Following Tuesday’s loss against Rhode Island, UMass women’s basketball coach Tory Verdi was eager to see how his team would respond following its worst performance of the season.
His squad answered the call Friday against Davidson, with UMass’ offense returning to its potent form.
The Minutewomen shot a blistering 61.8 percent from the field — 45 percent from 3-point range — jumping out to a 20-point lead in the second quarter and holding a double-digit lead throughout the second half en route to a 82-61 win at the Mullins Center.
“We wanted to come out with a sense of urgency and we wanted to be desperate,” Verdi said. “We knew we didn’t play well the other night, so it was important to get out to a great start. We know Davidson is a really good basketball team and I’m really proud of our players for what they accomplished tonight. To beat them by 21 points is significant.”
It was an all-around effort from the UMass (7-2, 3-1 Atlantic 10) offense, with five players finishing in double-figures to snap the six-game winning streak of Davidson (6-4, 3-1 A-10).
Sydney Taylor led the way for the Minutewomen, finishing with a career-high 27 points. The sophomore shot 10-for-15 from the field, with six of those makes from 3-point land.
“I was letting it come to me,” Taylor said. “The last two games, I didn’t perform as well offensively or defensively so I knew I needed to pick that up. I was just letting the shots come to me and not forcing anything and being aggressive on both ends.”
Destiny Philoxy controlled the game offensively for UMass, finishing with a 13-point, 11-assist double-double. Sam Breen added 19 points in the win, with Ber’Nyah Mayo and Maddie Sims each scoring 10 points.
Many of the Minutewomen’s points came after Philoxy carved through the Wildcat defense, as the junior consistently got in the paint and either finished it herself or found a wide open teammate under the hoop for an easy bucket.
“She’s an explosive ball guard,” Verdi said of Philoxy. “She can score at all three levels. She was creating for herself and she’s a facilitator. She’s dynamic and playing at a high level right now.”
While the offense for clicking for UMass, its defense held the high-flying Davidson offense to just four made 3-pointers. Wildcat leading scorer Chloe Welch finished with 15 points, but wasn’t a factor for much of the game after getting into early foul trouble.
It was a full team effort of getting back in transition and halting a Davidson team that likes to get up-and-down the floor.
“We made sure defensively we got back, stopped the ball and pushed them to the sideline,” Verdi said. “We’re aware they want to play fast, they want to shoot a lot of 3’s and get a lot of layups. We did a really great job of containing dribble penetration, we mixed it up defensively between man and zone and that helped slow them down as well.”
The Minutewomen trailed 9-8 with 5:57 to play in the first quarter, but outscored the Wildcats 15-5 the rest of the slate to take a 23-14 lead after 10 minutes. A 14-3 run to open the second quarter helped propel UMass to a 39-23 halftime advantage.
It was Breen who came alive offensively for the Minutewomen in the third quarter. The senior scored nine points in the frame, making timely baskets to halt would-be Wildcat runs, not allowing them to get within striking distance as UMass maintained a comfortable 56-41 lead going into the final frame.
A 15-6 run by UMass to open the fourth quarter put the nail in the coffin, coupled with smothering defense.
“Our defense was the main focus today,” Taylor said. “We knew we had to put them away early and give them no confidence. Davidson is a team that likes to go on streaky runs but if they had one going on, we calmed down, ran our plays and did what we needed to do.”
It’s a quick turnaround for UMass, which takes on Fordham Sunday at the Mullins Center. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.