Women's Basketball

UMass Remains Perfect with Fly The Flag Victory Over Boston College

Saturday’s Women’s Basketball Results
UMass 61, Boston College 52
Central Michigan 60, Eastern Illinois 54
Bowling Green 67, Alaska Anchorage 63
Stories Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments

UMass 61, Boston College 52
Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. -- University of Massachusetts women's basketball (5-0, 0-0 MAC) defeated in-state matchup against Boston College (3-4, 0-0 ACC), 61-53, Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center.

The Minutewomen started the scoring 10 seconds in and never trailed throughout the matchup, marking the first win over Boston College for UMass since the 2007-08 season (Nov 14. 2007; 69-67). 

Senior forward Megan Olbrys was the largest contributor of the day, nabbing a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. 

Graduate student Allie Palmieri and sophomore guard Yahmani McKayle also had a standout day with each of them registering double digit points, as Palmieiri totaled 14 and McKayle had 11.  

The Minutewomen defense pestered the Eagles from the opening tip, totaling 12 steals and three blocks while also holding BC to just 32.2 percent from the field–its lowest mark of the season. 

Breaking Down The Action
  • Olbrys opened the scoring for the Minutewomen, dropping in a layup and converting two free throws to give UMass a 4-0 lead three minutes in. 
  • McKayle responded to an Eagles triple by hitting nothing but net from the left arc. 
  • A steal by Ferguson and a feed from McKayle to Olbrys inside increased the UMass lead to eight with just over 5 minutes left in the first quarter. 
  • Olbrys connected from close range to enter double-digits points, later increasing that total to 15 after swishing a top-of-the-key triple at the 2:43 mark.
  • McKayle's third triple of the half and a Ferguson baseline jumper started the scoring for UMass in the second. 
  • Perkins buried Massachusetts fifth triple of the half from the right wing with 6:39 remaining in the first half.
  • Boston College's Anderson hit a 12-foot baseline jumper as time expired in the half with the Minutewomen going into the locker room up 32-29. 
  • Olbrys hit a left-handed layup to open the scoring for UMass in the second half, giving Olbrys her 20thpoint of the game. 
  • Olbrys continued to up the ante for the Minutewomen, hitting a jumper in the paint at 8:30.
  • Palmieri finished a hard layup through contact and hit the ensuing free throw with 4:51 remaining in the third. 
  • An Olbrys block turned into instant offense for the Minutewomen as Palmieri connected on a fast-break layup with under two minutes left in the quarter.
  • A Palmieri steal and quick triple on offense gave Massachusetts an 11-point lead, 48-37, capping off an 8-1 Minutewomen run to end the third. 
  • A Franks euro-step finish, Palmieri trey and Ferguson layup sparked another big run for the Minutewomen, totaling 7 points in just 48 seconds to start the final frame, putting Massachusetts up 55-39.
  • McKayle lost her defender and finished at the rim following a Franks steal, keeping the UMass lead at double digits with 1:42 left to play. 
  • Palmieri hustled for an offensive rebound with under a minute remaining, keeping the game out of reach for the Eagles, with the Minutewomen securing a 61-53 victory.
By The Numbers
3: Three Minutewomen recorded double digits in the afternoon – Olbrys (24), Palmieri (14), and McKayle (11).
10: The longest run that the Minutewowmen went on in the matchup, 10-0.
12: Olbrys hits a double-double with 12 rebounds on the day.
12: The Minutewomen totaled 12 steals, led by Yahmani McKayle (four) and Ayanna Franks (three).
15: Megan Olbrys put up 15 points alone in the first quarter.
24: Olbrys scored a career-high 24 points.
26: The Minutewomen recorded 26 points in the paint. 

Central Michigan 60, Eastern Illinois 54
Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — "We can still win with our defense."

Three days removed from the highest-scoring game of the Kristin Haynie era, Central Michigan Women's Basketball hosted Eastern Illinois for a battle of defenses on Saturday, a 60-54 victory.

Demetria Prewitt (Madison, Wis. / La Follette) posted a career-high 17 points, eight-for-10 from the field, to go with three steals, a block and two rebounds. Nine of those points (4-4 FG) and all but one steal and one block were recorded in a pivotal fourth quarter that saw the Panthers draw back to within a possession, with as little as 18 seconds to go.

"I'm really proud of Meachie [Prewitt]," Haynie said. "Confidence come from preparation. She was prepared for the down low action when she got the ball."

The second-year Chippewa senior recorded her block with 11 seconds left against a three-pointer with the Chippewas up, 59-54, while the steal was tallied less than 30 seconds earlier in a four-point game, 56-52.

Listed at five-foot-10 on the roster, Prewitt was faced with two key matchups ahead of the contest: six-foot-four Meioshe Mason and six-foot-10 Abbie Boutilier. The pair of Panther centers combined for nine points, 10 rebounds in 40 minutes played.

"She's very versatile; she can play in, she can play out. She had 6'10" and 6'3" players guarding her and she's six-foot, if that. She had a really good game."

The Central Michigan defense stood tall early as it shut out Eastern Illinois for more than 12 minutes of the first half. The Panthers scored with 6:24 in the first quarter to take a 9-7 lead—it took until 4:33 left in the second for them to see the ball go through the net again.

"We talk about playing one possession at a time, playing championship defense. We missed some bunnies on the offensive end, but we didn't let that affect our defense."

The Chippewas scored 16 points in the process.

"Our players have been very good at locking in on the scouting report and knowing what to do on each player. I attribute that to their mindset of staying focused and not taking plays off."

The Chippewa breakaway was fueled by 10 of Madi Morson's (Canton, Mich. / Salem) 17 points, tied with Prewitt for the game high.

Another key facet for the defense was Rylan Buschell's execution against Eastern Illinois's Ava Stoller. The Panther guard posted a 25-point performance at Purdue earlier in the month and boasted a 55 percent three-point shooting clip prior to Saturday's contest.

"Rylan's crushing it, that's why we recruited her. She plays on both sides of the ball; she's a pest on the ball. The goal was to make her [Stoller] frantic."

Stoller finished five-for-13 from the field, one-of-six from beyond the arc, and was forced in and out of the contest with foul trouble as she finished with four.

Bowling Green 67, Alaska Anchorage 63
Box Score
Postgame recap coming soon.