AMHERST — The UMass women’s basketball team was searching for “something” in the second half against La Salle on Wednesday night.
UMass led the Explorers by seven points moving into the final frame, but the Minutewomen’s offense struggled to score toward the end of the third quarter.
“We were stale offensively,” UMass coach Tory Verdi said. “We couldn’t score. We were struggling to find something.”
Bre Hampton-Bey helped the Minutewomen find what they was looking for. The junior guard made a 3-pointer to close the third quarter and turned a four-point lead into seven.
“I felt like it changed the complexion of the game,” Verdi said. “It gave us a little bit more life. It gave us more cushion. Then it was like ‘OK, let’s defend a bit harder.’ Then we got a stop. It all becomes contagious.”
A strong fourth quarter pushed UMass past La Salle, 76-62, at the Mullins Center.
Sam Breen scored a team-high 22 points and added 12 rebounds for the Minutewomen. Hailey Leidel chipped in 18 points. The win extended the program’s record winning streak to 11.
Hampton-Bey’s second 3-pointer gave the Minutewomen (14-3, 4-0 Atlantic 10) an eight-point lead midway through the fourth quarter.
“(Bre) isn’t known for being a shooter, so when she is hitting those it builds up and gives everyone else confidence to make those shots too and find more of a flow in the offense,” Leidel said.
The Minutewomen shot 25 of 29 from the free-throw line. They have a goal of taking at least 17 free throws every game.
“That just shows you how aggressive our players were getting downhill and attacking the rim,” Verdi said.
Free throws kept the Minutewomen ahead in the first quarter, but La Salle’s Claire Jacobs (29 points) consistently found ways to keep La Salle (6-11, 0-4 Atlantic 10) in the game by scoring from tough angles and from beyond the arc.
“We face-guarded her a couple of possessions, but we didn’t do a great job of containing her dribble penetration,” Verdi said. “We allowed her to go to the basket. … The kid put her head down and drove to the basket and we gave up points. … We can’t let someone go 12-for-18 (from the field) with 29 points and 5-for-8 from the 3-point line. … There is always room for improvement.”
UMass struggled shooting the second quarter and the Explorers closed within two. The Minutewomen shot 2-for-14 from the floor and La Salle took advantage, closing the gap to 33-31.
“La Salle scouted us really well and I think that rattled us a bit,” Leidel said. “We were trying to do stuff within our offense and obviously they’re trying to take that away, so we were trying to figure out a way to counter it. I think people were thinking too much and not making the simple play. At the end of the day, just play basketball.”
Breen, Leidel and Hampton-Bey highlighted the third quarter for UMass. Leidel made a 3-pointer with 2 minutes, 16 seconds to go in the frame. Breen made a 3-pointer less than a minute later, then came Hampton-Bey’s 3-pointer with nine seconds left in the quarter to push the Minutewomen ahead, 55-48.
“I’ve really been working on my shot and we need them in crunch time,” Hampton-Bey said. “I’m happy to knock it down in rhythm.”
Breen scored 12 of her final 22 points in the fourth. The junior forward snuck behind La Salle’s interior defense and finished through contact down low.
Breen made her debut for the Minutewomen against Iona on Dec. 21 and is averaging 16 points per game through her first six games.
“I don’t even think that is her best game,” Verdi said. “That shows you the type of potential she has.”
The Minutewomen will put their win streak on the line when they visit Rhode Island at 1 p.m. Sunday. The team is eager for the challenge that awaits as the program gets deeper into conference play.
“It starts with practice and the coaches being there to motivate us and let us know we have a target on our back,” Hampton-Bey said. “We’re ready for this moment. I think this is the moment for us. We are ready to keep going.”