University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts UNC-Greensboro Tonight
December 30, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2003
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Game-Day Information
What: UNC-Greensboro (2-8) at Massachusetts (3-7)
Where: Mullins Center (9,493) * Amherst, Mass.
When: Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2003 * 7:00 p.m.
Radio: WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst
Eric Martignetti (play-by-play) & Mike DeMars (color)
Series: UNC-Greensboro leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: UNC-Greensboro 72-59 on Nov. 30, 1991
Game Day... The UMass women's basketball team (3-7) returns home for the first time in nearly four weeks as it hosts the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (2-8). The Minutewomen, who have been off for the past nine days, are looking to snap a three-game losing streak before beginning conference play this weekend. This is just the second all-time meeting between these two schools. The Spartans won, 72-59, on Nov. 30, 1991, in the Cornell Tournament. Head Coach Marnie Dacko is still three wins shy of 100 for her career, while UNC-Greensboro head coach Lynne Agee is looking for career win number 500 tonight.
Scouting The Spartans ... The University of North Carolina Greensboro enters tonight's game with a 2-8 overall record and are 2-1 thus far in Southern Conference play. The Spartans have defeated Wofford and Appalachian State while their losses have been to Saint Francis, Virginia, Coastal Carolina, Coppin State, East Tennessee State, Chattanooga, Campbell and 25th-ranked Boston College. UNC-Greensboro is averaging 59.2 ppg, while allowing 68.3 ppg. The Spartans are shooting .376 from the field, .283 from three-point range and .644 at the free throw line. They are being out-rebounded 39.5-36.7 and averaging 18.1 turnovers a game.
Jacinda Lambert leads the team in scoring at 16.1 ppg. She is also grabbing 4.8 rpg. Amanda Eaton is second in scoring at 12.4 ppg while dishing out a team-high 30 assists. Lindsey Reed is grabbing a team-best 6.5 rpg and is also scoring 6.1 ppg, good for fourth on the squad. She also has nine blocks. Jasmine Byrd is third on the team averaging 9.2 ppg and has recorded a team-high 28 steals.
Head Coach Lynne Agee ... UNC-Greensboro head coach Lynn Agee is looking for career win number 500 tonight. She has amassed a 453-186 mark at UNCG and a 499-209 career record in 25-plus years on the sidelines. In 22-plus seasons with the Spartans, Agee has registered nearly 80-percent of the program's wins. In 2000, she also became the 16th active coach to reach 400 wins at their current school.
Agee not only ranks among the most successful active Division I coaches in North Carolina, but across the country. Entering this season, she stood second in the state with a .712 winning percentage over 22 years, trailing only Gail Goestenkors of Duke (.743). Agee is third in career wins with 497, trailing Kay Yow of North Carolina State and Sylvia Hatchell of North Carolina.
The Series ... UNC-Greensboro leads the brief series between these two schools, 1-0. The Spartans won, 72-59, on Nov. 30, 1991, in the Cornell Tournament.
Road Woes ... Dating back to last season, the Minutewomen have now dropped 15 straight road games. The last win for Massachusetts on an opponents' home floor was over a year ago. It was a 59-45 win at Rhode Island on Dec. 9, 2002. Prior to that streak, the Minutewomen had been victorious on seven of nine straight road or neutral site contests. Before defeating Brown on Nov. 30, 2003, in the third-place game of the Coca-Cola Classic at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., the Minutewomen had lost 14 straight road or neutral site contests. UMass is 0-6 in road contests so far in 2003-04, but 2-0 in neutral site games.
It's Been A While ... It has been a while since the Minutewomen were last at home. Tonight marks the first time in nearly four weeks that UMass will play in Amherst. It's last home game was a 54-49 win over Vermont on Dec. 3 in the Cage. The last game at the Mullins Center was a 68-63 loss to Holy Cross on Nov. 23. Tonight is just the third home game of the season for UMass. The Maroon & White has won 13 of the last 16 games on its home floor, including six of the past seven non-conference tilts.
Stepping It Up ... After averaging just 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game last season, senior Judit Zsedenyi has dramatically stepped up her game. The Budapest, Hungary, native scored a career-high 21 points at Northeastern on Dec. 14 and is second on the team this year pouring in 9.2 points per game. She is also averaging 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while playing in nearly 32 minutes. Zsedenyi was named the Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week on December 17.
Tough D ... One of the positives for Massachusetts this season has been the play by the defense. The Minutewomen have allowed just 58.8 points per game this season to rank second in the Atlantic 10 Conference and have held two of their opponents to a season-low in points. Both Fairfield (43) and Vermont (49) have come well short of its season averages against the UMass defense. Through 10 games, UMass opponents are shooting .409 from the field and committing 17.7 turnovers a game.
Tale Of Two Halves ... If college basketball was just a 20-minute game, the Minutewomen would be 7-3 this year instead of 3-7. Massachusetts has enjoyed a halftime lead in seven of its 10 games this season, including a nine-point advantage on Nov. 25 at Syracuse and a seven-point edge at Hartford Dec. 21, both of which quickly evaporated. In those seven games, UMass is shooting .512 (88-172) from the field in the first half, but just .319 (60-188) in the second stanza.
Who Said They Can't Rebound ... When Massachusetts lost the services of "Miss Everything" Jen Butler to graduation last year, people wondered where the rebounds were going to come from this season. Well, in its first six games, UMass has managed to equal or out-rebound the opposition each time. Last season, Butler led the nation grabbing 14.7 rebounds a game and only three other players were over 3.0. This year, six different Minutewomen are grabbing at least three rebounds a game. Following her career-high 15-rebound performance against Brown Nov. 30, junior Brooke Campbell leads the team and is third in the A-10 pulling down 8.4 boards a contest. It has also been the highest single-game rebound tally in the league this season. Overall, UMass is out-rebounding its opponents, 35.8-32.5 and are third in the league with a +3.3 rebounding margin.
Don't Want To Dominate On The Glass Though ... UMass seems to play better this year when not out-rebounding the opposition. When either tied on the glass or being out-rebounded this season, UMass is 3-0. They are 0-7, however, when holding the edge on the glass.
Fiesta Bowl All-Tournament Team ... For the second time in as many weeks, UMass junior forward Brooke Campbell was named to an all-tournament team. This time, the Baltimore, Md., native was selected to the All-Tournament team of the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Tucson, Ariz. In two games at the McKale Center, Campbell had 28 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and two steals. For the season, Campbell is leading the team and is 16th in the A-10 averaging 11.7 points per game and 8.4 rebounds a game. Her tally on the glass is good for third-best in the conference. Campbell is also averaging 1.6 assists, 0.6 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. She has two double-doubles this season, tied for the third-most in the league.
Coca-Cola Classic All-Tournament Team ... Junior Brooke Campbell exploded for 37 points and 26 rebounds during the two-day Coca-Cola Classic, Nov. 29-30, at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., en route to All-Tournament team honors. The Midland (Texas) Junior College transfer also added five assists, two blocks and four steals as the Minutewomen finished in third place. She was also named the Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week on Dec. 3.
Sharpton's A Sharp-Shooter ... Redshirt sophomore Ashley Sharpton played a major role off the bench in the UMass 55-52 win over Brown on Nov. 30 as well as the 54-49 triumph over Vermont on Dec. 3 at the Cage. She tallied a career-high 10 points in 18 minutes to help the Minutewomen earn their first win of the season against the Bears. The UNC-Asheville transfer was 4-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, and also had a rebound and an assist. Against the Catamounts, she nailed two three-pointers in a 2:01 span to put UMass back up by 13 points after Vermont had cut a 20-point deficit down to five. For the season, the Conyers, Ga., native is averaging 3.4 points in 10.8 minutes. She is shooting .400 (10-25) from three-point land.
The All-Around Center ... The future looks bright for the Minutewomen if freshman Tamara Tatham continues this pace. A forward playing as a center this year, Tatham is third on the team with 9.0 points per game. She is also averaging 4.7 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. The Brampton, Ontario, native has reached double-figures in scoring in seven of the 10 games this season.
Filling In Nicely ... Tatham is not the only Minutewoman playing out of position this year. Senior Cleo Foster has had to step in as the point guard, a position she is not very familiar with. The defensive specialist from Toronto is dishing out 3.10 assists per game to lead the team and is 14th in the conference. She also has a very respectable 0.91-1 assists-to-turnover ratio, good for 14th in the A-10. Foster is also averaging 1.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and has added three blocked shots and 14 steals.
Lucky 21 ... Junior Edris Bailey has poured in 21 points on two occasions this season. Most recently, she broke our for 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Minutewomen's 60-53 loss at Hartford on Dec. 21. She was 8-for-11 from the field and also added two steals in 32 minutes. In her Mullins Center debut, a 68-63 loss to Holy Cross on Nv. 23, she tallied 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting in just 20 minutes off the bench. Bailey is fourth on the team averaging 8.6 points, while also pulling down 4.0 rebounds per game. Her .514 shooting percentage is good for eighth in the league.
Hartford Recap ... Junior Edris Bailey had a double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds, but UMass fell to Hartford, 60-53, Dec. 21. The Minutewomen went on an 8-0 run late to cut a 10-point Hartford lead to two, but were unable to get any closer as they lost for the third straight time.
Massachusetts was down by 10 points, 52-42, at the 5:23 mark of the second half, but went on an 8-0 run over the next 1:30 to cut the lead to two. A three-pointer by sophomore Ashley Sharpton started the run and then five straight points by junior Brooke Campbell brought the Minutewomen within a basket at 52-50 and forced Hartford to use a timeout. When play resumed, Hartford was called for an offensive foul and gave the ball back to UMass. The Minutewomen were unable to score, however, and Hartford was 8-10 at the free throw line in the final 2:11 to secure the win.
It was a tale of two halves again for UMass this afternoon. After shooting 44 percent from the field in the first half and taking a seven-point lead (27-20) into the locker room, it shot just 32 percent after the break. The Hawks were 36 percent from the field in the first half and 52 percent in the second. UMass finished the game shooting 37 percent from the floor. The Minutewomen did out-rebound the Hawks, 33-27, but are now 0-7 this year when holding the edge on the glass. For the second straight game, the UMass defense allowed at least 40 second half points after yielding 21 or fewer in the first stanza.
The 21 points for Bailey tied her career-high, while the 10 boards are the most for her in a single-game. Campbell finished with 15 points and seven rebounds for the Minutewomen. Liz Stich led three Hartford players in double-figures with 22 points. She had 18 of them in the second half. UMass was 13-for-21 from the free throw line, while Hartford was 15-of-18. The Minutewomen committed 19 turnovers in the game.
It's An International Thing ... This year's UMass roster certainly has an International feel to it. There are five players who hail from overseas. Cleo Foster and Tamara Tatham are both from Ontario, Canada. Judit Zsedenyi is a native of Hungary, while junior redshirt Patrycja Gulak is from Poland. Edris Bailey is from Trinidad & Tobago.
Marnie's Army Leader ... With an 8-1 start last year, 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. When the Minutewomen downed Sacred Heart, 74-48 on Nov. 22 2002, Dacko became the seventh head coach out of nine in the program's history to win their first game on the UMass bench. The 1978 Southern Connecticut State University graduate is currently 17-20 (.459) at UMass and 97-124 (.439) overall in nine-plus seasons as a head coach. She is now just three wins shy of 100 in her career.
From Here ... Atlantic 10 Conference play begins after the New Year and the Minutewomen start off with a pair of games in the City of Brotherly Love. UMass will play at La Salle on Saturday, Jan. 3, and then at Saint Joseph's on Tuesday, Jan. 6. Both games will begin at 12:00 p.m. The first A-10 home game will be Friday, Jan. 9 at 7:00 p.m. The Minutewomen will welcome Temple to the Mullins Center.