Palmieri Shines Bright with 31 Points, Powering Minutewomen to A-10 Victory Over Fordham, 78-61

AMHERST, Mass. – The Minutewomen (6-6, 1-0 A-10) concluded 2024 triumphantly in their conference debut against Fordham (6-6, 0-1 A-10), achieving a 78-61 decisive victory on Sunday afternoon.

Allie Palmieri excelled in her initial A-10 encounter, delivering a career-best performance with 31 points on 6-10 shooting from beyond the arc. This represented the third-highest scoring output by a player for UMass in the past 11 years. The guard was formidable on the defensive end, recording three steals.

Chinenye Odenigbo also had a standout day, contributing 14 points and securing eight rebounds on 7-11 shooting from the floor. Odenigbo also registered two steals and two assists.

Megan Olbrys and Stefanie Kulesza both reached double digits in scoring for Massachusetts, netting 12 and 10 points, respectively. Olbrys added six rebounds and seven assists, whereas Kulesza contributed four rebounds and five assists.

Analysis of the Game

• Chinenye Odenigbo scored the initial basket of A-10 competition this season, finishing a pass from Megan Olbrys.
• Allie Palmieri made her first three-pointer of the match with 7:21 remaining in the first quarter.
• Stefanie Kulesza followed the three-pointer with a steal and fast-break layup to take a 7-5 advantage.
• After Fordham’s Chae Harris hit a three-pointer, Odenigbo and Olbrys went on a 6-2 run, putting Massachusetts ahead 13-10.
• As both teams exchanged scores, Fordham’s Anastasija Veljovic narrowed the UMass lead to 20-16 with a layup.
• Yahmani McKayle entered the game and nailed her first three-pointer with 1:34 left in the first quarter.
• Taylor Donaldson scored a three for the Rams just before the quarter ended, making the score 26-19 as the teams entered the second quarter.
• A 10-2 run by Fordham put them ahead 29-28 in the ensuing quarter.
• UMass completed a 13-5 run to finish the half, capped by a buzzer-beating putback from Olbrys, leading 41-34 at halftime.
• Palmieri opened the second half with another make from three-point range, bringing her total to 19 points and extending the lead to 44-34.
• Kulesza responded to a five-point swing from the Rams with a powerful drive to the basket, pushing the lead back to seven with 7:21 remaining in the quarter.
• Palmieri and Donaldson exchanged three-pointers with just over six minutes remaining in the third, with Palmieri setting a new career-high at 22 points.
• Scores from Odenigbo, Olbrys, and a three-pointer from Kulesza halted Fordham’s momentum, as UMass entered the final quarter with a 58-52 lead.
• The UMass defense brought intensity in the fourth quarter, limiting the Rams to only four points in the first six minutes.
• Back-to-back layups from Odenigbo concluded an 18-7 run as the game approached the last two minutes of regulation.
• Palmieri sealed the victory, hitting two from the charity stripe for a career-high 31 points, marking the Minutewomen’s first conference win.

Statistics

• 57: UMass shot 57% from the field and three-point territory.
• 36: points accumulated in the paint for Massachusetts.
• 31: Allie Palmieri achieved a career-high 31 points, the third-highest scoring feat in program history in the last 11 years.
• 20: Massachusetts recorded 20 assists for the match.
• 14: Chinenye Odenigbo achieved a career-best 14 points.
• 1:28: UMass held the lead for merely one minute and 28 seconds throughout the game.

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