University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Set To Open Season Friday
November 21, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2002
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Game Day Information
When: Friday, Nov. 22, 2002 * 7:00 p.m.
Where: Mullins Center (9,493)
TV: UVC-TV 19 (Tape Delay TBA)
Radio: WMUA 91.1 FM in Amherst Regan McKendry (play-by-play) and Lizzy Nielsen (color)
Game Day...Tonight's game is the season opener for both Massachusetts and Sacred Heart, and it also marks the official beginning of the Marnie Dacko (Southern Connecticut State University, 1978) era in Amherst. Massachusetts has won its last three season openers at the Mullins Center and is 6-4 in home openers over the last 10 years. In 2001-02, Massachusetts went 12-18 overall and 8-8 in the Atlantic 10, but finished strong winning six of its final eight games en route to a spot in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals. A year ago, Sacred Heart was 18-11 overall and 13-5 in the Northeast Conference, tied for second place. In its 34-year history, Massachusetts is 15-19 overall in season openers, and 20-14 in its first home game.
Impressive Starts ... Marnie Dacko has a tough act to follow as six of the eight head coaches in Massachusetts' history have won their debut on the UMass bench. Most recently, Joanie O'Brien downed St. Francis (Pa.), 44-40, on the road, Nov. 23, 1991, in her debut. Also victorious their first time out were Kathy Hewelt (60-52 at Vermont, Nov. 26, 1988), Ethel Allman (78-65 vs. Vermont, Nov. 28, 1987), Jack Leaman (70-57 at Vermont, Dec. 3, 1986), Carol Albert (41-28 at Connecticut, Jan. 30, 1975) and Jane Farr (51-46 vs. Keene State, Jan. 27, 1973). Dacko was a winner in her first game at Cornell, 62-47 over Lafayette in the 1995-96 season.
Scouting The Pioneers ... Sacred Heart is coming off of an 18-11 season, in which it tied for second place in the Northeast Conference with a 13-5 mark. The Pioneers return four starters and an additional seven letterwinners, including All-NEC second team selection Brooke Kelly. The senior forward averaged 14.2 ppg and 6.3 rpg in 28.1 minutes last season.
Strength of Schedule ... The Minutewomen's non-conference schedule is the 44th toughest in the nation according to the WBCA/Summerville Preseason RPI released earlier this week. Massachusetts will play eight teams which participated in either the NCAA Tournament or WNIT a year ago. This year's slate includes match-ups with Florida, Memphis, Michigan, Toledo, Vermont, Villanova and possibly Virginia in either the championship or consolation game of the State Farm Classic in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, Dec. 29. Saint Peter's, Villanova, Florida, Virginia and A-10 Tournament champion Temple all participated in the 2002 NCAA Tournament, while Vermont, Saint Joseph's and George Washington played in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The Catamounts advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT. A-10 West preseason pick George Washington is currently ranked 21st in the Associated Press poll and 26th in the ESPN/USA Today Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) poll.
All-Conference Team ... After being the only player in the Atlantic 10 to average a double-double in each game of the 2001-02 season, senior center Jennifer Butler was named a first team preseason All-Conference selection in a poll conducted by league coaches earlier this month. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native averaged 13.2 ppg and 11.8 rpg a year ago. She was also selected to the A-10 preseason All-Defensive team. Her rebounding figure led the conference and ranked fifth nationally (second among 2002-03 returnees a year ago). Additionally last season, Butler became just the 13th player in Massachusetts history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau with her seven-point performance against Temple in the Atlantic 10 semifinals. Jen was a second team All-Conference and All-Defensive team pick a year ago.
Middle of the Pack ... In a poll conducted by the A-10's coaches, the Minutewomen have been picked to finish third in the East, behind 2002 tournament champion Temple and Saint Joseph's. In the West, George Washington has been tabbed as the team to beat. Massachusetts finished third in the East last season and advanced to the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament before falling to Temple in overtime, 67-61. The Minutewomen were the only team to knock off George Washington (15-1) in the regular season with a 62-53 triumph on Senior Day at the Mullins Center, Feb. 24, 2002.
Record-Breaking Butler ... Jennifer Butler pulled down a school single-season record 353 rebounds last year bringing her career total to 916. With a 10-rebound performance in last season's A-10 quarterfinal victory over Richmond, Butler became the school's all-time leading rebounder. In the next game, a 67-61 overtime loss to Temple in the semifinals, she scored seven points to become the 13th player in Massachusetts history to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau. Her three single-season rebounding tallies (353 in 2001-02, 294 in 1999-00 and 269 in 2000-01) respectively rank as the first-, second- and third-best efforts in school history. She has tallied 41 career double-doubles and owns the school's only triple- double.
Nor'Easter Storm Recap ... Senior center Jennifer Butler led all scorers with 19 points and 19 rebounds as the University of Massachusetts women's basketball team downed the Nor'Easter Storm, 72-50, in an exhibition game at the William D. Mullins Center, Nov. 8. Butler was one of four Massachusetts players to score in double figures. Senior Ebony Pegues poured in 15 points, while dishing out a game-high 10 assists. Sophomore Katie Nelson also scored 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting and pulled down six rebounds. Senior Nekole Smith added 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field in the win. Butler also had five steals in 32 minutes of play. The Minutewomen shot 43.5 (30-69) percent from the field for the game, while holding the opposition to 31.7 (19-60) percent. The Minutewomen also shot 81.8 (9-11) percent from the free-throw line after concluding last season at 58.6 percent. In the first half, the Storm held a five-point lead (22-17) at the 7:51 mark, but a 19-7 UMass run to end the half gave it a seven-point cushion at intermission, 36-29. The Minutewomen never looked back, outscoring the visitors 36-21 in the second half en route to the 22-point win. Kristen Penney led the Storm with 14 points and four steals. Former Minutewoman Yolanda Rayside had two points and two rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
Deep Threat ... Sophomore point guard Katie Nelson showed last year as a freshman that she was not afraid to pull the trigger from downtown. The Ellicott City, Md., native made 50 three-point field goals, good for second-place on the school's single-season list and seventh all-time. Her 167 three-point attempts were the most in a single-season and seventh all-time. Nelson also led the team dishing out 3.06 assists per game. The assists tally was good for 13th in the conference. As a freshman last season, Nelson averaged 36.5 minutes per game as she started in all 30 contests. She also led the team shooting .790 (64-81) from the free throw line and scored in double-figures 15 times.
Among The Best ... Last season, the Minutewomen led the conference and ranked ninth nationally with a +8.4 rebounding margin. Massachusetts out-rebounded the opposition in all but four games in 2001-02.
Newcomers ... With Dacko's spring arrival, she was unable to bring in any true freshman to this year's team. However, there are two newcomers on the squad in Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary) and Ashley Sharpton (Conyers, Ga.). Zsedenyi, a transfer from Cottey (Mo.) Junior College, should see significant minutes this season. The 5-10 guard/forward averaged 14.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3.1 apg as a sophomore while earning first team All-Region XVI-Division II honors for the second consecutive season. She tallied 20 double-figure scoring games as a sophomore, one of which was a 26-point performance against Meramec Community College, and recorded a pair of double-doubles. A transfer from the University of North Carolina-Asheville, Sharpton will have to sit out this season per NCAA transfer requirements, but will have three years of eligibility beginning next year. The 5-10 guard enjoyed a successful freshman year with the Bulldogs, averaging 6.9 ppg en route to Big South All-Rookie team honors.
The Coaches ... Massachusetts Head Coach Marnie Dacko will be making her first regular-season appearance on the Minutewoman bench this evening. She is the ninth coach in UMass history. Prior to arriving in Amherst this spring, the 1978 Southern Connecticut State University graduate spent seven seasons at the helm of the Cornell women's program. With the Big Red, Dacko became the school's winningest coach fashioning an 80-104 (.408) record. She led Cornell to its only two winning seasons in the Ivy League (8-6 in both 2000-01 and 2001-02) and graduated 100 percent of her student-athletes. In 24 seasons as a Division I head or assistant coach, Dacko has compiled an impressive 400-280 (.588) record. Her teams have advanced to postseason play nine times, including six NCAA Tournament trips and eight 20-plus win seasons. This includes stops at the University of Wisconsin, St. John's (N.Y.) and Northwestern prior to accepting the head job at Cornell in 1995. Joining her on the bench this season will be Mary Ciuk, Kia Damon and Jodi Culbertson. Ciuk and Culbertson were both with Dacko at Cornell for at least one season, while Damon comes to the Minutewomen via Fairleigh Dickinson (N.J.) University. Ciuk has been with Dacko since 1984-85 at Northwestern.
One the other side, Ed Swanson is entering his 13th year at the helm of the Pioneers. He has compiled a 173-158 (.523) record in that span. Joining Swanson on the bench are Mary Randall, Heather Kappes and Tanya Cross.
Working Overtime ... Last season, the Minutewomen played seven (3-4) games that went into overtime, marking a school single-season record for most extra session contests. UMass recorded back-to-back overtime games versus St. Peter's and Rice back in November. 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). Massachusetts recorded its first triple-overtime game in the program's history 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 recording six assists, a then-career high in both categories. In the overtime victory over Temple on Feb. 15, 2002, the Minutewomen tied the school record for most overtime games played in a single season, a record set by the 1993-1994 squad. The victory over St. Bonaventure on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002, broke the record. In the A-10 semifinals, the Minutewomen dropped a 67-61 decision to eventual champion Temple in overtime. Sophomore guard Monique Govan (Chicago, Ill.) drove the length of the floor and hit a running lay-up as time expired in regulation, but clutch free throw shooting by the Owls proved to be the difference.
Looking To Continue The Momentum ... After starting the 2001-02 season 1-9, the Minutewomen won six if their final eight games, culminating in the 67-61 overtime loss to Temple in the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament. The Minutewomen averaged 63.9 points per game during that stretch. In the first 22 games, in which it went 6-16, Massachusetts averaged just 55.2 points a contest.
Offensive Outburst ... The Minutewomen's 85-73 win over Richmond in the A-10 quarterfinals last year were the most points they scored since an 89-64 triumph over West Virginia on Feb. 2, 1995. In the win over the Spiders, five players scored in double-figures (Sneed, Butler, Nelson, Pegues and Smith), marking the first time this feat occurred since an 83-66 win over St. John's (N.Y.) on Nov. 14, 1998. The quintet accounted for 70 of the squad's 85 points.
Early Additions ... Earlier this week, Marnie Dacko announced that Joyce Massey (Detroit, Mich.) and Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) both signed national letters of intent during the early signing period. They are the first two members of Dacko's first recruiting class in Amherst.
Massey is a 5-11 swing player out of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. She has led her team to an undefeated season thus far and is considered the favorite to win the Michigan Class A championship by the Detroit News. Last season, King was a state semifinalist. Massey is averaging 12 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals per game.
Tatham is a 6-1 forward from Chinguacousy High School in Brampton, Ontario. She is averaging 20 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks per contest this season. Chinguacousy has been in and out of the Toronto Star coaches top 10 poll all season and is currently receiving honorable mention accolades.