University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Hoops Battles La Salle In A-10 Tourney
March 06, 2003 | Women's Basketball
March 6, 2003
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Game Day... For the second consecutive year, Massachusetts and La Salle will meet in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. UMass, the third seed in the East, and La Salle, the sixth seed in the West, will play in today's final first round game at 6:00 p.m. Both squads sport 14-13 overall records and were 6-10 in A-10 play during the regular season. The winner of this evening's game will go on to play Xavier in tomorrow's final quarterfinal game at 6:00 p.m. Last year, the Minutewomen also earned the Easts third seed and advanced all the way to the semifinal before dropping a heartbreaker to eventual champion, Temple, in overtime. The Musketeers, the second seed in the West, received a first-round bye. Earlier this season on Feb. 2, UMass defeated La Salle, 66-51, at the Mullins Center. UMass now leads the all-time series 7-3.
Scouting The Explorers ... La Salle enters this evening's game with a 14-13 overall record and earned the sixth seed in the A-10 West with a 6-10 conference mark. The Explorers finished fifth in the league in the regular season averaging 64.4 ppg and were ninth in scoring defense allowing 65.3 ppg. They ranked sixth in field goal percentage (.418; 635-1519) and second in three-point field goal percentage (.368; 125-340) and free throw percentage (.715; 343-480). La Salle is last in the league hauling in 33.6 rebounds per game and sports a -6.7 rebounding margin.
Guard Jill Marano leads the team and is 15th in the league averaging 13.0 ppg. Davineia Payne is second on the squad with an 11.9 ppg average. Kat Foley, who missed the UMass game earlier this season with an injury, is third on the team in scoring at 11.3 ppg. Forward Ekaterina Markova is first on the team and tied for 11th in the conference averaging 6.1 rpg. Guard Chrissy Walker paces the team and is 10th in the league dishing out 3.52 assists a game.
The Series ... Massachusetts leads the all-time series with La Salle, 7-3, including last month's 66-51 win at the Mullins Center. The Minutewomen have won three in a row and four of the last five games in the series which dates back to the 1985-86 season. Included in the streak is UMass' 58-46 win in the first round of the 2002 A-10 Tournament. That has been the only time these two teams have met on a neutral floor.
Last Game Against the Explorers ... Senior Jen Butler scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as UMass downed La Salle on Feb. 2 at the Mullins Center, 66-51.
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.
The two teams exchanged baskets for the next three and a half minutes until two consecutive Butler field goals gave the Minutewomen a 23-point lead (62-39) at the 4:40 mark, their largest advantage of the day. All 12 active Minutewomen saw playing time, with nine scoring at least once.
Perfect At The Ryan Center ... Given the Minutewomen's road record this season in A-10 play (1-7), there would be only one place that they would like to play at this week, and that is the Ryan Center. UMass was a 59-45 winner in the building's first conference game on Dec. 9, 2002. That turned out to be the Minutewomen's only road win in conference play this season. The first three rounds will be played in Kingston before Monday's championship game will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
Up Next: Xavier ... The winner of tonight's UMass/La Salle game will play Xavier in the quarterfinals tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. The Musketeers are the second seed in the A-10 West Division and received a first-round bye. Earlier this season, the Minutewomen lost to the Musketeers, 77-65, on Jan. 24 in Cincinnati. The game was tied at 35 at halftime and UMass led for much of the first half.
Scouting The Musketeers ... Xavier is 19-8 overall this season and finished the regular season with an 11-5 A-10 record, good for second place in the West Division. The Musketeers are third in the conference in scoring at 68.7 ppg and seventh in scoring defense allowing 61.8 ppg. Xavier ranks fifth in the league in field goal percentage (.432; 643-1489); third in three-point field goal percentage (.364; 164-451) and first at the charity stripe (.773; 405-524). Xavier ranks sixth in the conference in rebounding at 35.7, but is first in rebounding defense at 33.8.
A-10 All-Conference first-team selection Amy Waugh leads the league in scoring at 18.7 ppg. A-10 Rookie of the Year Tara Boothe is second on the team and sixth in the league in scoring at 16.0 ppg and leads the Musketeers pulling down 8.1 boards a contest. Reetta Piipari, also a first team All-Conference selection, is third on the team in scoring at 14.1 ppg and is third in the league in assists, handing out 5.22 helpers a game.
Defensive Player of the Year ... Senior center Jen Butler was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year at the annual awards banquet last night. She was also named a first team All-Conference selection. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native finished the regular season third in scoring (17.0 ppg), 13th in field goal percentage (.462), first in rebounding (14.4 rpg), first in steals (2.41 spg) and fifth in blocked shots (1.30 bpg). Butler was also named the league's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year by the Philadelphia Sports Connection.
UMass In The A-10 Tournament ... Since joining the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1983-84, the Minutewomen are 12-20 (.375) in the annual postseason tournament and have never won the championship. The closest UMass came was in 1997-98 when it fell to Virginia Tech in overtime of the title game played at the Mullins Center. UMass picked up its first A-10 tourney win on March 2, 1988, when it downed St. Bonaventure, 80-67. UMass has never played a postseason game in Rhode Island.
Last Year At The A-10 Tournament ... Last year's 2-1 record at the Atlantic 10 Tournament at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia marked just the second time that the Maroon & White strung together two consecutive tourney wins. As the No. 3 seed in the East, Massachusetts knocked off the Wests No. 6 seed, La Salle, 58-46. Amber Sneed led all UMass scorers with 14 points. In the quarterfinal round, the Minutewomen upset second-seeded Richmond, 85-73. Sneed, Jen Butler, Katie Nelson, Siiri Liivandi and Nekole Smith all reached double figures for the Minutewomen. In the semifinals, UMass dropped a 67-61 overtime heartbreaker to eventual tournament champion, Temple. Monique Govan drove the length of the floor and hit a lay-up to tie the game at the buzzer, but the Owls prevailed in the extra session. Nelson led all UMass scorers with 15 points, while Butler had seven to go over 1,000 in her career.
The A-10 Queen Of The Glass ... In the 64-51 win over Fordham Feb. 27 at the Mullins Center, senior Jen Butler became the Atlantic 10 Conference's all-time leading rebounder. With 11 more boards against Duquesne on Senior Day, she pulled down 719 boards in regular season league games. She surpassed current New York Liberty player and former Rutgers ('88) standout Sue Wicks' previous mark of 706.
Leading The Way ... Senior center Jen Butler is the nation's leader on the glass at 14.4 rebounds per game. Butler, who has led the way since December, has hauled in double-digit rebounds 25 times this season. She has pulled down more than 20 boards four times and grabbed 30 Dec. 28 at Florida, the fifth-highest single-game tally in NCAA Division I history.
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 6-12, including victories in their last two contests. 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 61.2 ppg and allowing 62.3 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 .380 (416-1096) rate from the field and .612 (191-312) at the charity stripe. In its 12 losses since the break, the Minutewomen have lost by an average score of 5.7 points, two of which went into overtime.
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 236 thefts and is first in the A-10 this season averaging 2.41 spg. In conference games this year, she leads the way as well averaging 2.69 spg.
The Next 1,000-Point Scorer ... When senior Nekole Smith converted a lay-up, her eighth 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 1,153 for her career, good for seventh 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 eighth in the A-10, connecting at a .492 (152-309) clip from the floor. She currently sits in seventh place all-time with a career .482 (478-991) 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.
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 in the off-season. Junior Cleo Foster, who has been bothered with a stress fracture all season, returned to the lineup March 2 against Duquesne to play 15 minutes. Foster, a defensive specialist, missed four games but will play during the tournament.
Tough D ... The Minutewomen finished the regular season ranked third in the Atlantic 10 yielding a mere 60.2 points per contest. They have held the opposition at or under 51 points on 11 occasions (Sacred Heart 48, Saint Peter's 49, Vermont 48, New Hampshire 50, Rhode Island 45, Villanova 50, Memphis 46, St. Bonaventure 48, La Salle 51, Temple 47 and Fordham 51), winning 10 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, 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 ... For the second straight season, the Minutewomen led the conference in rebounding. Massachusetts pulled down 40.8 boards a game in the regular season, 0.6 more than second-place Fordham. Massachusetts' +6.3 rebounding margin is also tops in the A-10 and ranks 28th nationally. The Rams are second with a +4.9 margin.
They're Back ... In 13 home games this year, an average of 733 fans came to the Mullins Center. That is nearly a 161 percent increase over last year's season average of 456 fans a game. It was also the highest season average since the 1999-2000 season in which an average of 1,137 came through the Mullins Center turnstiles. A season-high 1,278 people were in attendance on Senior Day to see the Minutewomen's 77-68 win over Duquesne. That was the first 1,000-plus UMass home attendance since 1,170 fans witnessed a 66-42 win over Fordham on Feb. 24, 2000. It was also the highest home crowd since 2,741 fans saw UMass' 74-69 upset of No. 22 Stanford on Dec. 12, 1999.
30/20 Vision ... With a 16-point, 11-rebound effort in the March 2, 77-68 homecourt win over Duquesne, senior center Jen Butler posted her Atlantic 10-leading 23rd double-double this season. 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 four times and Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week three times this year.
Getting To The Line ... All season long, UMass Head Coach Marnie Dacko has been preaching the team's need to get 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. In the 64-51 win over Fordham, Massachusetts made 39 trips to the charity stripe, converting 24 (.615). It was UMass' most visits to the charity stripe since taking 40 attempts vs. St. Bonaventure on Feb. 10, 2002.
The Minutewomen started the season red-hot at the line, but have since struggled and now find themselves last in the league with a .634 (303-478) percentage. The Minutewomen are a dismal .617 (174-282) from the line in conference play. During its 8-1 start to the season, UMass shot .675 (112-166) at the charity stripe.
Passing's The Name Of The Game ... Massachusetts currently ranks fourth in the conference averaging 15.70 assists per game. The Minutewomen, who average 23.4 field goals per game, record an assist 67 percent of the time. Ebony Pegues is fifth in the league, handing out 4.54 helpers a game. The Minutewomen are averaging 16.6 apg in wins and 14.9 apg in losses, but are 5-1 when recording at least 19 helpers. In the season's first nine games, in which UMass went 8-1, it had 14.9 apg. In the 17 games since then, it has recorded 16.4 apg, but gone 6-12 over that stretch.
Balance Out Those Miscues ... Massachusetts may turn the ball over a lot (16.8 to/g), but it can sure balance those out with assists. The Minutewomen rank fourth in the league with a 0.94 assist to turnover ratio.
Home Sweet Home ... This year, it has seemed like the Minutewomen are a different team away from the Mullins Center. UMass posted a 10-3 mark at home this year and average 65.5 ppg, while allowing opponents to score just 58.0. On the road, however, UMass is scoring just 59.2 ppg and allowing 62.2. Massachusetts is shooting .412 (320-776) from the field at home, over 40 points ahead of what it shoots on the road.
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' streak in which it had lost eight of nine games Jan. 24 through Feb. 23, the Minutewomen jumped out to quick leads eight times. UMass led Xavier, 26-19 midway 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, with an 8-1 record, 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.
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 is averaging 2.4 ppg this season.
Road Woes ... Massachusetts, which has recorded a 4-10 record away from the Mullins Center this year, 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 their 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. That win on Dec. 9 in the Ryan Center is the Minutewomen's only conference win on the road this year.
Last Time Out ... Five players scored in double figures as the University of Massachusetts closed out the regular season with a 77-68 win over Duquesne, March 2, before a season-high 1,278 fans at the Mullins Center.
Massachusetts went on a 13-1 run in the first half to turn a 9-9 game into a 22-10 lead. The Minutewomen then extended the lead to 14 at 28-14 on two consecutive baskets by senior Jennifer Butler and free throws by senior Amber Sneed at the 10:58 mark. The two teams then traded baskets for the remainder of the half as the Minutewomen took a 41-30 lead into halftime.
A basket by senior Siiri Liivandi at the 14:16 mark of the second half gave UMass its largest lead at 16 (54-38), but the Dukes chipped away and eventually made it a game. Duquesne outscored UMass, 15-3, over the next 5:21 to cut its deficit to just four points at 57-53. Consecutive free throws a couple of minutes later by Liivandi and Butler extended the Minutewomen's lead back to 12 and they were able to hold off the Dukes for the win on Senior Day.
The five senior starters, Liivandi, Sneed, Butler, Nekole Smith and Ebony Pegues accounted for 76 of the 77 total points. Smith led the way with 20 points on 8-12 shooting as well as hauling in five rebounds. Pegues finished with 18 points, six assists and five steals, while Butler had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Sneed scored 12 points and had nine boards, while Liivandi had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Candace Futrell scored a game-high 31 points for the Dukes, including her 1,000th career point in the second half. Nicole Sinclair also had 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Dukes. UMass shot .429 (27-63) in the game and out-rebounded the Dukes, 43-34. The Minutewomen committed 18 turnovers, but forced 21 miscues by the Dukes. UMass was 20-28 (.714) at the free throw line.
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 14-13 (.519) at UMass and 94-117 (.445) overall in seven-plus seasons as a head coach.
Oh What A Night ... Despite the heart-breaking 78-70 double-overtime loss to host-school Florida in the first round of the State Farm Classic Dec. 28, 2002, senior center Jen Butler enjoyed a dream game. The All-America candidate tied a career-high with 30 points and hauled in a school-record 30 rebounds. Her rebounding tally was the fifth-best in NCAA Division I history and most-ever by an Atlantic 10 player. In addition, it was the most rebounds by a Florida opponent and also established a new Stephen C. O'Connell Center individual record (men or women) for boards. Butler finished with 42 rebounds in the two-day tournament, the most in the events history en route to an All-Tournament team selection. Butler was also recognized as the A-10 Player of the Week and Dinn Brothers/UMass co-Athlete of the Week. The 30 rebounds are also the highest single-game output in the nation this season and most since New Orleans' Kayone Hankins grabbed 30 boards Nov. 26, 1994, against Nicholls State.
Shattering Records Part I ... In addition to all of Butler's individual records vs. Florida Dec. 28, there were several team records established throughout the night. Massachusetts attempted a school-record 92 field goals, 34 three-point field goals and hauled in a school-best 64 rebounds. Senior Ebony Pegues set a new individual record with 28 field goal attempts and 16 three-point field goals attempted.
Shattering Records Part II ... Three weeks later on Jan. 16, Massachusetts and Temple combined to set more than a half dozen Mullins Center records on Jan. 16. The 89 points tied for the most points in the building's history. On Feb. 2, 1995, the Minutewomen also reached the 89-point mark against West Virginia. The 169 combined points established a new women's building record, as did the nine three-pointers by Temple's Stacey Smalls and the 75 field goal attempts by the Owls. Smalls' 35 points set a new Mullins Center women's mark and her 15 three-point attempts tied the previous mark set by Courtney Banghart of Dartmouth and Vanessa Nygaard of Stanford. Her nine treys also set a school-record, while her 28 total field goal attempts set a building record for a women's game. The 31 points by Jen Butler set a new individual record, surpassing her previous individual-best she set in back-to-back games against Northeastern and Florida. Butler also tied a Mullins Center women's record with 15 trips to the free throw line and 15 defensive rebounds. Her 31 points are the most by a Minutewoman in the Mullins Center as well.
Floor General ... Prior to injuring her knee Jan. 26 at Dayton, sophomore point guard Katie Nelson had started in each of her 48 career games since arriving in Amherst. The Ellicott City, Md., native averaged 37.1 minutes this year and was the only member of either team to play in all 50 minutes of the Minutewomen's, 78-70, double-overtime loss to Florida in the State Farm Classic Dec. 28. Nelson, whose father William is the head men's basketball coach at Johns Hopkins (Md.) University, has already cracked the top five in three-point field goals made and attempted. Nelson currently ranks third all-time in school history with 296 attempts, while her 91 trifectas are good for fourth. Nelson also ranks 10th with a .307 percentage from behind the arc.
Love Those Turnovers ... In its 14 wins this season, Massachusetts averages nearly 19 turnovers a game. 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 16.0 turnovers against UMass thus far.
In The Postseason ... UMass has advanced into national postseason play three times in its history, sporting a 1-4 record. In 1995, it made the school's first appearance in the Women's National Invitation Tournament as the No. 5 seed and upset Virginia Commonwealth, 70-61. It went on to lose the next two games of the double-elimination tournament to Texas A&M, 80-59, and Notre Dame, 90-72. The next season, UMass advanced to the NCAA Tournament and lost a heartbreaker to Michigan State in overtime, 60-57. The game was played in Storrs, Conn. In 1998, the Minutewomen returned to the Big Dance as a No. 13 seed and lost at fourth-ranked Iowa, 77-59.
No Easy Schedule ... UMass has played 17 games against teams ranked in the RPI top 100, according to the weekly Summerville/WBCA RPI Report. The Minutewomen, who have held their own with a 7-10 record in those games, spent much of the first part of the season near the top themselves, including a two-week stretch where they were in the top 10. After the Dec. 11 55-50 upset of Villanova at the Cage, the Minutewomen were ranked first in the RPI. The Wildcats are currently sixth in the RPI and headed for a No. 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UMass has also defeated Toledo, Vermont, Temple, La Salle, Duquesne and Memphis, teams that were in the RPI top 100 when the game was played. The Minutewomen are 3-5 against top 50 teams.