WILMINGTON, Del. -- With the shot clock close to expiring and less than a minute remaining in regulation, Massachusetts graduate student Sam Breen wanted the ball, and as the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year faded away, her shot found the bottom of the net.
Down by as many as 11 points, third-seeded UMass powered into the Atlantic 10 Championship Semifinals with a 66-63 victory over No. 6 Fordham Friday night at CHASE Fieldhouse.
After Breen's shot went in, Fordham called a timeout, leaving Breen to be greeted by her teammates; the veteran forward wrapped arms with teammate MaKennah White as the pair walked towards their bench, all while the UMass faithful erupted in approval.
"When it was in the air, I was just hoping it was in," Breen said. "Before I was thinking that I couldn’t get a charge and my defender was shorter, so stepback was the answer there."
Breen scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter and shot 7-for-11 from the field. Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Teamer Sydney Taylor added 15 points, fellow second-team selection Destiney Philoxy contributed 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists and sophomore guard Ber’Nyah Mayo tacked on 12 points of her own.
"What a game," Massachusetts head coach Tory Verdi said. "It goes to show the level of competition we have in the A-10. This is something all of the coaches pour their hearts into and want to develop their programs and make this one of the best conferences. Every time you play Fordham you know you’re going to get their best. We faced a lot of adversity throughout the game but extremely proud of our players and they did a great job executing down the stretch."
Fordham saw All-Academic Team member Kaitlyn Downey score 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, while also grabbing seven rebounds. Third Team recipient Asiah Dingle compiled 23 points to go with seven assists. The Rams won the rebounding battle 35-28.
"I’m super proud of this group and all four games were terrific," Fordham head coach Stephanie Gaitley said. "We knew it would be down to the wire. I have to give credit to UMass. Sam Breen played like the Player of the Year, she stepped up and made big shots. Unfortunately we couldn’t shoot well in the fourth quarter and that was our downfall. The effort was there and this is one of my all-time favorite teams."
UMass scored the game’s first six points as both Philoxy and Taylor each converted 3-point shots.
An undeterred Fordham responded with a 10-2 run as the Minutewomen closed the quarter 0-for-6 with five turnovers. The Rams were on top by five points.
Fordham’s defense contained Breen in the first half as she was held to two points, while the Minutewomen shot 33.3 percent from the field. It was a seven-point Fordham advantage at halftime.
Downey greeted the third quarter with a 3-point basket as Fordham took its first double-digit lead of the evening. Though UMass nearly cut its deficit in half, Downey connected once more from downtown, and a Megan Jonassen offensive rebound led to a Kendell Heremaia jumper.
Fordham’s 11-point advantage dropped down to two in just over three minutes, but inside of a minute Dingle’s three would ensure the Rams led by multiple possessions heading into the final quarter, ultimately settling for a four-point nod.
Breen went to work in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of single coverage effectively and using multiple moves to back down her defender in the post and fire the ball over outstretched arms.
"I think we did a good job applying pressure," Downey said. "They made some tough shots down the stretch and those were shots we were willing to give up. Everybody had to do a little something and give a little more to lock them in that first half. Unfortunately, the fourth quarter slipped away and they capitalized off some of our mistakes. The times we were able to apply pressure and play defense with all five together was when we played our best basketball."
Fordham was also done in by a 4-for-21 shooting performance in the fourth quarter.
The Minutewomen drew extra support from the fans in attendance, with two Wilmington natives, Mayo and freshman guard Stefanie Kulesza, on the UMass roster.
"I was looking at people’s mouths trying to read their lips during the game, but it still wasn’t working out, so I was trying to do hand signals," said Philoxy. "It feels good to know that we have supporters from outside of Massachusetts and knowing they’re riding with us throughout the whole season. They’re still going to be here for the next two games."