University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball To Face No. 22 Stanford On Sunday
December 09, 1999 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 9, 1999
AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts women?s basketball team will have a tough test awaiting them on Sunday, Dec. 12, when it hosts No. 22 Stanford at 2 p.m. in the William D.Mullins Center.
The Minutewomen (1-6) are coming off their first win of the season over New Mexico State, 65-38, on Dec. 4 at the Rice Invitational. UMass fell to tournament-host Rice the previous day, 59-58. Head coach Joanie O?Brien was glad to pick up the win before heading into the showdown against the Cardinal on Sunday, but most of all, O?Brien was happy to have a week off to rest her squad after playing seven contests within 16 days.
"Getting your first win as a young team is a key to gaining confidence," O?Brien says. "We played a good second half against Rice and it was a good to continue that and get that first win against New Mexico State.
"This week?s practices has mostly consisted of taking care of ourselves and adjusting some things and getting ourselves healthy. It was a week that we really needed."
Freshman Jennifer Butler (Brooklyn, N.Y.) had a spectacular game against the Roadrunners, scoring her first collegiate double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds to gain a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Butler is third on the team in scoring with 8.3 points per game, while ranking first in rebounds with 9 boards a game.
"Jennifer has picked up everything we have tried to do very quickly," O?Brien says. "She is very intelligent basketball player, and it has made her transition from high school much easier. She was fabulous down in Texas. She played really hard and used her quickness as an advantage. Every day she plays, she gets better and better and more comfortable being out on the court."
Senior Alison MacFarland (Brick, N.J.) is leading the team in scoring with 10.7 points per game. She is third in rebounds, pulling down 5.4 boards a game.
"I?m just going after loose balls, getting the rebound and just doing what I have to do," MacFarland says. "I don?t think I?m doing anything spectacular. I?m just going out there and hustling in every game. I feel my shot is better than it has been in the past, and I?m getting to the free-throw line more. And as long as I do that, I will be successful."
Sophomore Caroline Nehls (Randolph, N.J.) is second in scoring on the squad with 9 points per game and is second in rebounding with 5.9 boards a game.
Stanford comes into town with a 2-1 record, its only loss coming to then-No. 5 Tennessee on Nov. 26. The Cardinal captured wins over then-No. 7 Iowa State and San Francisco. Senior Milena Flores is pacing the team in scoring with 13 points per game, while junior Carolyn Moos is the squad?s top rebounder, pulling down 7.7 boards a game. The series is tied between the two teams at 1-1 with each team winning on their home courts.
"They are a solid basketball team," O?Brien says. "They are fairly young, having mostly junior and sophomores playing for them. Their point-guard Milena Flores is the key to how they are going to play. She controls the tempo, so we have to change things up on her to make her have to think and react to us."
Stanford won?t be the first ranked team the Minutewomen have faced this season, which O?Brien hopes will be an advantage for her team against the Cardinal.
"Hopefully that fear factor won?t be there after going down to Clemson and playing then-No. 18 Boston College at home," O?Brien says. "Hopefully the excitement of playing a Top-25 team and a team with a reputation like Stanford will be there. But we are going to need somebody to step up and have one of those special games for us."