University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Hoop Battles St. Bonaventure Sunday
February 07, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2003
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Game Day... Massachusetts, back on the winning track after Sunday's 66-51 win over La Salle at the Mullins Center, begins a crucial stretch of four road games in two weeks today. This afternoon, the Minutewomen head to upstate New York for a 12:00 p.m. game against St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies will be looking for revenge as the Minutewomen won a few weeks ago at the Mullins Center, 70-48. Massachusetts is currently 12-8 overall this season and its 4-5 mark is good for sole possession of second place in the Atlantic 10's East Division. St. Bonaventure, off the heels of a 74-68 homecourt loss to Saint Joseph's Thursday afternoon, is 5-15 overall and 2-7 in the A-10 East. The Minutewomen lead the all-time series 26-11 and are 10-7 on the road, including wins in the last two games played at the Reilly Center. Overall, UMass has won five games in a row against the Bonnies.
Scouting The Bonnies ... St. Bonaventure enters today's game with a 5-15 overall record and stand in fifth place in the A-10 East with a 2-7 conference record. The Bonnies are 11th in the conference averaging 60.8 ppg and last allowing 67.3 ppg. They are 11th in the conference in field goal percentage (.394; 433-1,099), second in three-point field goal percentage (.369; 92-249) and fifth in free throw percentage (.683; 258-378). St. Bonaventure is averaging 37.0 rebounds per contest and turns the ball over 19.9 times a game.
Courtney Mattingly is St. Bonaventure's leading scorer at 12.2 ppg. The senior forward, who lit up the Minutewomen for 20 points in last month's game, is also pulling down 5.2 rebounds per game and dishing out 2.5 assists per game. She is the only Bonnies player to have played and started all 20 games. Lindsey Maurer, the team's second-leading scorer at 10.0 ppg, is questionable for this afternoon's contest with a back injury. Tory Vyborny is the Bonnies' leading rebounder at 5.7 rpg. She also averages 8.6 ppg.
The Series ... Massachusetts holds a 26-11 lead in the all-time series between these two schools which dates back to the 1986-87 season. The Minutewomen are 10-7 on the road in the series and have won the last two games played at the Reilly Center. Overall, Massachusetts has won five games in a row and 10 of the last 11.
Last Game Against the Bonnies ... Massachusetts defeated St. Bonaventure, 70-48, Jan. 18 in an Atlantic 10 game at the Mullins Center. Massachusetts, which led 30-21 at the half, saw the Bonnies go on a 14-2 run over the first 7:12 to take their first lead since mid-way through the first half. On the next trip down the floor, senior Jen Butler converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to put the Minutewomen back up a point at 35-34. After St. Bonaventure's Eva Kadlecova made one of two free throws to tie the game for the fourth time, sophomore Monique Govan slashed through the lane and hit a runner to put UMass up for good. Caitlin Crist hit a jumper at the other end to tie the game again, but that would be the last Bonnies field goal for 8:44. After calling a 30-second timeout, Massachusetts went on a 28-7 run before Courtney Mattingly finally hit a fade-away jumper to end the drought at 2:35.
Nelson Out ... Massachusetts will be without the services of sophomore point guard Katie Nelson for at least a couple of weeks. Nelson left the Jan. 26 game against Dayton with a knee injury.
She's On The Board ... Redshirt freshman Cindy Gonzalez played in her sixth game of the season Jan. 30 against Rhode Island and finally recorded her first career basket. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native and former high school teammate of current Minutewoman Jen Butler, drilled a three-pointer at the 4:04 mark of the first half for her first collegiate points. In the next game, a 66-51 homecourt victory over La Salle, Gonzalez recorded a career-high seven points, three assists, two rebounds, one block and one steal in 19 minutes. Both of her baskets, two trifectas, came in a 2:30 span of the first half and helped the Minutewomen pull away from the Explorers.
Bye-Bye January ... The month of January will not be missed by the Massachusetts women's basketball team and it is not just because of the weather. After starting the season 8-3, the Minutewomen went 3-5 in the month, including a 2-5 mark in conference. Prior to the first game of the new year, a 51-46 homecourt win over Memphis, the Minutewomen were averaging 64.5 ppg and allowing 58.6 ppg. In January, however, Massachusetts averaged 63.1 ppg and allowed 64.2 ppg. UMass enjoyed a second half lead in four of the losses and in fact has led at least once in the second half in six of its eight losses this season. A big difference for their recent struggles has been the Minutewomen's ability to get to the charity stripe and convert. Through the first 11 games, UMass went .690 (138-200) from the free throw line, an average of 18.2 trips a game. In January, the Minutewomen were .558 (72-129).
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 1,062 for her career, good for 11th 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 13.9 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 .492 (117-238) clip from the floor. She currently sits in seventh-place all-time with a career .482 (443-920) field goal percentage. On Jan. 12 at Fordham, Smith scored a career-high 23 points to lead all scorers.
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 680 fans a game. That is nearly a 150 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 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 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 season.
Love Those Turnovers ... In its 12 wins this season, Massachusetts averages nearly 19 turnovers a game. In their eight losses, however, the Minutewomen turn the ball over 14.9 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 15.6 turnovers against UMass thus far.
Passing's The Name Of The Game ... Massachusetts currently ranks third in the conference averaging 16.35 assists per game. The Minutewomen, who average 24.2 field goals per game, record an assist nearly 68 percent of the time. Two Minutewomen rank in the top eight for assists in the conference as Ebony Pegues is fifth handing out 4.45 helpers a game, while Katie Nelson is eighth with 4.11 apg. Massachusetts is the only A-10 school with two players in the top 10 for assists. The Minutewomen have recorded at least 18 assists nine times this year and dished out 20 in three of their last five games.
Balance Out Those Miscues ... Massachusetts may turn the ball over a lot, but they can sure balance them out with assists. The Minutewomen rank third in the league with a 0.98 assist to turnover ratio, including a 1.10 mark in A-10 play, good for second. 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 the fewest of any player in the top 15. In conference games, however, Nelson's ratio improves to a league-high 6.00. Fordham's Erin Smith is in second place at 3.00 in league play. Nelson recorded 30 assists and just five turnovers in league games this season prior to her injury at Dayton.
Quick Starts ... No one can say that the Minutewomen are not in ball games this season. Out of its eight losses thus far, UMass has had a lead in the second half six times. Massachusetts has jumped out to at least a six-point lead by halftime six times as well and has held double-digit advantages on three occasions. During their recent three-game losing streak, the Minutewomen have jumped out to quick leads in each game. The Minutewomen 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. UMass went to the State Farm Classic in Gainesville, Fla., 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.
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 nine points against the Flyers. The Budapest, Hungary native is averaging 3.1 ppg this season and had appeared in all 18 games, until sitting out the Rhode Island game with an injury. She returned last Sunday against La Salle and went 1-for-1 from three-point land in 13 minutes of play.
RPI/Strength of Schedule ... In the latest WBCA/Summerville RPI ranking released Feb. 6, the Minutewomen are ranked 81st out of 324 Division I institutions. It is the sixth-highest RPI in the conference as Xavier (25), Saint Joseph's (31), George Washington (38), Richmond (69) and Dayton (70) have a better RPI than Massachusetts. In addition, the Maroon and White schedule has been rated as the nation's 89th-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 ... Senior Jen Butler scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the University of Massachusetts (12-8, 4-5) downed La Salle (11-9, 3-6), 66-51, in an Atlantic 10 women's basketball game before a season-high 931 fans Feb. 2 at the Mullins Center. The win snapped a three-game losing streak the Minutewomen had been on. Massachusetts used a 14-2 run over 6:55 of the second half to put the game away. Leading by nine points at the 16:33 mark of the second half, a lay-up by Butler followed by two free throws by senior Siiri Liivandi, one charity toss by freshman Cindy Gonzalez and a lay-up by senior Ebony Pegues on the next four Minutewoman possessions gave them a 16-point lead (47-31) at the 13:30 mark. After La Salle's Bonnie Randa ended the scoring drought, UMass continued the onslaught. Junior Judit Zsedenyi drained a three-pointer on the ensuing possession and then senior Nekole Smith hit a shot in the paint to give UMass a 52-33 lead. Another pair of free throws by Butler pushed the mark over 20 until La Salle's Jill Marano stoped the bleeding with a lay-up at the 8:13 mark.
All 12 active Minutewomen saw playing time and nine scored at least one basket. Butler finished with a game-high 17 points and 15 rebounds for her 16th double-double of the season. She also added two blocks, an assist and a steal. Pegues finished with 12 points and seven assists, while Smith added 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Gonzalez scored a career-high seven points, including 2-for-2 from three-points range, while dishing out three assists and not committing a turnover. Liivandi had her best game since returning to the lineup last month with eight points and six boards. Massachusetts, the conference's top rebounding team, had a 54-28 edge on the boards.
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 1,345 career points to go along with her school record 1,200 rebounds. Butler's name is all over the school's record book as she is fifth in free throws made (343), first in free throws attempted (626), third in blocks (126) and second in steals (209).
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. 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 third in the conference with a 17.2 ppg average. Butler has recorded a double-double in 16 of 20 games this season and now has 57 in her standout career.
In addition, Butler has grabbed 614 rebounds in 58 career A-10 contests (10.6 rpg). This places her fourth on the all-time conference chart. She needs just 92 more boards, or 13.1 per game in the regular season, to take over the top spot from Rutgers' Sue Wicks (1985-88).
Steppin' Up The D ... In 20 games this year, the Minutewomen are yielding a mere 60.5 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).
Tops On The Boards ... Through Feb. 6, the Minutewomen lead the conference in rebounding, pulling down 41.2 boards per game (15.3 off.; 25.9 def.). Massachusetts' +6.7 rebounding margin is also tops in the A-10 and ranks 24th 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 12-8 (.600) at UMass and 92-112 (.451) overall in seven-plus seasons as a head coach. Of the 55 new Division I head coaches, Dacko has made the eighth-best turnaround as the 2001-02 Minutewomen went just 12-18. After last month's win, Dacko is now 4-0 lifetime against the Bonnies.
What's On Tap ... Massachusetts will take on A-10 West leader George Washington (14-5, 8-0) on Thursday, Feb. 13, at 7:00 p.m., in our nation's capital. The Colonials are sure to have revenge on their minds as UMass cost them a perfect conference season a year ago with a 62-53 win.