University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Hoops Hosts URI Tonight
January 30, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 30, 2003
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Game Day Information
What: Rhode Island (10-8, 2-5) at Massachusetts (11-7, 3-4)
Where: Mullins Center (9.493) * Amherst, Mass.
When: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003 * 7:00 p.m.
TV: None.
Radio: WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst
Regan McKendry (play-by-play) & Ben Leigh (color)
Last Meeting: UMass 59-45; Dec. 9, 2002 at the Ryan Center
All-Time Series: UMass leads 30-21; 7-1 at the Mullins Center.
Game Day... Massachusetts looks to get back on the winning track this evening as it hosts Rhode Island in a crucial Atlantic 10 East match-up. The Minutewomen are currently 11-7 overall and 3-4 in the A-10, good for second-place in the East. The Rams are 10-8 overall and 2-5 in conference, one of three teams one game back of UMass. Earlier this season, Massachusetts downed previously-unbeaten (6-0) Rhode Island, 59-45 at the Ryan Center. The Minutewomen and Rams are both coming off of two losses this past weekend to Xavier and Dayton. UMass fell to the Musketeers, 77-65 and the Flyers, 68-60. The Minutewomen are 7-1 at home this season, including a pair of conference wins against Temple and St. Bonaventure earlier this month. Overall, UMass leads the all-time series with its neighbors to the south, 30-21, and are 13-11 at home.
Scouting The Rams ... The University of Rhode Island enters tonight's game with a 10-8 overall record. It is 2-5 in the Atlantic 10, good for a third-place tie in the East one game behind the Minutewomen. The Rams began the season 6-0, but a loss to Massachusetts at the Ryan Center on Dec. 9 was the beginning of a streak in which it lost seven of nine games. URI is last in the conference averaging just 60.4 ppg, but is first allowing just 58.6 ppg by its opponents. They are last in the A-10 in field goal percentage (.395; 410-1041) and three-point percentage (.268; 48-179) as well as sixth at the free throw line (.671; 220-328). The Rams are committing 20.8 turnovers a game, but force their opponents into 23.6 miscues a contest.
Guard Denise King is the Rams' leading scorer at 13.2 ppg. She also leads the team and is fifth in the conference dishing out 4.41 assists a game. Forward Katie Stailing leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 7.1 boards a game and is also the sqauds' third-leading scorer at 9.1 ppg.
The Series ... Massachusetts holds a 30-21 edge in the series including its 59-45 triumph in Kingston on Dec. 9. The Minutewomen are 13-11 at home in the series and 7-1 in games played at the Mullins Center. The Rams won for the first time at Mullins last year, taking a 43-41 decision on Jan. 28.
Last Game Against the Rams ... Senior Nekole Smith scored a game-high 18 points, 14 of them coming in the second half, as the University of Massachusetts (6-1, 1-0) handed the University of Rhode Island (6-1, 0-1) its first loss of the season, 59-45, Dec. 9 in Atlantic 10 conference action at the Ryan Center. At 6-1, UMass was off to its best start since the 1978-79 season where the squad began the year 6-1 en route to an 18-7 overall record.
UMass, which led by as many as 21 points in the second half, saw its lead trimmed to 12 at the 2:21 mark, but limited the Rams to just one point the rest of the way for its first conference victory of the season. The Minutewomen started the game on a 12-0 run before URI finally got on the board at the 16:09 mark.
In addition to Smith's 18 points, she pulled down a season-high eight rebounds. Senior Jen Butler added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Katie Nelson added 11 points and four assists. All of her points came in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point land and was 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Senior Amber Sneed tied a then-season-high with eight points, all in the second half.
Nelson Out ... Massachusetts will be without the services of sophomore point guard Katie Nelson for at least a couple of weeks. Nelson left Sunday's game against Dayton with a knee injury.
It's Cannon Ball Time ... With Katie Nelson sidelined for at least the next couple of weeks, this will open up an opportunity for Head Coach Marnie Dacko to utilize senior Kristin Cannon, sophomore Monique Govan and redshirt freshman Cindy Gonzalez. While each of the trio should see significantly increased playing time, Cannon is slated to start tonight's game against the Rams. The Reynoldsburg, Ohio, product has played in nine games this year after not seeing one minute of action last season. Dacko has started to insert Cannon into the lineup the past month and she responded with a season-high eight points on 4-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes. This would be just the second career start for Cannon.
The Next 1,000-Point Scorer ... When senior Nekole Smith converted a lay-up, her ninth point of the game, at the 3:58 mark of the first half Jan. 18 against St. Bonaventure, she became the 14th Minutewoman to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau. Smith finished with 12 points in UMass' 70-48 win over the Bonnies and now has 1,037 for her career, good for 12th on the all-time scorers list. The Ann Arbor, Mich., native is enjoying a break-out season as she is second on the team and 11th in the conference in scoring with a 14.1 ppg average. Smith entered the season averaging 8.9 ppg. She is also first on the team and eighth in the A-10, connecting at a .498 (106-213) clip from the floor. She currently sits in seventh-place all-time with a career .483 (432-895) field goal percentage. On Jan. 12 at Fordham, Smith scored a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers.
30/20 Vision ... With a 17-point, 12-rebound effort in the Jan. 18 70-48 home victory over St. Bonaventure, Jen Butler posted her Atlantic 10-leading 14th double-double. In the previous game, an 89-80 overtime win over Temple at the Mullins Center, Butler recorded 31 points and 21 rebounds. The All-America candidate has already recorded three 30-plus point games and has grabbed at least 20 rebounds on four separate occasions. She has already been named the A-10 Player of the Week and Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week three times this season.
Love Those Turnovers ... In its 11 wins this season, Massachusetts averages nearly 19 turnovers a game. In their seven losses, however, the Minutewomen turn the ball over just under 14 times. Massachusetts committed a season-high 25 turnovers against Temple Jan. 16, but came away with an 89-80 overtime win. It was the most times that UMass turned the ball over since committing 26 twice last season (11/27 vs. Rice and 1/28 vs. Rhode Island). Opponents are committing 15.7 turnovers against UMass thus far.
Passing's The Name Of The Game ... Massachusetts currently ranks fourth in the conference averaging 16.17 assists per game. The Minutewomen, who average 24.1 field goals per game, record an assist nearly 67 percent of the time. Two Minutewomen rank in the top seven for assists in the conference as Katie Nelson and Ebony Pegues are tied for seventh handing out 4.11 helpers a game. Massachusetts is the only A-10 school with two players in the top 10 for assists.
Balance Out Those Miscues ... Massachusetts may play better when turning the ball over, but they can sure balance them out with assists. The Minutewomen rank second in the league with a 0.99 assist to turnover ratio, including a 1.15 mark in A-10 play. Katie Nelson leads the league with a 2.64 ratio following her career-high eight helpers and one turnover Jan. 24 at Xavier. Her 28 turnovers before the injury are by far the fewest of any player in the top 15. In conference games, however, Nelson's ratio improves to a league-high 6.00. Richmond's Amber Goppert is in second-place at 2.53. Nelson recorded 30 assists and just five turnovers in league games this season prior to her injury at Dayton.
Oh What A Night ... Despite the heart-breaking 78-70 double-overtime loss to host-school Florida in the first round of the State Farm Classic Dec. 28, senior center Jen Butler enjoyed a dream game. The All-American candidate tied a career-high with 30 points and hauled in a school-record 30 rebounds. Her rebounding tally was the fifth-best in NCAA Division I history and most by an Atlantic 10 player. In addition, it was the most rebounds by a Florida opponent and also established a new Stephen C. O'Connell Center individual record (men or women) for boards. She sits higher on the list than Charles Barkley (Auburn) and Shaquille O'Neal (Louisiana State). Butler finished with 42 rebounds in the two-day tournament, the most in the events' history en route to an All-Tournament team selection. Butler was also recognized as the A-10 Player of the Week and Dinn Brothers/UMass co-Athlete of the Week. The 30 rebounds are also the highest single-game output in the nation this season and most since New Orleans' Kayone Hankins grabbed 30 boards Nov. 26, 1994, against Nicholls State.
Just One Trip To The Line?? ... In the 68-60 loss at Dayton Jan. 26, Massachusetts made just one trip to the free throw line. With the exception of senior Nekole Smith converting on an old-fashioned three-point play at the 16:38 mark of the first half, UMass did not go to the free throw line despite getting the ball to the post nearly every possession down the floor. The one trip to the charity stripe tied for the fewest ever in a conference game. On Feb. 3, 2000, Rhode Island was 0-1 from the line against Saint Joseph's.
Downtown Zsedenyi ... Junior transfer Judit Zsedenyi made three consecutive three-pointers in the second half of the Jan. 26 loss at Dayton to keep the Minutewomen within striking distance. Zsedenyi, who made at least one trifecta in each of her first six games as a Minutewoman, established a new career-high with the nine points against the Flyers. The Budapest, Hungary native is averaging 3.1 ppg this season and has appeared in all 18 games.
RPI/Strength of Schedule ... In the latest WBCA/Summerville RPI ranking released Jan. 15, the Minutewomen are ranked 66th out of 324 Division I institutions. It is the sixth-highest in the conference as Xavier (19), Saint Joseph's (43), George Washington (45), Dayton (60) and Richmond (62) have a better RPI than Massachusetts. In addition, the Maroon and White schedule has been rated as the nation's 69th-toughest, but this only factors in games that have been played and does not take future opponents into consideration. UMass has been ranked as high as No. 1 in the RPI and spent much of the non-conference season among the top 10.
Last Time Out ... The University of Dayton (11-7, 4-3) was 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 1:05 as it handed the University of Massachusetts (11-7, 3-4) a 68-60 loss Jan. 26 at the UD Arena. Senior Nekole Smith finished with a team-high 17 points. Senior Jen Butler had eight points, 10 rebounds, four assists, four blocks and four steals, while senior Ebony Pegues had 13 points and five assists in the loss.
Massachusetts trailed by 11 points (50-39) at the 14:28 mark of the second half, but fought back within a basket. Smith's lay-in at the 1:58 mark cut the Minutewomen's deficit to three points, but that was as close at it would get. Dayton went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe in the final 1:05 and UMass was unable to record a single point as it fell to 3-4 in the Atlantic 10.
Junior Judit Zsedenyi hit three trifectas for a career-high nine points in the second half to keep the Minutewomen close, but missed opportunities on both ends of the floor caused them to drop their second straight conference game. At the 1:05 mark, Dayton's Donovan went 1-for-2 from the line giving UMass the ball down by 4 (64-60). After a missed three-pointer by Zsedenyi, UMass was able to get the offensive rebound but threw the ball away before they could get a shot off. Dayton then made four straight free throws and sealed the game.
In the first half, UMass started off the game on a 12-2 run spanning the first 3:22. Butler had four of the points for the Minutewomen. Dayton chipped away for the remainder of the half as Minutewomen went cold from the floor. Dayton took a two-point lead, 34-32 into the locker room. Smith led the Minutewomen with nine points. Pegues had eight points, while Butler had six, five boards and two blocks.
Massachusetts out-shot the Flyers, .426 (26-61) to .385 (25-65), but were out-rebounded (41-37) for the second straight game. Massachusetts made just one trip to the foul line (1-1), while Dayton was 10-for-14 (.714). The Minutewomen were .500 (7-14) from three-point range, while Dayton was .364 (8-22). Massachusetts recorded 20 assists on its 26 baskets, but committed 24 turnovers. There were just 21 fouls called in the game.
Stefanie Miller scored a game-high 19 points for the Flyers, including 5-9 from behind the arc.
Butler Movin' On Up ... With her 48 points in the two-day State Farm Classic in Gainesville, Fla., senior Jen Butler moved into seventh-place on the school's all-time scoring list. The preseason All-Conference selection now has 1,309 career points to go along with her school record 1,172 rebounds. Butler's name is all over the school's record book as she is fifth in free throws made (337), first in free throws attempted (614), third in blocks (122) and second in steals (207). Next up on the scoring list is Crystal Carroll. The 1997 graduate is in sixth-place with 1,405 points.
1,000 / 1,000 Club ... When Jen Butler grabbed her sixth rebound in the Dec. 9, 2002 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 semifinal last season and now has 1,309 points in her career. The preseason first team All-Conference selection has also pulled down a UMass record 1,172 boards in her illustrious career. She is the 13th player in A-10 history to join the 1,000/1,000 club. She currently leads the nation, pulling down 14.2 boards a game and is second in the conference with a 17.1 ppg average. Butler has recorded a double-double in 14 of 18 games this season and now has 54 in her standout career.
In addition, Butler has grabbed 586 rebounds in 56 career A-10 contests (10.5 per game). This places her fifth on the all-time conference chart. She needs just 120 more boards, or 13.3 per game in the regular season, to take over the top spot from Rutgers' Sue Wicks (1985-88).
Steppin' Up The D ... In 18 games this year, the Minutewomen are yielding a mere 60.7 points per contest, good for third in the Atlantic 10. They have held the opposition at or under 50 points on eight occasions (Sacred Heart 48, Saint Peter's 49, Vermont 48, New Hampshire 50, Rhode Island 45, Villanova 50, Memphis 46 and St. Bonaventure 48), winning each game. The Minutewomen have held five schools to their season-low for points at the time of the game (Villanova, Saint Peter's, Sacred Heart, Vermont and Rhode Island).
Tops On The Boards ... Through Jan. 29, the Minutewomen lead the conference in rebounding, pulling down 41.3 boards per game (15.3 off.; 26.0 def.). Massachusetts' +6.4 rebounding margin is also tops in the A-10 and ranks 27th nationally. The only other school in the A-10 averaging over 40 boards a game is Fordham, and the Minutewomen out-rebounded it, 46-40 Jan. 12 in the battle for conference supremacy on the glass.
Marnie's Army Leader ... At 8-1, Massachusetts Head Coach Marnie Dacko enjoyed 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 as the 1968-69 team which started 9-0 did not have a coach. The 1978 Southern Connecticut State University graduate is currently 11-7 (.611) at UMass and 91-111 (.450) overall in seven-plus seasons as a head coach. As a Head Coach, Dacko is 1-0 vs. Rhode Island.
Impressive Beginning ... The 8-1 start for UMass Head Coach Marnie Dacko was 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 went 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.
What's On Tap ... Massachusetts will host La Salle on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. on NCAA Take a Kid to the Game Day. For every full-priced adult ticket purchased, one child 18 and younger will be admitted for free. In addition, the Minutewomen will have an autograph session after the game.