University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Northeastern University
December 13, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2002
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Game Day Information
What: Northeastern (2-5) at Massachusetts (7-1)
When: Saturday, Dec. 14, 2002 * 2:00 p.m.
Where: Mullins Center (9,493) * Amherst, Mass.
TV: None
Radio: WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst * Regan McKendry (play-by-play) & Mike DeMars (color)
Series Record: UMass leads 13-10
Last Meeting: UMass, 56-44, on Dec. 1, 1993
Last Five: UMass 3-2
Game Day... Massachusetts, winners of five straight, hopes to remain undefeated at home as it hosts Northeastern University this afternoon at the Mullins Center. The Minutewomen are 7-1, off to its best start since the 1968-69 squad began the season 9-0. The five-game winning streak is the longest since the 1997-98 team ran off nine consecutive victories from Feb. 4 through March 1. UMass is coming off an impressive 55-50 win over previously undefeated Villanova at the Cage on Wednesday night. The Wildcats were ranked 26th in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today/WBCA polls. Northeastern, meanwhile, is 2-5 following its 86-48 set back at home to No. 21/20 Boston College on Thursday.
Impressive Start ... When the Minutewomen downed Sacred Heart, 74-48 on Nov. 22, Marnie Dacko became the seventh head coach out of nine in the program's history to win their first game on the UMass bench. Of the seven, five have gone on to win at least their next game. Jane Farr (1972-73), Carol Albert (1974-75) and Jack Leaman (1986-87) all started 3-0, while Kathy Hewelt led the Minutewomen to a 5-0 start in the 1988-89 season. At 7-1, Dacko is off to the best start by a UMass coach in their first year.
Scouting The Huskies ... Northeastern enters this afternoon's game with a 2-5 overall record. The Huskies are averaging 64.4 points per game, while giving up 70.1. Northeastern is shooting at a .397 (148-373) clip from the field and is getting out-rebounded, 38.3 to 35.1. Maralene Zwarich is leading the team averaging 12.7 points per game and 5.4 rebounds. Aisha Williams is second on the squad with a 12.3 ppg average, while Wilbraham native Melissa Kowalski is third at 11.6 ppg. Amherst product Francesca Vanin is pouring in 7.4 points per game and pulling down 4.6 boards.
The Series ... This afternoon marks the 24th meeting between these intra state schools. Massachusetts holds a slim 13-10 edge in the all-time series which dates back to the 1968-69 season. UMass won the last meeting, 56-44, on Dec. 1, 1993, and has won three of the last five games between the schools.
Rage In The Cage ... Wednesday's game at the Curry Hicks Cage was the first basketball game at the historic building since an 82-40 UMass win over Temple on Feb. 18, 1995. Following the 55-50 upset of the previously undefeated Wildcats, the Minutewomen are now 125-107 (.539) at the Cage, which opened its doors in 1931.
Foster's Contribution ... The Minutewomen are now 5-0 since junior Cleo Foster moved into the starting line-up. The Toronto, Ontario, native is averaging 2.3 ppg and 4.0 rpg, but solid defensive play has earned her a spot in the starting five. Foster's only point Wednesday night against Villanova was the biggest for the Minutewomen. Nursing a three-point lead, Foster made the second of her two free throws with just 11 seconds remaining to secure the victory for UMass. She also tied a career-high with seven rebounds.
A Much Better Start ... At 7-1, UMass is off to its best start since the inaugural year of the program some 34 years ago. The 1968-69 Minutewomen began the season 9-0 en route to a 13-2 record. At this point last season, UMass was 1-8 on its way to a 1-9 start. It was Feb. 10 before the Minutewomen posted their seventh win, a 60-46 triumph over A-10 foe St. Bonaventure at the Mullins Center. Dating back to the end of last season, UMass has now won 11 of its last 13 games.
Home Cookin' ... With Wednesday's 55-50 win over Villanova at the Cage, the Minutewomen have now won five consecutive home games. The streak began with a 60-46 win at Mullins over St. Bonaventure, Feb. 10, 2002 and has carried into the first three home contests this season. Included in the streak was last year's Senior Day upset of previously undefeated and A-10 regular season champion George Washington, 62-53, on Feb. 24, 2002. This is the longest home winning streak since the Minutewomen ran off seven straight from Feb. 6, 1998 until Nov. 14, 1998.
A Look Back At The Villanova Win ... Senior Jen Butler scored a game-high 16 points as the University of Massachusetts knocked off previously undefeated Villanova, 55-50, Dec. 11 at the Curry Hicks Cage. This is the fifth consecutive win for the Minutewomen and best start to a season since the 1968-69 squad began the year 9-0. It was the first UMass basketball game played at the Cage since Feb. 18, 1995. Massachusetts, which trailed by as many as seven points late in the first half, used an 11-0 run spanning the final 1:52 of the first half and 2:39 into the second to take a four-point lead. The Minutewomen led by as many as seven points at the 6:01 mark of the second half. The Wildcats, who came into the contest averaging 65.8 points, used the three-pointer to claw back into the game. A Courtney Mix trifecta at the 2:04 mark cut the Minutewomen's lead to three. After a defensive stand by the Wildcats, a UMass foul sent Trish Juhline to the line for a one-and-one. A 69.2 percent free throw shooter coming into the game, Juhline missed the front end. On the other end of the floor, UMass junior Cleo Foster drained the second of her two free throws, her only point of the game, to secure the Minutewomen's seventh win of the season. This is the longest winning streak by Massachusetts since the 1997-98 squad ran off nine consecutive straight victories from Feb. 4 through March 1. It was Feb. 10 before the 2001-02 team won its seventh game of the year. In addition to her 16 points, Butler pulled down 12 rebounds. Fellow classmate Ebony Pegues scored 15 points and dished out five assists, while senior Nekole Smith chipped in with 14 points and five rebounds. In addition, she was 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. Once again, senior Amber Sneed had a solid night off the bench, contributing six points and four boards in 17 minutes. The Minutewomen out-rebounded the Wildcats, 42-23 and shot .417 (20-48) from the field. Villanova was .345 (20-58) from the field, including .258 (8-31) from behind the arc. UMass made 17 trips to the charity stripe, converting on 12 of them (.706), while Villanova was just 2-for-4. UMass out-scored Villanova in the paint, 33-9. Katie Davis paced the Wildcats with 16 points. Juhline and Courtney Mix added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Mix also grabbed 10 boards.
Injury Update ... Senior forward Siiri Liivandi suffered an injury during the road trip to Michigan and Toledo. Due to the Health Information Privacy Act (HIPA), the University of Massachusetts does not reveal injury information about its student-athletes. She will likely be out at least one month.
1,000 / 1,000 Club ... When Jen Butler grabbed her sixth rebound in the Dec. 9 win over Rhode Island, she became the first Minutewoman to score 1,000 points and pull down 1,000 rebounds. Butler scored her 1,000th point in Massachusetts' 67-61 overtime loss to Temple in the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals last season and now has 1,119 points in her career. The preseason first team All-Conference selection now has 1,017 boards in her illustrious career. She is the 13th player in A-10 history to accomplish this. She is currently first in the A-10 and fifth in the nation, pulling down 12.6 boards per game.
RPI/Strength of Schedule ... In the latest WBCA/Summerville RPI ranking released Dec. 12, the Minutewomen are ranked first out of 324 Division I institutions. Massachusetts' schedule has been ranked as the nation's 18th toughest, but this only factors in games that have been played and does not take future opponents into consideration. According to CollegeRPI.com, UMass is also ranked first in the RPI. The RPI is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. It does not consider things like margin of victory or where a game is played, only whether or not a team won. It is used by the NCAA as one of their factors in deciding which teams to invite to the NCAA Tournament and where to seed them. The basic formula is 25% team winning percentage (WP), 50% opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25% opponents' opponents' average winning percentage (OOWP).
Solid At The Line ... The inside presence of seniors Jen Butler and Nekole Smith is crucial to the UMass offense, but their production from the free throw line is equally as important. Dating back to the Dec. 4 win over Vermont, Smith has connected on 18 consecutive freebies. Butler had a string of 15-straight from the charity stripe snapped Dec. 9 against Rhode Island going 4-for-9, but rebounded to drill 4-of-7 on Dec. 11 against Villanova. For the season, Smith is shooting at a .742 (23-31) clip, while Butler is a .640 (32-50) shooter. As a team, the Minutewomen are shooting .685 (102-149), good for seventh in the A-10.
Butler Movin' On Up ... Senior Jen Butler is currently 10th on the all-time scoring list with 1,119 points to go along with her school-record 1,017 rebounds. Butler's name is all over the school record book as she is sixth in free throws made (281), second in free throws attempted (526), fourth in blocks (109) and third in steals (187). Next up on the scoring list is former teammate Kathy Coyner. The 2001 graduate is in ninth place with 1,132 career points. Butler has recorded a double-double in six of eight games this season and now has 47 in her career. She currently leads the A-10, pulling down 12.6 rebounds per game, and is 10th in scoring with 14.8 points per game. Her rebounding tally ranks fifth nationally.
Break-Out Time ... In her fifth year, senior Nekole Smith is having a breakout season. Coming into the season, Smith was averaging 8.9 ppg in 88 career contests. Through eight games in 2002-03, the Ann Arbor, Mich., native is averaging 14.3 ppg, good for second on the team and 11th in the A-10. She is shooting at a .500 (45-90) clip from the field. For her career, Smith is shooting .481 (371-772) from the field, good for seventh on the school's all-time chart. Smith, though, is not the only senior enjoying a good beginning to the 2002-03 year. Ebony Pegues entered the year averaging 4.7 points per game, but has turned that into a 12.3 average through seven games in 2002-03. Pegues is shooting .404 (38-94) from the field, as opposed to her .323 (118-365) heading into the season. In addition, she is pulling down 3.4 rebounds per game, handing out 4.25 assists per game, as well as tallying 11 steals. The career .660 (49-79) free throw shooter has upped that mark to .680 (17-25) this year. After making just 15 starts through her first three years, Pegues has been a part of the starting five each game in 2002-03.
Steppin' Up The D ... In eight games this year, the Minutewomen are yielding a mere 55.2 points per contest. They have held the opposition at or under 50 points on six occasions (Sacred Heart 48, Saint Peter's 49, Vermont 48, New Hampshire 50, Rhode Island 45 and Villanova 50), winning each game. In UMass' seven wins, opponents are averaging 50.1 points. Villanova came into the Cage averaging 65.8 points, but was held to a season-low 50 by the aggressive Minutewoman defense. In addition, the Minutewomen have held four other schools to their season-low for offense (Saint Peter's, Sacred Heart Vermont and Rhode Island). UMass is also forcing its opponents to turn the ball over 17.1 times per game, but that number balloons to 18.6 per game in its seven victories. Through Dec. 9, the Minutewomen ranked 39th in the nation in scoring defense.
Big Off The Bench ... Senior Amber Sneed is used to appearing in the starting five, having started 68 of her 88 career games heading into the season, but the Cincinnati, Ohio native has been the sixth man the past five games. Sneed is averaging 4.0 points and rebounds per game coming off the bench, but 14 of those points have come in the last two games. She is averaging 20.1 minutes per game for the year.
They Can Dish It Out ... Sophomore guard Katie Nelson is currently second in the conference with a 2.92 assist to turnover ratio. She has already dished out a career-high seven assists against both Sacred Heart and Michigan. Last year, she averaged 3.07 assists per game, good for 13th in the A-10. Through eight games in 2002-03, Nelson sits in seventh-place in the A-10, averaging 4.38 assists per game. Right behind her in eighth-place is senior teammate Ebony Pegues. The Columbus, Ohio, product is handing out 4.25 helpers per game, including as career-high nine at URI, Dec. 9.
The Coaches ... At 7-1, Massachusetts Head Coach Marnie Dacko is off to the best start of any UMass coach in their first season at the helm, not to mention the second-best start of any UMass team in the program's history. The reason for that is because the 1968-69 team, which started the season 9-0, did not have a coach. The 1978 Southern Connecticut State University graduate is currently 7-1 (.875) at UMass and 87-105 (.453) overall in seven-plus seasons as a head coach. Dacko is 0-1 lifetime vs. Northeastern. The Minutewoman assistants are Mary Ciuk, Kia Damon and Jodi Culbertson.
One the other side, Willette White is in her third season at the helm of the Huskies. The 1982 Idaho graduate has compiled a 21-43 (.328) record in her two-plus year tenure. Her assistants are Mark McCaleb, Karen Pinkos and Shon Hardy. McCaleb is a 1989 UMass graduate.
What's On Tap ... Massachusetts will enjoy a two-week break for finals. It returns to action Dec. 28-29, at the State Farm Gator Classic in Gainesville, Fla. Up first will be host school Florida (6-3) at 7:30 p.m. The next day, the Minutewomen will play either Michigan or Virginia at 5:00 p.m.