Late push helps UMass women’s basketball hold off Fordham in battle of Atlantic-10 heavyweights

Staff Reports

Published: 01-18-2023 9:10 PM

Fordham’s late-game push never thwarted the UMass women’s basketball team.

The Minutewomen led for almost the entire second half before the host Rams tied the game with 7 minutes, 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Undaunted, the defending Atlantic 10 Conference champions responded with a 12-4 run, ultimately holding on for a key 66-57 win between conference heavyweights at Rose Hill Gymnasium in the Bronx, N.Y.

UMass improved to 14-4 overall, 4-1 in the league while Fordham dropped to 12-7, 4-2.

Fordham’s Anna DeWolfe poured in 33 points, connecting on seven 3-pointers, and her 3 with 25 seconds left made it a 60-57 game. Sydney Taylor (10 points) and Sam Breen (10 points, 15 rebounds) combined to go 6-for-6 from the free throw line the rest of the way, sealing the deal.

The Minutewomen led for most of the first half, as Taylor drilled a 3-pointer and added two more free throws to stake the visitors to an 11-9 lead late in the first quarter. It was 13-9 after the opening frame.

Stefanie Kulesza and Ber'Nyah Mayo (18 points) each hit 3’s in the second quarter, helping UMass open up its largest lead of the half, 20-14, with 3:50 remaining. But Fordham closed on a 6-2 run, getting back within 22-20 at intermission.

Fordham’s Asiah Dingle opened the second half with a 3 to give the hosts a 23-22 lead, but UMass answered quickly. A 9-0 run, spearheaded by a Taylor 3-ball, reestablished the lead – the Minutewomen’s largest of the outing at 31-23, forcing a Fordham timeout with 6:42 left in the third.

It was 39-32 UMass entering the fourth quarter, and Fordham tied the game at 43 with a Dingle layup. That’s when UMass answered with its run, and the visitors never relinquished their lead.

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BREEN ON WATCH – Breen is one of 15 members to be named to the midseason watch List for the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award, presented by Her Hoop Stats, the organization announced on Wednesday.

It’s the second consecutive year Breen has been on the midseason watch list, and she was a semifinalist in 2022.

Breen, who is the only member of the Atlantic 10 Conference to be tabbed to the list, averages 17.7 points per game and 9.8 rebounds.

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