AMHERST, Mass. – The Minutewomen (6-6, 1-0 A-10) ended 2024 victorious in their conference opener against Fordham (6-6, 0-1 A-10), claiming a 78-61 statement win on Sunday afternoon.
Allie Palmieri shined in her first game of A-10 action, pouring in a career-high 31 points on 6-10 shooting from deep. This marked the third-highest scoring total by an individual player for UMass in the last 11 years. The guard was a menace on the defensive end, tallying three steals.
Chinenye Odenigbo also put together a career day, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds on 7-11 shooting from the field. Odenigbo also tallied two steals and two assists.
Megan Olbrys and Stefanie Kulesza also hit double figures in the scoring column for Massachusetts, scoring 12 and 10 points respectively. Olbrys added six rebounds and seven assists, while Kulesza tallied four rebounds and five assists.
Breaking Down the Action
Chinenye Odenigbo scored the first basket of A-10 play this season, finishing a setup from Megan Olbrys.
Allie Palmieri netted her first three of the game with 7:21 left in the first quarter.
Stefanie Kulesza followed the three-point make with a steal and transition layup to take a 7-5 lead.
After a made triple by Fordham’s Chae Harris, Odenigbo and Olbrys went on a 6-2 run as Massachusetts led 13-10.
Following back-and-forth scores from both sides, Fordham’s Anastasija Veljovic cut the UMass lead to 20-16 with a layup.
Yahmani McKayle checked in and drained her first three of the game with 1:34 left in quarter one.
Taylor Donaldson hit a triple for the Rams just before time expired to make it a 26-19 game going into the second quarter.
A 10-2 run by Fordham would secure a 29-28 lead for Fordham in the next quarter.
UMass would go on a 13-5 run to end the half, capped off by a buzzer-beating putback from Olbrys to go up 41-34 at the break.
Palmieri opened the second half with another make from downtown, bringing her total to 19 points and the lead to 44-34.
Kulesza answered a five-point swing from the Rams with a strong take to the basket, extending the lead back to seven with 7:21 left in the quarter.
Palmieri and Donaldson traded three-pointers with just over six minutes to play in the third, giving Palmieri a new career-high 22 points.
Buckets from Odenigbo, Olbrys, and a three from Kulesza halted Fordham’s attempt to even the score, heading into the final quarter of play up 58-52.
The Massachusetts defense brought the energy in the fourth quarter, holding the Rams to just four points in the first six minutes.
Back-to-back layups from Odenigbo capped off an 18-7 run entering the final two minutes of regulation.
Palmieri sealed the deal, hitting two from the free throw line for a career-high 31 points and the Minutewomen’s first win of conference play.
By the Numbers
57: UMass shot 57% from the field and from three-point range.
36: points were scored in the paint for Massachusetts.
31: Allie Palmieri tallied a career-high 31 points, the third-highest scoring performance in program history in the last 11 years.
20: Massachusetts dished out 20 assists on the day.
14: Chinenye Odenigbo recorded a career-high 14 points.
1:28: UMass only surrendered the lead for one minute and 28 seconds of game action.
UP NEXT
The Minutewomen hit the road to take on Saint Louis University on Jan. 2. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in Saint Louis, Mo.
The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with links and live updates available at umassathletics.com or @UMassWBB on X (Twitter).
