University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball To Play In The State Farm Classic
December 24, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 24, 2002
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game Day Information
What: Massachusetts (8-1) at Florida (6-4)
Where: O'Connell Center (12,000) * Gainesville, Fla.
When: Saturday, Dec. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 29 at 5:00 p.m.
TV: None
Radio: WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst
Series Record: UF leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Dec. 29, 1995; Florida, 71-54
Game Day... Massachusetts takes a six-game winning streak south into the State Farm Classic, hosted by the University of Florida. The Minutewomen, sporting an 8-1 overall record, take on the Florida Gators (6-4), out of the Southeastern Conference, in today's second game. The first match-up is between Michigan and Virginia. Tomorrow, UMass will play either the Cavaliers or Wolverines at 5:00 p.m. At 8-1, Massachusetts is off to its best start since the 1968-69 squad began the season 9-0. The current six-game winning streak is also the longest since the 1997-98 team ran off nine consecutive victories from Feb. 4 through March 1. The Minutewomen are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today WBCA polls for the first time since Jan. 2, 1996.
Impressive Start ... At 8-1, Marnie Dacko is off to the best start by a UMass coach in their first year at the helm. When the Minutewomen downed Sacred Heart, 74-48 on Nov. 22, 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.
Scouting The Gators ... Southeastern Conference entrant Florida comes into tonight's game with a 6-4 record. The Gators finally return home after playing six of seven games on the road, including two separate trips to the West Coast. They will be without the services of their third leading scorer Vanessa Hayden. The All-American fractured her left fibula and sprained her left ankle with 18:34 remaining in the Gators' December 7 loss at N.C. State. UF is led by Bernice Mosby (15.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg) and Sarah Lowe (11/8 ppg, 6.1 rpg.). Florida leads the all-time series, 2-0, taking a 71-54 desicion on Dec. 29, 1995, in the last meeting.
Scouting the Wolverines ... Michigan, of the Big Ten Conference, heads to Florida with an 8-1 overall record. The Wolverines, who handed the Minutewomen their only loss of the season (91-65 on Nov. 29, 2002), are currently ranked 25th in the latest AP poll and xx in the ESPN/USA Today WBCA poll. Jennifer Smith paces the Maize and Blue with 20.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg. She is one of four players to average double figures. Michigan's lone loss prior to this weekend's tournament was against A-10 foe Xavier. After the November loss, UMass is now 0-1 lifetime against Michigan.
Scouting the Cavaliers ... Atlantic Coast Conference member Virginia travels to Florida with a 4-4 record. Loser's of three of its last four games, the Cavaliers have been at least receiving votes in the top 25 all season. Virginia is led by Cherrise Graham (15.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and Brandi Teamer (12.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg). If the Minutewomen and Cavaliers meet this weekend, it would be the first time.
Going to the Polls ... For the second consecutive week, Massachusetts is receiving votes in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today WBCA polls. UMass currently has 14 AP votes, good for 35th in the nation and 13 votes in the coaches poll, which places them 40th. It is the first time that the Minutewomen have been ranked since Jan. 2, 1996, when they had 13 AP votes and one coaches poll vote. The highest a UMass team has ever been ranked is 30th in the AP poll (31 votes) and 33rd in the coaches poll (39 votes), both in the Dec. 1, 1995 releases. The 1995-96 season is the only other campaign in which a UMass team has been ranked.
Foster's Contribution ... The Minutewomen are now 6-0 since junior Cleo Foster moved into the starting line-up. The Toronto, Ontario, native is averaging 2.2 ppg and 2.9 rpg, but solid defensive play has earned her a spot in the starting five of Marnie's Army.
Sixth Man of the Year ... After an error left senior Jen Butler out of the starting lineup against Northeastern, the preseason first team All-Conference selection responded with a career-high 30 points and 20 rebounds in the Minutewomen's rout of the Huskies. Butler checked into the game 13 seconds after tip-off and set a new UMass Mullins Center women's scoring record, breaking the previous mark of 28 she set on Jan. 9, 2001 against Rhode Island. Butler was recognized for her accomplishment, earning A-10 Player of the Week and Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week citations. She has now earned the UMass award two consecutive weeks.
A Much Better Start ... At 8-1, UMass is off to its best start since the program's inaugural year 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. 15 before the Minutewomen posted their seventh win, a 64-56 overtime triumph over A-10 foe Temple at the Liacouras Center. Dating back to the end of last season, UMass has now won 12 of its last 14 games.
Home Cookin' ... After the Dec. 14 win over Northeastern at the Mullins Center, the Minutewomen have now won six 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 four 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 Northeastern Win ... Senior Jen Butler scored a career-high 30 points, while pulling down 20 rebounds as the University of Massachusetts (8-1) women's basketball team won its sixth consecutive game, a 77-61 triumph over Northeastern (2-6) Dec. 14 at the Mullins Center. Butler's 30 points were a new UMass Mullins Center record, as she broke her own mark of 28 set on Jan. 9, 2001, against Rhode Island. The 77 points scored by the Minutewomen set a new season-high. Massachusetts had runs of 10-0 and 7-0 in the first half, but could not put the pesky Huskies away. The Minutewomen held a 45-34 advantage at the break. It was the most points by the Minutewomen in a half this season. In the second half, the Minutewomen saw their 15-point lead cut to six at the 7:23 mark, but an 11-1 run over the next 4:21 ended the Huskies' come-back bid. Senior Nekole Smith chipped in with a season-high 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. Classmate Ebony Pegues had 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while sophomore Katie Nelson had eight points, four assists and no turnovers. Nelson also established a new career-high with two blocked shots. Sophomore Monique Govan dished out a season-high four assists in just five minutes. The Minutewomen out-rebounded the Huskies, 50-32, and shot .449 (31-69) from the field. UMass had 23 assists for 31 field goals. UMass turned a 9-8 game into a 19-8 lead with a 10-0 run spanning 3:38 of the first half. Butler had a double-double at halftime (17-11), her seventh of the season and 48th for her career. Smith and Pegues also reached double-figures by intermission with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Katarina Andersson led the Huskies with 12 points and six rebounds. Amherst product Francesca Vanin poured in nine points, while grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Injury Update ... Senior forward Siiri Liivandi suffered an injury during the road trip to Michigan. 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 until early January.
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 1,149 points in her career. The preseason first team All-Conference selection now has a UMass record 1,037 boards in her illustrious career. She is the 13th player in A-10 history to accomplish this. She currently leads the nation, pulling down 13.4 boards a game.
RPI/Strength of Schedule ... In the latest WBCA/Summerville RPI ranking released Dec. 22, the Minutewomen are ranked sixth out of 324 Division I institutions. Massachusetts' schedule has been ranked as the nation's 32nd 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 ranked fifth 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 ... Dating back to the Dec. 4 win over Vermont, senior Nekole Smith has connected on 21 of her last 22 freebies. She had a string of 20 consecutive snapped in the second half of the Northeastern game. For the season, Smith is shooting at a .743 (26-35) clip. As a team, the Minutewomen are shooting .675 (112-166). Last year, UMass shot just .586 (364-621) from the line. UMass has made (112) nearly as many free throws as opponents have taken (118).
Butler Movin' On Up ... With her career-high 30-point performance on Dec. 14 against Northeastern, senior Jen Butler moved into seventh-place on the school's all-time scoring list. The preseason All-Conference selection now has 1,149 career points to go along with her school record 1,037 rebounds. Butler's name is all over the school's record book as she is sixth in free throws made (285), second in free throws attempted (534), fourth in blocks (110) and third in steals (188). Next up on the scoring list is Tez Kraft. The 1997 graduate is in sixth-place with 1,405 career points. Butler has recorded a double-double in seven of nine games this season and now has 48 in her career. She currently leads the country, pulling down 13.4 rebounds per game, and is fourth in the conference, pouring in 14.8 points per game.
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 nine games in 2002-03, the Ann Arbor, Mich., native is averaging 14.8 ppg, good for second on the team and 10th in the A-10. She is shooting at a .515 (53-103) clip from the field. For her career, Smith is shooting .483 (379-785) from the field, ranking seventh on the school's all-time chart. Smith, though, is not the only senior enjoying a good beginning to the 2002-03 season. Ebony Pegues entered the year averaging 4.7 points per game, but has turned that into a 12.2 average through nine games in 2002-03, good for 18th in the A-10. In addition, she is pulling down 3.8 rebounds per game, handing out 4.45 assists per game, as well as tallying 11 steals. A career .660 (49-79) free throw shooter heading into this season, Pegues has upped that mark to .704 (19-27) 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 nine games this year, the Minutewomen are yielding a mere 55.9 points per contest to lead the Atlantic 10. 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' eight wins, opponents are averaging 51.5 points. Villanova came into the Cage Dec. 11 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 points (Saint Peter's, Sacred Heart Vermont and Rhode Island). UMass is also forcing its opponents to turn the ball over 16.4 times per game, but that number balloons to 17.5 per game in its eight victories.
They Can Dish It Out ... Sophomore guard Katie Nelson is currently second in the conference with a 3.25 assist to turnover ratio, trailing only Richmond's Kate Flavin (3.62). 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 nine games in 2002-03, Nelson sits in eighth-place in the A-10, averaging 4.33 assists per game. Right in front of her in seventh-place is senior teammate Ebony Pegues. The Columbus, Ohio, product is handing out 4.44 helpers per game, including as career-high nine at URI, Dec. 9.
The Coaches ... At 8-1, 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 8-1 (.889) at UMass and 88-105 (.456) overall in seven-plus seasons as a head coach. Dacko is 0-1 lifetime vs. Michigan and has never faced Virginia or Florida. The Minutewoman assistants are Mary Ciuk, Kia Damon and Jodi Culbertson.
What's On Tap ... Massachusetts returns home after the new year to host Conference USA member Memphis in its final non-conference tilt on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2003 at the Mullins Center. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. Through Dec. 27, the Lady Tigers are 5-4.