The Massachusetts Minutewomen held an exhibition game against Assumption University Greyhounds (NCAA Division II Program) on Sunday afternoon and won 88-80. This gave Mike Leflar to play with different lineup combinations throughout the entire game.
Take all of this information with a grain of salt as it was an exhibition game against a top NCAA Division II program. We also cannot compare this team to last year’s team as there were a lot of faces that left and new faces coming into the program. Sunday afternoon allowed fans to at least see what the team looks like from a competitive standpoint in person other than from the Croatia trip the team took over the summer. Coach Leflar and his staff can use this game to gauge what they need to work on for the season opener.
The Minutewomen only had a total of eight players available to play on Sunday afternoon. Alexsia Rose, Chinenye Odenigbo, Mikenzie Jones, Allie Palmieri, and Avery Childers all are currently dealing with injuries and all have a different timetable for returning to play. This left UMass with a very short bench, but every available player contributed to the game in one way or another.
UMass had four players who scored in double digits on the afternoon. Stefanie Kulesza led the team in both scoring and rebounding with 19 points and 15 rebounds earning herself a double-double. Kristin Williams had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists coming off the bench. Freshmen Lilly Taulelei had 14 points and Dallas Pierce had 12 points both also coming off of the bench.
The Minutewomen officially open the 2023-24 season on Monday, November 6th against the Saint Peter’s Peacocks at 6pm in the Mullins Center. This will be the 7th time playing against the Peacocks in program history. UMass leads the all-time series 5-1 against the Peacocks.
Featured Image: Chris Tucci, UMass Athletics
Kaily “KG” Godek is a current student at Western New England University (WNE). She has been a supporter of UMass Athletics for over 15 years. Kaily focuses on both UMass Basketball teams and occasionally on the other Women’s Basketball teams in the conference. While writing for A10 Talk, she works in the athletic department at WNE. When she graduates from WNE she wants to go into Sports Broadcasting and Journalism. You can follow Kaily on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kgumass23.
