University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutewomen Look For Season Sweep Of Temple
February 22, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2003
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Game Day... Massachusetts looks to break a season-long four-game losing streak and pick up its first road win since Dec. 9 Sunday afternoon against Temple. The Minutewomen, who now trail the Owls by two games for second-place in the Atlantic 10 East Division, must win this afternoon's game to remain in contention for the first round bye in next month's A-10 Tournament. Massachusetts opened its trip in the City of Brotherly Love with a 60-51 loss at Saint Joseph's Thursday night. Temple, meanwhile, is coming off of an impressive 77-44 win at Duquesne Thursday. Massachusetts is looking for the season-sweep over Temple after last month's 89-80 overtime victory at the Mullins Center. UMass is now 18-21 against the Owls, including an 8-12 mark in Philadelphia. Temple took two out of the three meeting last year, but the one UMass win came in overtime at the Liacouras Center.
Scouting The Owls ... Temple enters this afternoon's game at 10-14 overall and 6-7 in the A-10, good for second place in the East Division. They are eighth in the conference scoring 61.9 ppg and fourth allowing 61.4 ppg. The Owls are ninth in the A-10 shooting at a .395 (571-1446) clip from the field, 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.296; 74-250) and ninth in free throw shooting (.668; 270-404). Temple is also 10th in the league grabbing 34.2 rebounds per game.
Temple will be without the services of A-10 Rookie of the Year candidate Candice Dupree. She broke her ankle in practice Feb. 1. Guard Stacey Smalls leads the Owls averaging 13.4 ppg. Dupree is second on the squad in scoring at 10.4 ppg and leads them pulling down 7.6 rpg. Ari Moore also averages double figures, pouring in 10.1 ppg.
The Series ... Temple leads the all-time series with Massachusetts, 21-18, but the Minutewomen have taken two of the last three meeting's. Four of the past five games between these two teams have gone into overtime. In their last meeting, Jan. 16, Massachusetts was an 89-80 winner at the Mullins Center. UMass has won six of the last 10 games against Temple and eight of nine on the road in the series.
Last Game Against the Owls ... Senior Jennifer Butler scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 21 rebounds as the University of Massachusetts beat Temple University, 89-80, in overtime, Jan. 16, at the Mullins Center. Temple's Stacey Smalls scored a Mullins Center woman's record 35 points, including the game-tying three-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining, but the Minutewomen outscored the Owls, 13-4, in the extra session.
Butler stood at the free throw line with 14.3 second remaining in regulation and the Minutewomen clinging to a one point lead at 74-73. She made just one of the freebies, giving the Owls life. After a timeout, Smalls drove the length of the floor for the Owls and missed a wild shot from just inside the arc. On the ensuing rebound, Butler and an Owl player got tied up and a jump ball was called. With the possession arrow favoring the Minutewomen and just eight seconds showing on the clock, they called a timeout to set up the inbound play. A Temple foul before UMass could inbound sent Butler back to the line with a chance to ice the game. For the second straight possession however, she converted just one of two and kept Temple in the game. After an Owl timeout, Smalls dribbled down the left side of the court and hit a three-pointer, her ninth of the game, to tie the game with just 2.6 seconds left on the clock. UMass could not get a shot off and the two teams went into overtime for the third straight contest in the series. For Smalls, her nine trifectas set a school- and Mullins Center-woman's record.
In the overtime, UMass went back to its bread and butter play by feeding the ball to Butler on the post. She converted an old fashioned three-point play 36 seconds into the extra session to give UMass a 79-76 lead. After a basket by the Owls' Lorenthea Jones, senior Ebony Pegues scored two of her career-high 20 points to give UMass all the points it would need. Massachusetts went on to out-score the Owls, 13-4, in the overtime and improved to 6-1 at the Mullins Center against its Philadelphia rival.
Who Needs A Break?? ... In its first nine games, Massachusetts was sitting pretty at 8-1, but Head Coach Marnie Dacko certainly regrets the two-week lay-off that the Minutewomen took prior to the State Farm Classic in Gainesville, Fla., Dec. 28-29. Since the two-week hiatus, Dacko's troops have gone just 4-11. During the 8-1 start, the Minutewomen averaged 64.2 ppg and allowed a mere 55.9 ppg, while spending much of the time ranked in the RPI top 10. Since then, however, the Minutewomen are scoring 61.3 ppg and allowing 63.7 ppg. In the first month of the season, the Minutewomen shot .412 (215-522) from the field and .675 (112-166) at the foul line, but have since connected at just a .385 (355-923) rate from the field and a dismal .596 (137-230) at the charity stripe. In its 11 losses since the break, the Minutewomen have lost by an average score of 5.9 points, but two of those contests went into overtime, including one double-overtime affair.
She's Not A Thief ... With a season-high seven steals Feb. 13 at George Washington, Jen Butler became the school's all-time leader with 218 as she continues to rewrite the UMass record book. Butler has now amassed 226 thefts and is fourth in the A-10 this season averaging 2.29 spg. In conference games this year, she leads the way averaging 2.54 steals a game.
The Next 1,000-Point Scorer ... When senior Nekole Smith converted a lay-up, her eight and ninth points 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 1,112 for her career, good for 10th-place 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 12th in the conference in scoring with a 13.7 ppg average. Smith entered the season averaging 8.9 ppg. She is also first on the team and 10th in the A-10, connecting at a .489 (135-270) clip from the floor. She currently sits in seventh place all-time with a career .481 (463-962) field goal percentage. On Jan. 12 at Fordham, Smith scored a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers and has tallied double figures all but five times this year.
Increasing Attendance ... The success that the Minutewomen have enjoyed this season is starting to show at the box office. In the 66-51 win over La Salle on Feb. 2, a season-high 931 fans came through the Mullins Center turnstiles. That was the highest UMass home attendance since 1,170 fans witnessed a 66-42 win over Fordham on Feb. 24, 2000. For the year, Massachusetts is averaging 697 fans per home game. That is nearly a 153 percent increase over last year's season average of 456 fans a game. The Minutewomen have played before more than 2,000 fans twice this year (at Xavier and at Florida).
30/20 Vision ... With a 17-point, 12-rebound effort in the Feb. 20 60-51 loss at Saint Joseph's, Jen Butler posted her Atlantic 10-leading 20th double-double. The senior All-America candidate has already recorded three 30-plus point games and has grabbed at least 20 rebounds on four separate occasions. She has been named the A-10 Player of the Week and Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week three times this year.
Passing's The Name Of The Game ... Massachusetts currently ranks fourth in the conference averaging 16.08 assists per game. The Minutewomen, who average 23.75 field goals per game, record an assist 68 percent of the time. Two Minutewomen rank in the top eight for assists in the conference as Ebony Pegues is fifth handing out 4.57 helpers a game, while Katie Nelson is eighth with 3.95 apg. In the 16 games where Nelson plays at least 31 minutes, her average jumps to 4.50 assists per game. Massachusetts is the only A-10 school with two players in the top 10 for assists. The Minutewomen are averaging 16.3 apg in wins and 15.9 apg in losses, but are 5-1 when recording at least 19 helpers. In the first nine games of the season, in which UMass went 8-1, it had 14.9 apg. In the 15 games since then, it has recorded 16.8 apg, but gone 4-11 over that stretch.
Balance Out Those Miscues ... Massachusetts may turn the ball over a lot (16.9 TO/G), but it can sure balance them out with assists. The Minutewomen rank third in the league with a 0.95 assist to turnover ratio. Katie Nelson leads the league with a 2.59 ratio following her career-high eight helpers and one turnover Jan. 24 at Xavier. Her 28 turnovers before suffering an injury are the fewest of any player in the top 15. She did record one in three minutes at GW Feb. 13 when trying to make a comeback.
No Blowouts Here ... No one can say that the Minutewomen are not in ball games this season. Out of its 12 losses thus far, UMass has had a lead or been tied in the second half 10 times. Massachusetts has jumped out to at least a four-point lead by halftime seven times as well and has held double-digit advantages on three occasions. During UMass' recent streak in which it has lost seven of eight games, the Minutewomen jumped out to quick leads seven times. UMass led Xavier, 26-19 mid-way through the first half Jan. 24, but the Musketeers fought back to tie it at halftime. Two days later at Dayton, UMass went on top 15-5, 3:57 into the game, but the Flyers went into the locker room up by two. Jan. 30 against URI, the Minutewomen were up 9-3, but the Rams came charging back and led by six points at halftime. Most recently, on Feb. 20 at Saint Joseph's, UMass led 11-5 early in the first half only to see the Hawks come back and tie it at halftime.
UMass went to the State Farm Classic in Gainesville, Fla. Dec. 28-29, sitting pretty at 8-1, but lost two tough games to Florida and Michigan. The Minutewomen blew a 15-point first half lead against the Gators and were up by 14 at the half against Michigan. Feb. 9 at St. Bonaventure, the Minutewomen cut a 12-point Bonnies lead to a point at the 9:43 mark of the second half, but missed an opportunity to take the lead on four consecutive possessions and eventually lost by six points. On Feb. 13, in our nation's capital, the Minutewomen overcame a 10-point halftime deficit at George Washington and had a late lead only to lose in overtime. The Minutewomen were up two points with under four minutes left and had several chances to go up by two possessions, but were plagued by turnovers. On Feb. 16 at home against Richmond, Massachusetts led by as many as seven points in the second half, but a 13-0 run by the Spiders late in the game handed UMass its eighth conference loss. The Minutewomen went 6:47 all told in the final nine minutes without a point.
Struggling At 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. The Minutewomen started the season red-hot at the line, but have since struggled and now find themselves last in the league with a .629 (249-396) percentage at the line. The Minutewomen are a dismal .600 (120-200) from the line in conference season. During its 8-1 start to the season, UMass shot .675 (112-166) at the charity stripe.
Breakout Game ... With guard Ebony Pegues sitting on the bench for the entire Saint Joseph's game due to a coaches decision, sophomore Monique Govan delivered a career-high 13 points on 6-12 shooting while playing all 40 minutes at the point. She also dished out four assists and had three steals. Govan, who made her ninth career start against the Hawks, is averaging 2.4 ppg this season and has played in every game (12.3 mpg).
Road Woes ... Massachusetts, which has recorded a 4-9 record away from the Mullins Center, has not won on the road since Dec. 9 at Rhode Island, a string of eight straight games.
Last Time Out ... Senior Jennifer Butler had a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds, but Saint Joseph's (15-9, 10-3) defeated the University of Massachusetts (12-12, 4-9), 60-51, Feb. 20 in Atlantic 10 women's basketball action at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. Despite out-shooting the Hawks .412 to .396 and controlling the boards, 35-30, the Minutewomen fall to .500 for the first time this season. It was 4:40 into the game before UMass got on the board courtesy of a Butler basket, but it ignited an 11-0 Minutewoman run which gave them an early 11-5 lead. Saint Joseph's came back to tie and the two teams traded baskets for the majority of the half. Consecutive baskets by senior Nekole Smith gave UMass a five-point lead with a minute left, but the Hawks reeled off five in a row to tie the game at 24 heading into the locker room. Saint Joseph's went on a 10-2 run spanning 4:49 to take a 41-33 lead at the 10:41 mark of the second half and looked like it was going to pull away from the outmanned Minutewomen, but UMass was able to make a comeback. A three-pointer by senior Amber Sneed and lay-up from sophomore Monique Govan cut the Hawks lead to three, 41-38, at the 9:46 mark, but that would be as close as UMass would get. After a Hawk basket on the other end, a Butler scoop shot brought UMass within three again, but a 7-0 run by Saint Joseph's over the next 2:48 provided the knock-out punch. Govan played all 40 minutes this evening for Massachusetts at point guard and scored a career-high 13 points on 6-12 shooting from the field. She also added four rebounds, four assists and three steals. In addition to her 17 points and 12 rebounds, Butler dished out three assists, blocked three shots and recorded a steal. Smith and Sneed both added seven points in the loss. The Minutewomen recorded 14 assists on their 21 field goals, but committed 17 turnovers. Erin Brady led the Hawks with 15 points, while Amra Mehmedic had 10. SJU had just eight turnovers in the game, and were credited with 14 assists.
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 2002 Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinal. She is the 13th player in A-10 history to join the 1,000/1,000 club. She currently leads the nation, pulling down 14.3 boards a game and is fourth in the conference with a 16.9 ppg average. Butler has recorded a double-double in 20 of 24 games this season and now has 61 in her standout career.
In addition, Butler has grabbed 673 rebounds in 61 career A-10 contests (11.0 rpg). This places her third on the all-time conference chart. She needs just 33 more boards, or 11.0 per game in the regular season, to take over the top spot from Rutgers' Sue Wicks (1985-88).
Injury Update ... Sophomore Katie Nelson, who injured her knee Jan. 26 against Dayton, tried to return Feb. 13 at GW, but was forced to leave the game after playing just three minutes in the first half. She will likely miss the rest of the season. Freshman Cindy Gonzalez recorded multiple-basket games against La Salle and St. Bonaventure, but left the game against the Bonnies late in the first half with an ankle injury. She is day-to-day. Junior Cleo Foster, who has been bothered with a leg injury all season, will be out until the A-10 Tournament.
Tough D ... In 24 games this year, the Minutewomen are yielding a mere 60.8 points per contest, good for third in the Atlantic 10. They have held the opposition at or under 51 points on nine occasions (Sacred Heart 48, Saint Peter's 49, Vermont 48, New Hampshire 50, Rhode Island 45, Villanova 50, Memphis 46, St. Bonaventure 48 and La Salle 51), winning each game. The Minutewomen have held six schools to their season-low for points at the time of the game (Villanova, Saint Peter's, Sacred Heart, Vermont, Rhode Island and La Salle 51, which tied its low mark). On Feb. 13, the Minutewomen held GW, the conference's top scoring team (72.2 ppg) to 65 points, 55 in regulation.
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. 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. The 1978 Southern Connecticut State University graduate is currently 12-12 (.500) at UMass and 92-116 (.442) overall in seven-plus seasons as a head coach.
What's On Tap ... Massachusetts will remain in the City of Brotherly Love for a huge game at Temple on Sunday, Feb. 23. Tip-off at the Liacouras Center is slated for 2:00 p.m. The Minutewomen will then return home to close out the regular season against Fordham (2/27; 7:00 p.m.) and Duquesne (3/2; 12:00 p.m.