UMass women’s basketball team were low. The Minutewomen were coming off a historic season for all the wrong reasons, while jumping into Mike Leflars’ second year as a head coach without three of 2023-24’s starting players.
The Minutewomen’s past season was a small step to build off of. UMass went 5-27 overall and 2-16 in conference, grabbing victories against Dayton and St. Bonaventure, the No. 12 and No. 15 seeds. Mid-season, the Minutewomen went on a 15-game losing streak while getting outscored by a margin of 13.1 points on average. When tournament time came around, UMass pulled off a first-round win against La Salle before falling 81-57 to Duquesne.
On the court, there seemed to be slim hope for the Minutewomen. Between constant losses and a lack of team chemistry, nothing was going right for UMass.
Additionally, the Minutewomen lost five of their six top leading scorers in the offseason, as players transferred out or retired from college basketball. Kristin Williams, 3-point prodigy and go-to scorer, took her skills down south to Coastal Carolina. As UMass’s leading scorer, Williams averaged 11.6 points a game. Alexsia Rose finished close behind, averaging 11.4 points per game, but also transferred out, going to the University of Minnesota for her final season. Promising freshman Lilly Taulelei hit the transfer portal and found herself a new home at Iowa State. With Williams and Rose elsewhere, and fellow starters Bre Bellamy and Tori Hyduke hanging up their jerseys, the Minutewomen had to rebuild once again.
The sole starter left going into this season was Stefanie Kulesza, entering her fourth and final season with UMass. Kulesza averaged 11.2 points per game in the 2023-24 season, while playing all over the court and taking on a new leadership role. Lilly Ferguson returned as well, alongside a notable sophomore Chinenye Odenigbo.
It was time for the Minutewomen to rebuild and regroup.
Megan Olbrys was acquired from Villanova University in the offseason, bringing experience and much needed post presence. Allie Palmeri hit the ground running for UMass after sitting out the prior season. Yahmani McKayle, a freshman, committed to UMass and brought with her a spark of quickness to the court.
The turnaround of the Minutewomen was unprecedented. Going 16-14 overall and 11-7 in the A-10 was a sure sign of a more successful season, but it was clear to see the team cared more and played harder. The successes were evident on and off the court.
The UMass team chemistry was inevitable and came with high praise from Coach Leflar. Wins came more easily and even when tough contests were lost, out of those came lessons learned.
“The people, the personalities, the character and the chemistry. Those things changed in the last 365 days,” said Leflar after the UMass A-10 tournament game.
From 2024 to 2025, major growth occurred. The Minutewomen leaned on one another to win games, moving up in the rankings and succeeding as a team. Bringing in new players and learning from veterans translated into buckets made, passes completed and wins achieved.
“As a group we reached our potential this year,” said Leflar. “Every year … I want my teams to become the best team they can be and I think we did that, and that’s a tribute to the 13 young women in the locker room.”
Olbrys was named to the A-10 All-Conference Third Team, while McKayle swept the rookie awards as Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-Rookie Team. The duo were also the leading scorers for the Minutewomen, Olbrys scoring 13.9 points per game and McKayle scoring an average of 13.4. Kuelsza continued to develop, aiding on both ends of the court while putting up points, snagging rebounds and leading in steals, including a game-high 9 vs Saint Louis.
Odenigbo earned quality minutes and a starting spot in the lineup, while Ferguson was the sixth man off the bench, playing good defense and changing the rhythm when needed.
All around, UMass worked to change the culture into a winning one.
UMass earned the No. 7 seed in the A-10 tournament and obtained a first-round bye, a 180 from a year ago, where they received the No. 12 spot. Falling 67-57 to Saint Louis ended the season earlier than anyone had hoped.
Though the season both ended at the same place, the second round of the A-10 tournament, they could not have been more different.
Lucy Postera can be reached at [email protected] or followed on X/twitter @lucypostera.
