UMass faces Stonehill in NIT matchup tonight

UMass and Stonehill will face off in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on Thursday at 6 p.m. EDT in Amherst, Massachusetts. This matchup features the UMass Minutewomen, with a record of 16 wins and 14 losses, against the Stonehill Skyhawks, who have won 17 games and lost 15. UMass has performed well in their conference, finishing 11-8 in the Atlantic 10. However, they have struggled against stronger teams, going 3-12 against opponents with winning records. Stonehill, on the other hand, has a solid 13-6 record in the Northeast Conference. Defensively, Stonehill allows an average of 65.5 points per game, while UMass struggles to keep opponents from scoring, giving up 56.8 points average per game in recent matchups. Offensively, UMass averages 4.8 three-pointers made per game, which is less than the 6.2 allowed by Stonehill. Key players include UMass's Megan Olbrys, who is shooting 52.7% and averaging 13.9 points, and Allie Palmieri, who has been making 2.3 three-pointers per game in the last ten games. For Stonehill, Sharn Hayward leads with 16.3 points per game on a 41.1% shooting rate, while Brooke Paquette averages 1.3 three-pointers over her last ten games. In their last ten games, UMass has a record of 6-4, scoring an average of 63.3 points per game. Meanwhile, Stonehill has won 7 of their last 10 games, averaging 65.9 points. Both teams will look to make a strong impression in this NIT matchup.