The three-pointers were flying in Mount Pleasant Mich. Saturday afternoon, but not for the home Central Michigan team. The Massachusetts women’s basketball team unleashed a barrage that proved too lethal for the Chippewas (16-10, 10-5 Mid-American) to combat.
The Minutewomen (19-6, 11-3 MAC) connected on 11 of their 20 attempts from long range in a 69-50 victory. Central Michigan attempted only 10 3-pointers and never found an answer for UMass’ perimeter attack.
“I just thought we had a lot of open looks, and credit to our team for knocking them down,” head coach Mike Leflar said. “We took what the defense gave us in transition or in the half court, and people stepped up and knocked shots down.”
Four Minutewomen guards splashed three-pointers, accounting for nearly half of the team’s total points. Allie Palmieri led the way, contributing five threes while shooting 50% from beyond the arc. Her quick release and off-ball movement repeatedly punished defensive lapses by the Chippewas.
Freshman guard Aiyanna Perkins knocked down two triples of her own on the way to a career-high 10 points as well.
Point guard Yahmani McKayle orchestrated the offense, dishing nine assists while adding three 3-pointers herself. Crisp ball movement and sharp execution generated high-quality looks and kept the home defense scrambling throughout the afternoon.
Three minutes into the second quarter, McKayle ran a pick-and-roll with Megan Olbrys and found herself matched up against a post defender. After splitting two defenders in the lane, she kicked the ball out to a wide-open Ayanna Franks, who joined the three-point party.
A minute later, Palmieri drove into traffic alongside Jess Ross and drew two defenders before whipping the ball out to Ross. Palmieri then relocated beyond the arc, received the return pass and knocked down another three from the left wing.
UMass also capitalized on second-chance opportunities. After chasing down a missed McKayle three, Perkins reset the offense and kicked the ball back to Palmieri on the same wing where she had just scored. Palmieri drilled the shot with under a minute remaining in the half, pushing the score to 40-20 and effectively doubling Central Michigan’s output.
McKayle set the tone immediately in the first. She opened the scoring by spinning away from a defender who nearly poked the ball loose, then calmly stepped into a 3-pointer over the contest of Ayanna-Sarai Darrington two minutes into the game.
One minute later, the former A-10 Rookie of the Year used a powerful screen from Chinenye Odenigbo that left her alone at the top of the key. She drilled the open look to extend the early Minutewomen lead to eight, signaling that they intended to lean heavily on the perimeter.
Odenigbo continued to push the pace. At the five-minute mark of the first quarter, she sprinted up the court, catching the Chippewas defense off guard, and fired a pass to a wide-open Palmieri on the wing. Palmieri buried the shot, opening the floodgates.
Later in the quarter, Perkins connected on her first three, further widening the gap. With 26 seconds left in the opening quarter, UMass’ ball movement created one of the game’s most telling sequences. Three defenders collapsed on Olbrys in the paint, leaving McKayle open on the left wing and Perkins alone on the opposite side. Olbrys kicked the ball out to Perkins, who calmly drained the shot to cap a dominant quarter.
The first-half barrage, combined with strong defense and disciplined execution, allowed the Minutewomen to control the entire second half. Central Michigan never mounted a serious comeback, as UMass maintained its double-digit cushion until the final buzzer.
The Minutewomen will look to carry the momentum into its next matchup against the Kent State on Feb. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Jonathan Charlier can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @JonathanDChar.
