University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels To Philadelphia For Atlantic 10 Tournament
February 28, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2002
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Match-Up...UMass leads 5-3 all-time The Minutewomen enter this year's Verizon Atlantic 10 Championship as the No. 3 seed in the East and will take on La Salle, the No. 6 seed in the West, in the first round Friday, March 1, 2002, at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. The Explorers enter the game with a 6-21 overall record and were 2-14 in the A-10. The Minutewomen are 10-17 overall and finished 8-8 in the A-10. In their only meeting of the 2001-02 season on Jan. 10, UMass beat La Salle at Tom Gola Arena, 77-58. Junior Siiri Liivandi (Rapla, Estonia) led the squad with 14 points and six rebounds. UMass and La Salle have never met in the postseason before.
EVEN At Liacouras... Since the building opened in the 1997-98 season, the Minutewomen have posted a 5-5 record at Temple's new on-campus facility, including 2-3 in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. UMass fell to Xavier, 74-58, on Feb. 27, 1999, in the first year the championship was played there, then split two games in the 2000 tourney.
Last Year... UMass went 1-1 at last season's A-10 postseason tournament. As the No. 8 seed, it knocked off Rhode Island, 69-65, in the first round, but fell to eventual champion Xavier, 86-64, in the quarterfinals despite 20 points from Jennifer Butler (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Up Next...UMass Trails 0-2 all-time Richmond, the No. 2 seed in the A-10 West awaits the UMass / La Salle winner tomorrow night at 6:00 p.m. The Spiders finished the regular season with a 14-15 overall record and were 8-8 in their inaugural season of A-10 play. On Jan. 13, the Spiders downed the Minutewomen 58-41 at the Robbins Center before a live audience on the Atlantic 10 Television Network. In the loss, junior Amber Sneed (Cincinnati, Ohio) poured in a game-high 15 points, while junior Jennifer Butler pulled down 15 rebounds.
The Semifinals... Friday's winner will move on to face either Duquesne, Temple or St. Bonaventure in Sunday's 5:00 p.m. semifinal that will be televised live by the Atlantic 10 Television Network.
The Dukes...UMass leads 18-13 all-time The Minutewomen are 0-1 against Duquesne this season. The Dukes downed the Minutewomen, 60-47, on Jan. 17, despite 6-3 center, Jennifer Butler, setting the Palumbo Center record with 21 rebounds. She also led the Maroon and White with 12 points. The Minutewomen hold a 2-1 series advantage against Duquesne in postseason play.
The Owls...UMass Trails 17-21 all-time The Minutewomen are 1-1 this season against their arch-rivals with each team winning on the road. In the first meeting on Jan. 3, the Owls downed UMass 67-57 at the Mullins Center. Freshman Katie Nelson (Ellicott City, Md.) scored a team-high 18 points, while Jennifer Butler had 11 rebounds. On Feb. 15, the Minutewomen returned the favor by downing the Owls, 64-56, in overtime at the Liacouras Center. Nelson and Butler each had 13 points, while Butler also had 18 rebounds. The Owls did not make a field goal for almost eight minutes late in the second half to help the Minutewomen send the game into overtime. Amber Sneed scored the first six points in the extra stanza and Nelson was 6-6 from the free throw line to secure the win. UMass and Temple have never met in the postseason before.
The Bonnies...UMass Leads 25-11 all-time UMass is 2-0 against the Bonnies this season. In their first meeting Feb. 10 at the Mullins Center, UMass pulled away in the second half and won by a score of 60-46. Jennifer Butler had a game-high 16 points and 18 rebounds. Nearly two weeks later, UMass won a thrilling overtime game at the Reilly Center, 71-66. Katie Nelson led the squad with 20 points, while Butler pulled down 13 rebounds. The Minutewomen hold a 3-1 advantage against the Bonnies in the postseason.
Hot Of Late... The Minutewomen enter the A-10 Tournament having now won their last two games and four of their last five. This includes the most recent, 62-53, upset of George Washington last Sunday on Senior Day in Amherst over the top seed in this tournament. The Colonials came into the Mullins Center with a 15-0 conference record and a 20-6 overall mark. Behind Jennifer Butler's 14 points and 12 rebounds, the Minutewomen picked up their biggest win of the season heading into the A-10 Tournament. Senior Caroline Nehls (Randolph, N.J.) scored 12 points and pulled down five boards in her final home game. Prior to that win, UMass knocked off St. Bonaventure twice, 71-66 in overtime and 60-46, and Temple, 64-56, in overtime. Massachusetts' only setback over the last five games was a 73-50 loss at St. Joseph's on Feb. 17.
Tournament History... Since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1983-84, the Minutewomen are 10-19 in the annual postseason tournament and have never won the championship. The closest UMass came was in 1997-98 when it fell to Virginia Tech in overtime of the title game, 66-64, at the Mullins Center. That was also the only year that the Maroon and White have strung together two consecutive tourney wins. In the 12 years that the championship has been held in Philadelphia, UMass has a 7-12 record. UMass picked up its first A-10 Tournament win in school history when it downed St. Bonaventure, 80-67, on March 2, 1988.
1,000 Point Watch... With her 363 points this season, Jennifer Butler needs only 32 more to hit the 1,000-point plateau for her career. The last Minutewoman to accomplish this feat was Kathy Coyner, who hit the mark last season and finished with 1,132 points for her career. In all, 12 UMass players have scored 1,000 or more points, with Sue Peters topping the list with 1,858 points.
In The PostSeason... UMass has advanced into national postseason play three times in its history, sporting a 1-4 record. In 1995, it made the school's first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament as the No. 5 seed and upset Virginia Commonwealth, 70-61. It went on to lose the next two games of the double-elimination tournament to Texas A&M, 80-59, and Notre Dame, 90-72. The next season, UMass advanced to the NCAA Tournament and lost a heart-breaker to Michigan State in overtime, 60-57. The game was played in Storrs, Conn. In 1998, the Minutewomen returned to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 13 seed and lost at No. 4 Iowa, 77-59.
Breaking Into The Record Books... This season, several Minutewoman have posted numbers that have moved them into the record books. Katie Nelson's 45 three-point field goals made is fifth on the single-season list and places her seventh on the all-time list. Her 155 attempts are the second-most in a single-season and seventh all-time. Jennifer Butler stepped to the charity stripe 159 times, the fifth-most appearances in a single-season. She has now attempted 458 free throws in her career, making 236 (.515), which are fifth and sixth, respectively, on the all-time charts. She also averaged 12.0 rpg, the second-highest in a UMass single-season. Butler did not stop there, as she managed to swat 44 opponent shots away, the fifth-highest block total in a season. Her 103 blocks are third all-time. Caroline Nehls has 75 career blocks placing her sixth all-time. Butler has also committed 164 steals in her career, which is seventh all-time.
No Easy Schedule... This season, the Minutewomen played nine of the nation's top 100 RPI teams. They went 3-8 in those games with the wins coming over No. 45 Clemson (17-10), No. 58 George Washington (20-7) and No. 96 Temple (17-10). UMass fell to No. 42 Rice (19-7), No. 49 Vermont (18-7), No. 50 Alabama (17-10), No. 53 St. Peter's (22-5), No. 69 Holy Cross (21-6), No. 96 Temple (17-10) and twice to No. 83 St. Joseph's (21-6). UMass' strength of schedule is ranked 101st in the nation.
Source: www.collegerpi.com
BUTLER BREAKS REBOUNDING RECORD... Junior Jennifer Butler broke her own single-season rebounding record of 294 on Feb. 21, 2002 against St. Bonaventure. Butler has now tallied 325 rebounds this season and 888 boards over her three-year career to rank number two all-time. She needs just 14 more rebounds to surpass Octavia Thomas as the all-time career rebounding leader in UMass history.
O'BRIEN EARNS 150TH CAREER VICTORY... On Thursday, Jan. 10, 2002, the University of Massachusetts defeated La Salle University, 77-58, giving head coach Joanie O'Brien her 150th career victory. O'Brien is in her 11th season at the helm of the UMass women's basketball program, and owns a record of 157-158 (.498). She is currently the winningest coach in UMass women's basketball history with 157 career victories. The 1994-1995 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year has brought the Minutewomen to new heights during 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 1995-96.
WORKING OVERTIME... The Minutewomen have played six games this season (going 3-3 in those contests) that have gone into overtime, marking a UMass single-season record for most overtime games. 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). UMass 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 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.
KILLER ON THE BOARDS... The University of Massachusetts currently tops the Atlantic 10 Conference in rebounding, pulling down 40.1 rpg. Duquesne is second with 39.7 rpg and Dayton is third with 39.1 rpg. Massachusetts also leads the conference in rebounding margin, out rebounding its opponents by eight rebounds per game. This is nearly double St. Joseph's margin of 4.68 rpg. The Minutewomen also top the conference averaging 16.56 offensive rpg. This is nearly two rebounds ahead of Temple, which is currently in second place with 14.26 rpg. Defensively, the Minutewomen are second in the conference, allowing their opponents to pull down 32.1 rpg. St. Joseph's is first, allowing an average of 31.0 rpg.
BUTLER HONORED... Jennifer Butler was selected to the PNC Wildcat Classic All-Tournament team after posting double-doubles in both games over the weekend of Dec. 28. Butler averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game during the holiday classic, and led the Minutewomen to their second victory of the season as they topped Rider, 65-54. The preseason Atlantic 10 all-conference selection led the A-10 in rebounding last season. She is averaging 13.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game for the Minutewomen. Butler was a second team Atlantic 10 All-Conference pick and All-Defensive team honoree. Butler was also selected as the WHMP/UMass Athlete of the Week on Jan. 12, 2002, for her outstanding performances against Rider and Temple. She scored 17 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in each game.
SMITH PERCENTAGE... Junior forward Nekole Smith (Ann Arbor, Mich.) leads the team in field goal percentage at .472. She has connected on 85-of-180 shots taken this season from the field.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE BUTLER... Junior Jennifer Butler is the only Minutewoman to average double figures in two categories this season. Thus far, Butler is averaging 13.4 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. On Feb. 24, Butler recorded her 19th double-double of the season in the victory over George Washington. She is currently ranked second in career rebounds at UMass with 888.
Scoring Defense... The Minutewomen rank second in scoring defense in the A-10, yielding a mere 59.7 ppg and trailing only Rhode Island by two-tenths of a point per game. The Minutewomen are also second in the league in field goal percentage defense, holding foes to .385 shooting.
Trends To Watch For...
* UMass is 8-3 when breaking the 60-point mark. Of the three losses, one was in triple-overtime (Rice), one was in overtime (Arkansas-Little Rock) and one was a one-point loss (Alabama).
* When giving up 65 or more points, the Minutewomen are 1-11
* Jennifer Butler has recorded a double-double in 13 of the 16 Atlantic 10 regular-season games. The Minutewomen are 7-6 in those games.
* When Caroline Nehls and Butler score in double figures, the Minutewomen are 3-0, all in A-10 Conference games.
* The Minutewomen are 5-2 in conference games when Katie Nelson dishes out at least four assists.
* Massachusetts is 5-9 when Nelson shoots less than .300 from behind the arc for the game
* The Minutewomen are 2-9 when Butler shoots .500 or less from the free throw line.
* UMass is 6-4 when shooting 40.0 percent or better from the field, including 5-1 vs. A-10 foes.