McKayle Notches Triple Double as UMass Dominates Stonehill 86-40

AMHERST, Mass. -- The Minutewomen (17-14, 11-7 A-10) protected home court in dominant fashion in the first round of the WNIT, cruisng to an 86-40 victory over Stonehill (17-16, 12-5 NEC) on Thursday night. UMass grabbed a season-high 62 rebounds to Stonehill's 20, controlling the glass throughout the entirety of the game.

Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Yahmani McKayle made Massachusetts history, becoming the first freshman and third Minutewoman in program history to record a triple-double. McKayle notched 14 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals on the night.

Megan Olbrys led all scorers with 20 points, adding nine rebounds, one block, and one steal on 7-13 shooting from the field. The Atlantic 10 Third-Team All-Conference honoree now has eight 20+ point games this season and posted 9+ rebounds for the 15th time this year.

Allie Palmieri notched her first career double-double, putting up 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Trumbull, Conn. native added three threes and two steals throughout the contest.

Stefanie Kulesza was the final Minutewoman in double-figures, tallying 15 points for the second-highest total of the game. The senior guard grabbed nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals on the night.

Breaking Down the Action

UMass opened the game on a 5-0 run off baskets from Yahmani McKayle and Megan Olbrys.
After the Skyhawks took an 11-10 lead, Massachusetts answered with a 6-0 run to end the quarter up 16-11.
Layups by Stefanie Kulesza and Momo LaClair kicked off the second quarter for the Minutewomen, taking a 20-14 lead.
Lilly Ferguson got into rhythm offensively, scoring seven points of a UMass 10-0 run.
A three by McKayle in addition to a 4-4 free throw stretch for Olbrys capped off a 7-0 run for Massachusetts.
Stonehill would hit a three at the end of the quarter to make it a 37-21 affair in favor of UMass at the break.
McKayle, Olbrys, Kulesza and Allie Palmieri combined for a 13-0 run to begin the second half, as the Minutewomen jumped out to a 50-21 lead.
With 5:59 left in the quarter, Palmieri hit her second triple of the night to go up 30.
Massachusetts ended the quarter on a 17-4 run, with McKayle beating the buzzer on a layup to lead 70-29.
McKayle dished out her 10th assist with 4:16 minutes left in regulation to secure the first triple-double by a freshman in program history, capping off an 8-0 run by UMass.
Kasey Bretones netted a three to seal the deal as Massachusetts claimed the 86-40 victory.

By The Numbers

86: UMass scored the second-highest total of the season with 86 points.
62: The Minutewomen grabbed a season-hgh 62 rebounds, earning a 42-rebound advantage over the Skyhawks.
33: UMass out-scored Stonehill 33-8 in the third quarter, heading into the final period up 70-29.
25: Massachusetts dished out 25 assists on the night, led by Yahmani McKayle with 10.
11: The Minutewomen recorded 11 steals, led by Stefanie Kulesza with four.
10-10-10: McKayle became the first freshman and third Minutewoman in program history to record a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
9: All nine active players tallied points for Massachusetts.
5: Five Minutewomen grabbed 9+ rebounds, with three (Chinenye Odenigbo, Yahmani McKayle, Allie Palmieri) reaching double-digits.

Up Next

Massachusetts travels to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on the Bulls on Sunday, March 23 at 2:00 p.m. Links
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).

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