University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Notes for the New Hampshire Game
December 12, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 12, 2001
AMHERST, Mass. -
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TONIGHT'S MATCHUP...
Tonight's contest between the Minutewomen and the Wildcats marks the 31st time the two teams have met. The Minutewomen are coming off a 67-56, loss to Memphis University on Sunday, Dec. 11. On Saturday, Dec. 8, New Hampshire was defeated by Providence in overtime, 79-70.
THE SERIES...
Massachusetts and New Hampshire have met 30 times previous to tonight's match up, with the Minutewomen leading the series, 17-13. In the last meeting between the Wildcats and the Minutewomen, UMass defeated New Hampshire, 56-39, on Dec. 13, 2000. UMass holds a 12-3 record at home versus the Wildcats.
SCOUTING REPORT...
The Wildcats return four starters from a team that went 10-18 overall and 8-10 in the America East last season. Senior Heidi Plencner led all Wildcat scorers last season with 10.2 points per game, while senior Anna Matthias chipped in 6.3 points per game.
Thus far, the Wildcats have gone 3-5 on season, defeating Morgan State (67-39), Marist (70-60) and Iona (63-46), while falling to Seton Hall (71-61), Michigan (81-61), Manhattan (70-54), Siena (78-65) and Providence (79-70 OT). The Wildcats are led this season by a group of four seniors, who combined average 40 points per game. Forward Aubrey Danen leads the way with 11.6 ppg, while center Anna Matthias and guard Heidi Plencner average of 9.9 poitns per game, guard Colleen Mullen is close behind with 9.3 ppg.
A LOOK BACK AT MEMPHIS...
The University of Memphis defeated UMass, 67-56, on Sunday, Dec. 11 at the Pyramid. Memphis Freshman Victoria Crawford scored 19 points, including 13-for-15 shooting from the foul line. The loss drops the Minutewomen to 1-7 on the season, while Memphis improves to 4-5 overall. UMass shot 46 percent from the field in the first half, giving the Minutewomen a 28-25 lead going into halftime. Senior Jennifer Butler (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored seven points and tallied three steals in the first half to lead all Minutewoman scorers. Memphis came out strong after the break, outscoring UMass 16-8 in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Tigers went to the foul line 30 times in the second half and shot 78.6 percent from the line. Junior Amber Sneed (Cincinnatti, Ohio) scored 14 second half points, including six points in the final minute to keep the Minutewomen in contention, but her efforts fell just short. She finished with a career-high 18 points, five rebounds and four steals. Butler finished with 11 points, while senior Caroline Nehls (Randoph, N.J.) chipped in eight for the Minutewomen. The Tigers had three players in double figures, inluding Crawford with 19 points, sophomore Princess Swilley with 18 points and senior Lauren Jackson with 11 points.
A LOOK BACK AT ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK...
The University of Arkansas-Little Rock defeated UMass, 70-65, in overtime on Friday, Dec. 9 at the Trojan Fieldhouse. Freshman Darci Cassidy scored 24 points, including 10 points in overtime to lift the Trojans to victory. Junior Ebony Pegues (Columbus, Ohio) scored a three-pointer with two seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game, 59-59, and force the overtime period. Junior Siiri Liivandi (Rapla, Estonia) put the Minutewomen up two early in overtime, but the Trojans regained the lead 10 seconds later behind a three-pointer from Cassidy. Arkansas-Little Rock went on an 8-0 run with 2:47 remaining in the game to earn it's second victory of the season. Cassidy went 7-8 from the free throw line and scored 10 of the Trojans 11 points in overtime. Junior Paige Harris (Rochester, Mich.) scored a three pointer with only four seconds remaining in the first half to give the Minutewomen a 33-32 lead going into the halftime break. Pegues finished the half with nine points, and finished with a career high 19 points. Liivandi and freshman Katie Nelson (Ellicot City, Md.) each chipped in 10 points for the Minutewomen.
BUTLER GARNERS PRESEASON ALL-ATLANTIC 10 HONORS...
For the second year in a row, Jennifer Butler was selected to the Preseason Atlantic 10 All-Conference team. Butler earned second team honors as well as All-Defensive team accolades in a preseason poll conducted by A-10 officials and coaches. Butler averaged 12.7 points per game last season and pulled down an average of 9.6 rebounds each game. She lead the Atlantic 10 in offensive rebounds with 120 last season.
O'BRIEN IS TWO AWAY...
Head coach Joanie O'Brien is in her 11th season at the helm of the UMass women's basketball program. She is currently the winningest coach in UMass women's basketball history with 148 career victories, just two shy of the 150 mark. The 1994-1995 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year has brought the Minutewomen to new heights durning her tenure. O'Brien has led UMass to its only two NCAA appearances (1996 & 1998) and recorded the program's first 20-win season. In her career, O'Brien has compiled a 148-148 (.500) record.
OVERTIME...
Three of the eight games played by the Minutewomen this season have gone into overtime. In all three games, the Minutewomen were defeated by a margin of five points or less. UMass recorded back to back overtime games versus St. Peter's and Rice in November of this season. The last time the Minutewomen had two overtime games in a row was in January of 1987 when they defeated both Duquesne (80-76) and West Virginia (77-76) in overtime. UMass recorded it's first triple-overtime game in the history of the program on Nov. 23, 2001 against Rice. The 65-60 loss to the Owls marked the longest women's basketball game in school history. Freshman Katie Nelson played 51 minutes for the Minutewomen scoring 10 points and six assists, a career high in all catergories. The Minutewomen need to compete in just two more overtime games to tie the record for most overtime games played in a single season, a record set by the 1993-1994 Minutewomen squad.
STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT...
Junior Ebony Pegues earned her first start of the season against the University of Vermont on Dec. 2, 2001. As a starter, Pegues scored 13 points in 22 minutes of play for the Minutewomen. In the next game against Arkansas-Little Rock, Pegues scored a career-high 19 points, including a three-pointer with two seconds remaining in regulation to force an overtime period. As a starter Pegues averages 12.6 points per game, but when she comes off the bench she averages just under two points per contest.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE BUTLER...
Junior Jennifer Butler is the only Minutewoman to average double figures in two catergories this season. Thus far, Butler is averaging 11.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. She is currently ranked fifth in career rebounds with 645, and still has a full season ahead of her to climb the ranks. Octavia Thomas (1992-1996) tops the career rebounds list with 903 rebounds in 114 games.
UP NEXT...
December 29, 2001 * Alabama * 1:00 P.M. * Philadelphia, PA
The Minutewomen take on Alabama in the first round of the PNC Wildcat Classic in Philadelphia on Dec. 29, 2001 at 1:00 p.m. The game marks the second meeting between the Minutewomen and the Crimson Tide, with Alabama holding the series lead at 1-0. In the last meeting between the two teams, Alabama defeated UMass, 74-62 at the St. Peter's tournament on Dec. 29, 2000.
