University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Sacred Heart
Women's Basketball Falls To Sacred Heart, 61-46
November 21, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2003
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Freshman Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) scored 10 points in her collegiate debut, but the University of Massachusetts women's basketball team fell to Sacred Heart University, 61-46, at the William H. Pitt Center tonight in both squads' season openers.
The Minutewomen jumped out to a 5-0 lead on a three-point basket by senior Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary) at the 18:37 mark of the first half, but could not build on it any more. The teams traded baskets for several minutes and then Sacred Heart took the lead for good at the 9:25 mark at 13-11. UMass went cold the rest of the half and the Pioneers built a 30-19 lead at halftime.
Nicolle Rubino hit a bucket for the Pioneers to start the second half to push the lead to 32-19, but UMass showed it still had life by going on a 17-5 run over the next six minutes to close within a point a 37-36 with 13:15 to play on a steal and lay-up by junior Edris Bailey (Mt. Hope, Trinidad & Tobago). Sacred Heart, however, ran off the next seven points over a five-minute span to widen the gap to 44-36 and UMass could not get any closer than three points the rest of the way.
Tatham led the Minutewomen with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting and three rebounds. Zsedenyi finished with nine points, five rebounds and three assists. Bailey had eight points and four boards, while senior Cleo Foster (Toronto, Ontario) had four assists. In her first game as a Minutewoman, sophomore Ashley Sharpton (Conyers, Ga.) had six points on 2-of-3 shooting from three-point range.
UMass shot just .367 (18-49) for the game and committed 25 turnovers.
The Minutewomen will host Holy Cross in their home opener at the Mullins Center on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 4:00 p.m.
