The dynamic duo of Makennah White and Sydney Taylor gave UMass the boost it needed against Harvard on Friday night.
White dominated the first half while Taylor took care of things in the latter half, and the Minutewomen earned a hard-fought 77-67 road win against a tough Harvard team. The victory improved UMass’ record to 3-1 on the season, its only loss coming on the road against No. 5 Tennessee.
Over the course of the 40-minute game, UMass led for just 9½ minutes. But it didn’t matter whether the Minutewomen were playing from behind or with the lead; they stayed within striking distance.
“We knew coming in that we had to be tough, and this is a tough environment to play…We figured out a way to change the momentum and then execute,” UMass coach Tory Verdi said. “I thought we executed and we made some really timely plays, and it got us the momentum back. I thought our toughness was the difference in the second half.”
Sydney Taylor exploded offensively for the Minutewomen, leading the team with 25 points and four boards. Destiney Philoxy put together a double-double, scoring 10 points and snagging 11 boards and falling just three assists shy of a triple-double with seven assists. White was electric, putting up 18 points and eight rebounds while junior Ber’Nyah Mayo finished with 14 points and nine boards.
After UMass took a 5-2 lead early, Harvard stormed back to retake the lead and didn’t relinquish it for the remainder of the quarter. The Crimson produced at a 52.9 percent clip from the floor, outscoring UMass 22-19 in the opening frame and holding on to a slim lead heading into the second; they also out-rebounded the Minutewomen 10-9 in the first period.
White had a memorable first half for the Minutewomen, leading the team with 12 points and four boards, including a layup she scored while getting knocked to the ground. While Harvard had its hands full with White, UMass couldn’t slow McKenzie Forbes for the Crimson, who put up 14 points in the opening half. The second period was just as tight as the first, but Harvard was clutch down the stretch, outscoring the visitors 9-2 in the final 3½ minutes to take a 37-31 lead into halftime.
“I thought Makennah White was absolutely just a super-hero tonight,” Verdi said on White. “Her communication was really a difference-maker for us.”
Sydney Taylor had a monster third quarter, knocking down three 3-pointers in the third frame alone to keep the Minutewomen within striking distance; Taylor knocked down all but two of UMass’ points in the third quarter, outscoring Harvard 18-13 all by herself in the penultimate period. After playing catchup all period, UMass finally retook the lead with 48 seconds left in the third with a Taylor layup, taking a 51-50 lead heading into the final frame.
The two teams traded leads briefly in the middle of the fourth quarter, but UMass closed the game out with confidence, outscoring Harvard 11-0 in the last 2:12 of the game. All of the Minutewomen got in on the scoring action in the fourth quarter, led by Philoxy’s eight points.
The Minutewomen will have a brief rest before hitting the road again on Tuesday next week, traveling to UMass-Lowell for a 6 p.m. tip-off.