UMass women’s basketball defeats Harvard, stays undefeated at 3-0

The UMass women’s basketball team defeated Harvard, 68-55, on Tuesday night. For the Minutewomen, it was the first time they defeated the Crimson since the 2022-2023 season.

Tuesday’s game was a true tale of two halves, with UMass mounting a comeback after heading into the break down 29-22.

One of the biggest changes from the first to the second half was the play of Allie Palmieri. The graduate struggled to get going in the first 20 minutes, missing each of the four shots she took.

In the second, Palmieri got hot quickly, hitting a three just over two minutes into the third quarter. That quarter became her best of the night, putting up 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

With another five points in the fourth, Palmieri’s ability to bounce back for 17 points after a rough start played a huge role in her team taking home their third win to start the season.

“I just needed to get out of my head a little bit. I think I was playing a little tense,” Palmieri said of the secret to getting back on track. “Just letting the game come to me, taking shots when they’re open. I think I passed up some open shots, and was trying to force it a little bit.”

The first half struggles were team-wide, with UMass combining to shoot 8-for-32 (25%) from the field in the opening two quarters.

Although the Minutewomen played solidly defensively to open, the team knew they needed to regroup and come out and look like a different squad in the second half.

UMass’ head coach Mike Leflar took it upon himself to do what he could to spark the change he knew his team needed.

“I just challenged the group. I mean, I think [Harvard was] out-toughing us,” Leflar said. “I think we were letting Harvard dictate how we were playing… when you have a group that has continuity, that understands the expectations, understands me, I think they’re in a much better position to respond.

“I loved the way they responded,” Leflar continued. “We got knocked down, and we got back up and made a great run.”

Yahmani McKayle led the way in scoring for the Minutewomen with 22 points on the night. The sophomore was the focal point of the UMass offense throughout the game, taking 22 shots in the process.

Of her 22 attempts, McKayle took half from beyond the 3-point line, where she hit five of her seven total shots.

A big part of McKayle’s success against Harvard was her ability to control the ball. Against an aggressive Crimson defense that forced 34 turnovers out of the Minutewomen last season, McKayle and her team limited mistakes en route to just 13 turnovers.

“[Harvard] still pressed, and they still played full-court man, and we handled it,” Leflar said. “We handled our business. We are a much more mature group, a much more confident group, and a much better group when it comes to that stuff.”

Megan Olbrys continued to prove why she was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Third Team last season, dropping 14 points and nine rebounds on Harvard.

Although UMass was out-rebounded overall by the Crimson on Tuesday, the team got timely boards, including 10 from Chinenye Odenigbo, with six on the offensive end.

Odenigbo put together a great night overall, adding nine points, finishing just one short of her first career double-double. Her biggest impact, however, came on the defensive end, making things hard on the Crimson and finishing with four steals.

“I think one of my strengths is being lengthy with my hands,” Odenigbo said “I have active hands on defense. I have a pretty good defensive presence, so being in the space between gaps and being held midline, being able to read people’s eyes, seeing where the ball might go and anticipating that.”

With the victory, UMass stays undefeated and moves to 3-0 on the year. The Minutewomen will look to continue stacking wins in their next matchup against UMass Lowell on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Tipoff from the Mullins Center is set for 6 p.m.

“We’ve been saying all week, this is our revenge tour,” Palmieri said. “Just getting that win under our belt just builds our confidence. We have a few new pieces this year. Bringing them into that realm and mindset is really huge; building our confidence together and knowing that we can and will win these big games.”