University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Fordham Tonight
February 27, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2003
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Game Day... Massachusetts, who has been home just twice in the entire month of February heading into tonight's game, looks to break a season-long five game losing streak tonight when it hosts Fordham at 7:00 p.m. The Minutewomen now find themselves in fifth-place in the A-10 East, but with two wins down the stretch and a little help, UMass can finish as high as third. The A-10 Championship, hosted by Rhode Island, will be March 6-8 at the Ryan Center is Kingston. UMass, loser's in nine of its last 10 games, is now 12-13 overall and 4-10 in A-10 play. This is the first time this season it has dipped below the .500 mark. The Lady Rams on the other hand, come in having won four if its last five games after a seven-game losing skid. Fordham is now 14-13 overall and 5-9 in A-10 play, good for a third-place tie with Rhode Island. UMass leads the all-time series with the Lady Rams, 13-7, including an 8-1 mark at home.
Scouting The Lady Rams ... Fordham comes to Amherst, a place it has won just once in nine tries, with a 14-13 overall record. The Lady Rams are 5-9 in A-10 play, one game ahead of the Minutewomen in third place. Fordham is sixth in the league averaging 62.1 ppg and fifth in scoring defense, holding opponents to 61.4 ppg. Fordham is last in the conference in field goal percentage (.390; 617-1582), last in three-point field goal percentage (.284; 84-296) and third in free throw percentage (.713; 360-505). The Lady Rams are second in the league behind UMass in rebounding at 40.4 a game.
Forward Mobolaji Akiode leads the team and is third in the conference averaging 17.2 ppg. She is also pulling down 5.6 rpg. Guard Beth Ann Dickinson is second on the team with a 10.9 ppg average. She is also grabbing 3,2 rpg and has dished out 44 assists. 6-6 center Kyshawn Ruff leads the team in rebounding at 9.0 per game, while Monica Mack has dished out a team-leading 112 assists (4.15 apg).
The Series ... Massachusetts leads the all-time series with Fordham 13-7 including last month's 60-52 loss in the Bronx. At home, UMass is 8-1 all-time against the Rams, including 7-0 at the Mullins Center.
Last Game Against the Lady Rams ... Despite a career-high 23 points from senior Nekole Smith, Massachusetts fell to Fordham, 60-52, Jan. 12 at Rose Hill Gym in the Bronx.
The Minutewomen used an 11-0 run at the end of the first half and into the second half to take a 27-25 lead at the 16:32 mark, but Fordham's Beth Ann Dickinson came right back down to tie the game. UMass fell behind by four, but used a 6-0 run of its own to retake the lead, 39-37, at the 10:18 mark. The Minutewomen, plagued by poor shooting all game, watched as the Rams heated up and went up nine points with just 3:40 left. Capped by a three-pointer by sophomore Katie Nelson, the Minutewomen got back within three at 52-49, but an offensive rebound by the Rams and a put-back by Mobolaji Akiode sealed the Rams' 10th victory of the season.
Senior Jen Butler was stymied by the Fordham defense all day, but still managed to record her 13th double-double of the season on 10 points and 12 rebounds. She also had two blocked shots. Senior Kristin Cannon scored five points, including a three-pointer which gave the Minutewomen their 39-37 lead. Nelson finished with six points, four assists and no turnovers.
Fordham, which had four players score in double-figures, was paced by Akiode's 16 points. Dickinson had 13, while Monica Mack had 11 and Caitlin Chiaramonte finished with 10.
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 4-12. 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 60.1 ppg and allowing 62.7 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 .379 (370-975) rate from the field and a dismal .600 (147-245) at the charity stripe. In its 12 losses since the break, the Minutewomen have lost by an average score of 5.7 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 229 thefts and is tied for second in the A-10 this season averaging 2.32 spg. In conference games this year, she leads the way averaging 2.57 spg.
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 1,119 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 13.4 ppg average. Smith entered the season averaging 8.9 ppg. She is also first on the team and ninth in the A-10, connecting at a .488 (140-297) clip from the floor. She currently sits in seventh place all-time with a career .481 (466-969) 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 six times this year.
Increasing Attendance ... The early success that the Minutewomen enjoyed this season is showing 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, 16-rebound effort in the Feb. 23 47-42 loss at Temple, Jen Butler posted her Atlantic 10-leading 21st 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 15.84 assists per game. The Minutewomen, who average 23.40 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 4.50 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 14.9 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 16.4 apg, but gone 4-12 over that stretch.
Balance Out Those Miscues ... Massachusetts may turn the ball over a lot (17.0 to/g), but it can sure balance them out with assists. The Minutewomen rank fourth in the league with a 0.93 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 13 losses thus far, UMass has had a lead or been tied in the second half 11 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 nine of 10 games, the Minutewomen jumped out to quick leads eight 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. 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. Then three days later at Temple, UMass enjoyed a lead for all but 46 seconds of the first half, but went into the locker room down two.
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 .630 (259-411) percentage at the line. The Minutewomen are a dismal .605 (130-215) 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 (13.2 mpg).
Road Woes ... Massachusetts, which has recorded a 4-10 record away from the Mullins Center, has not won on the road since Dec. 9 at Rhode Island, a string of eight games. The Minutewomen started off the season winning four of its first five away from Amherst. UMass averages just 59.2 ppg on the road, shoots .369 (311-842) from the field, .251 (58-231) from three-point range and .659 (149-226) at the free throw line.
Last Time Out ... Despite 17 points and 16 rebounds by senior Jen Butler, UMass dropped below the .500 mark for the first time this season with a 47-42 to Temple Feb. 23, before 1,949 fans at the Liacouras Center this afternoon. Unlike the first time these two teams met, an 89-80 UMass win in overtime on Jan. 16 at the Mullins Center, this afternoon's game was a defensive struggle. Temple led for just 46 seconds in the first half, but took an 18-16 into the locker room. The 16 points by the Minutewomen tied for the fewest in a half this season. They also scored 16 in the first half of a 52-49 win at Saint Peter's on Nov. 25. Butler led all scorers with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the half for her 21st double-double of the season. Massachusetts shot just .259 (7-27) in the half and committed 12 turnovers, while the Owls connected at a .292 (7-24) clip from the field and turned the ball over nine times.
A three-pointer by junior Judit Zsedenyi at the 19:43 mark of the second half ended a 4:26 scoring drought for the Minutewomen and put them back on top, 19-18. The two teams then traded baskets for the next 10 minutes until Temple went on an 8-0 run spanning 2:37 to take an eight-point lead with 7:53 left. UMass answered back however with a 9-1 run of its own to tie the game at the 4:26 mark. Senior Nekole Smith had a three-pointer during the run, while a baseline jumper by senior Ebony Pegues after a steal by sophomore Monique Govan tied the game at 36.
Temple responded with a 6-0 run of its own on two trifectas by Stacey Smalls. UMass scored the next three points with a Zsedenyi free throw and a Butler basket, but Temple's Ari Moore scored on the other end to but the Owls back up five points with 1:40 left. The next trip down the floor, Butler went to the line at the 1:12 mark, but made just one of two shots. Needing a stop on the defensive end, UMass got it after the shot clock had been run down, but was unable to pull down the rebound. They had to foul and the Owls were able to take advantage, making four shots from the charity stripe down the stretch.
Massachusetts shot just .288 (15-52) for the game, while committing 20 turnovers. It did outrebound the Owls, 42-30. Temple shot .362 (17-47) for the game and committed 15 turnovers. Butler was the team's only double-figure scorer as Smith had seven points, while senior Siiri Liivandi had six points and three rebounds and Zsedenyi and Pegues each had four points apiece. Smalls led the Owls with 16 points.
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 miss the rest of the season and have surgery. Freshman Cindy Gonzalez returned to the lineup at Temple after missing three straight games with an ankle injury. Junior Cleo Foster, who has been bothered with a leg injury all season, will be out until the A-10 Tournament next week.
Tough D ... In 25 games this year, the Minutewomen are yielding a mere 60.2 points per contest. They are tied with GW for first in the league by percentage, but have allowed two more points than the Colonials. They have held the opposition at or under 51 points on 10 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 nine games. 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.
Tops On The Boards ... Through Feb. 25, the Minutewomen lead the conference in rebounding, pulling down 40.6 boards per game. Massachusetts' +6.3 rebounding margin is also tops in the A-10 and ranks 28th nationally.
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 12-13 (.480) at UMass and 92-117 (.440) overall in seven-plus seasons as a head coach.
What's On Tap ... Massachusetts will host Duquesne at Noon in the final game of the regular season on Sunday. The game, which will be televised live by the Atlantic 10 Television Network (locally on NESN), will be the final one for seven UMass seniors: Jen Butler, Kristin Cannon, Siiri Liivandi, Ebony Pegues, Stasia Robinson, Nekole Smith and Amber Sneed. Then UMass will head to Kingston, R.I., for the 2003 A-10 Championship, March 6-8 at the Ryan Center. The conference's title game, which will be carried live on ESPN 2, will be March 10 on the floor of the highest remaining seed.