.png&type=webp)
University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Notes For The La Salle Game
January 09, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2002
AMHERST, Mass. -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
THE MATCHUP...
The contest between the Minutewomen and the Explorers marks the eighth time the two teams have met. The Minutewomen are coming off a 54-48 loss to conference rival St. Joseph's on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2002. La Salle fell to St. Bonaventure on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2002 by a score of 77-60.
THE SERIES...
Massachusetts and La Salle have met seven times previous to tonight's match up, with the Minutewomen leading the series, 4-3. Under the direction of head coach Joanie O'Brien, the Minutewomen are 4-2 against La Salle. In the last meeting between the Explorers and the Minutewomen, La Salle defeated UMass, 74-51, at the Mullins Center on Jan. 22, 2001.
SCOUTING REPORT...
The Explorers return three starters from a team that went 15-14 overall and 8-8 in the Atlantic 10 last season. Thus far, the Explorers have gone 4-9 on the season, defeating Pennsylvania, Hofstra, Colgate and St. John's, while falling to St. Francis, Drexel, Villanova, Houston, Marquette, Delaware, Bucknell, George Washington and St. Bonaventure.
Senior Beth Hudak leads the Explorers in scoring this season, averaging over 12 points per game and 6.7 rebound per contest. Suzanne Keilty and Kathy Foley are each averaging close to 10 points per game, while Bonnie Randa chips in 8 point per contest.
Head Coach John Miller is in his 16th season with the Explorers, bringing to the bench 285 career wins. He has produced 14 winning seasons in his 15 seasons at La Salle.
A LOOK BACK AT ST. JOSEPH'S...
St. Joseph's took the lead on a Colleen McGahan three-pointer at the 7:38 mark of the first half and never looked back as the Hawks defeated the University of Massachusetts, 54-48, in women's basketball action at the Mullins Center. The Hawks survived a second half UMass comeback which cut their lead to three with 5:33 remaining. Freshman Katie Nelson hit a three-pointer to make the score 44-41. The Hawks scored the next six points to push their lead back up to 50-41 and secure the Atlantic 10 victory. Junior Jennifer Butler gave the Minutewomen a 10-7 lead on a layup at the 11:04 mark of the first half. McGahan then scored the first of her two consecutive three-pointers that gave St. Joseph's the lead. McGahan led all scorers in teh first half with 11 points on four-of-four shooting from the field, including three three-pointers. Butler finished with a season-high 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field. Butler also had a game-high 12 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. Nelson was the second leading scorer on the team with nine points. Susan Moran led St. Joseph's with 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Amra Mehmedic and McGahan each finished the game with 11 points.
O'BRIEN IS ONE 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 149 career victories, just one 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.
BUTLER GARNERS ALL TOURNAMENT HONORS...
Jennifer Butler was selected to the PNC Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team after posting double-doubles in both games over the weekend. Butler averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game during the holiday classic, and led the Minutewomen to their second victory of the season. The junior center from Brooklyn, N.Y., was a preseason Atlantic 10 all-conference selection and led the A-10 in rebounding last season. She is averaging 12.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per game for the Minutewomen. She has also posted a total of seven double-doubles in 11 games this season. Butler is the only player in the Atlantic 10 to average double-figures in both scoring and rebounding this season.
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.
FRESHMAN SHARP SHOOTER...
Freshman Katie Nelson scored a career-high 18 points against Temple on Jan. 3, 2002. In her first Atlantic 10 Conference matchup, Nelson went 4-for-7 from three-point range and a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line. The Ellicot City, Md. native is averaging 7.7 points per game and averaging a team-high .941 percent from the foul line.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE BUTLER...
Junior Jennifer Butler is the only Minutewoman to average double figures in two catergories this season. Thus far, Butler is averaging 13.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. On Dec. 30, Butler recorded her seventh double-double of the season in the victory over Rider University. On Jan. 8, 2002, Butler scored a season-high 23 points versus conference rival St. Joseph's University. She also earned WHMP Player of the Week honors for her 17 point performances versus Rider and Temple. 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...
Jan. 13, 2002 * Richmond * 12:00 p.m. * Richmond, Va.
The Minutewomen take on conference rival Richmond University at the Robins Center on Jan. 13, 2002. The game begins at 12:00 p.m. and will appear on Atlantic 10 Television.
