Ohio won the opening tip to start the second half. Soon after, Aliah McWhorter stepped to the line and made both free throws, extending the home team’s lead to five. The Bobcats (12-7, 6-3 Mid-American) looked poised to keep rolling after a sharp first half.
Instead, the Massachusetts women’s basketball team took the lead — and then some.
Behind a paint-heavy attack and a third-quarter momentum flip that head coach Mike Leflar said his team has been emphasizing “the past week,” the Minutewomen (15-4, 7-2 MAC) surged past Ohio, 85-76, on Wednesday night in Athens.
UMass did most of its damage inside the arc with layups, free throws and fast-break speed. Two Yahmani McKayle fast-break layups and a pair of physical finishes from Chinenye Odenigbo pushed the Minutewomen in front by three, completely flipping the game’s tone. The Bobcats had the early control, but UMass made the second half feel like a different matchup entirely.
Leflar made it a point in the week leading up to Wednesday night that third quarters needed to look different than they had in recent games.
“We need to be better in the third quarter,” Leflar said. “We have gotten off to great starts … [we’ve] talked to the team about adjusting some things internally in the third quarter.”
That internal adjustment showed up quickly and it showed up on the scoreboard.
Ohio controlled the first half’s tempo, jumping out to a 21-16 first-quarter lead and taking a 38-35 advantage into halftime. It leaned heavily on the 3-point shot, going 13-for-37 from deep. Sophomore Gigi Bower kept the Bobcats afloat, drilling five 3s and leading them with 17 points.
Despite the offensive burst from the home team, the Minutewomen steadied itself after the break and outscored Ohio 26-20 in the third quarter, the exact kind of post-halftime punch Leflar had been looking for.
From there, the momentum belonged to UMass. It became a question of whether it could keep playing its game while the Bobcats tried to chase it down with three pointers.
McKayle was the engine once the Minutewomen grabbed control, finishing with 25 points on 9-for-18 shooting. She hit three 3-pointers and added six assists and six rebounds. Leflar pointed to the sophomore’s second-half composure as the difference between putting shots up and winning possessions.
“Second half, [McKayle] was much better letting the game come to her,” Leflar said. “She managed the game much better, made winning plays and made big shots.”
McKayle had four turnovers at halftime and only two after the break, marking a subtle but massive shift in a game that featured 11 lead changes.
UMass also got a dominant interior performance from post player Megan Olbrys, who scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double. When Ohio stayed attached to shooters and tried to crowd touches, the Minutewomen went right over the top and back to the paint.
“We adjust things at the half,” Leflar said. “Tweaked a couple offenses just so we could throw it higher a little bit more … [and] take advantage of them not helping.”
UMass didn’t light it up from outside, 4-for-12 from three, but it didn’t need to. The Minutewomen won the matchup everywhere else: higher shooting percentage, a big edge on the glass and cleaner execution when it mattered most. Brute force worked and the Bobcats eventually ran out of answers at the rim.
“Tonight, we were tough enough to win the game,” Leflar said. “We needed to honestly just outscore them. We know they can really shoot the three and I leave this trip with just a lot of confidence.”
UMass’ response after halftime and its willingness to win ugly possessions late, was the difference between a road win and a long flight home.
The Minutewomen will look to protect their undefeated home record against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 4. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Matt Ford-Wellman can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @MattFW_4
