UMass women end NCAA drought, win A-10 title over Dayton

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Player of the Year Sam Breen scored 19  points and UMass defeated Dayton 62-56 in the championship game of the Atlantic-10 Conference tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two decades. Breen’s 3-pointer 65 seconds into the game wiped out Dayton’s only lead and started the third-seeded Minutewomen to their first A-10 tournament title. When UMass made it to the 1996 and 1998 NCAA Tournaments it was with an at-large bid. Makira Cook had 18 points for top-seeded the Flyers (25-5), who have seven NCAA appearances, the last in 2018, although they won the A-10 tourney in 2020.  Dayton is considered a bubble team to make the tournament.