UMass basketball: Minutewomen keep surging, rout UMass-Lowell 53-33

Staff Reports

Published: 12-20-2024 4:48 PM

Dominant might be an understatement when describing the UMass women’s basketball team’s second-half performance on Friday afternoon against UMass Lowell.

The Minutewomen ended the game on a 26-6 run that spanned over 16 minutes of game time, and they gave up only four points in the fourth quarter en route to a convincing 53-33 road victory over the River Hawks – their third win in four games.

UMass forced UMass Lowell into 28 turnovers, and outside of Amina Kameric’s 12 points, nobody on the River Hawks roster scored more than six points or shot better than 30 percent. The Minutewomen, led by a strong double-double from Megan Olbrys (15 points, 13 rebounds), out-scored UMass Lowell by 14 in the fourth quarter. They turned Lowell’s 28 turnovers into 32 points, and went 11-for-17 from the free-throw line compared to the hosts’ abysmal 4-for-12.

Aside from Olbrys’ big game, Chinenye Odenigbo tossed in 10 points and grabbed three boards while Stefanie Kulesza added 10 points, three rebounds, two assists and came up with five steals in the win. Yahmani McKayle scored nine points and swiped three steals for the visitors as well.

UMass Lowell had a 12-minute stretch where it scored only two points. The Minutewomen trailed 29-27 in the third quarter following an Alex Gitchenko jumper, but the next eight points belonged to UMass to close out the frame. And UMass picked up right where it left off to start the fourth, scoring 13 of the quarter’s first 15 points to put the game out of reach.

UMass (5-6) already has as many wins through 11 games this season than it did all of last, and the Minutewomen look to keep the ball rolling on Dec. 29 when conference play starts. UMass hosts Fordham in the Atlantic 10 opener, kick-starting the team’s last run through the league before moving to the Mid-American Conference next year.