Sydney Taylor buried a deep three-pointer before the buzzer to keep the Minutewomen’s hopes alive. But St. Louis outlasted UMass in Overtime to win the Atlantic-10 Tournament. With the win, the Billikens automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament. UMass will await Selection Sunday to see what tournament they will play in later this month.
Photo Credit: UMass Athletics
Julia Martinez finished with a triple-double for the Billikens, recording 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists in her 44 minutes of play. Martinez has done it all at the point guard position this season for St. Louis, who defeated UMass just two weeks ago. The Minutewomen lost just three games in the Atlantic-10 all season. Two of those losses came to St. Louis. Kyla McMakin led the game with 27 points for the Billikens to help her team reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.
Photo Cred: MassLive
Sam Breen led the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Minutewomen. The graduate student is the program’s all-time leading scorer. She has played a role in changing how UMass is viewed. Sydney Taylor scored 18 points, her big shot to send the game to Overtime. Taylor played the game and tournament with a broken bone under her eye, according to a Twitter post she made postgame. Point guard Destiny Philoxy also helped UMass in many ways, finishing with a line of 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Photo Cred: MassLive
The loss is disappointing for the UMass Minutewomen. They won the league’s regular season title and hoped to reach NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. Head Coach Tory Verdi vouched for his team after the loss.
“One thing I know, on any given night we can play with anyone in the country.”
Photo Cred: Daily Gazette
The Minutewomen proved that earlier this year when they traveled to Knoxville and gave Tennessee a scare. A team that reached the championship game of the SEC Tournament. Now, the Minutewomen sit back and wait, hoping others on the bubble lose early. According to ESPN’s Charlie Creme, UMass currently sits in the ‘Next Four Out’ standing.
