University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball To Play URI Friday Afternoon
January 13, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2004
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Game-Day Information
What: Massachusetts (5-10, 1-3 A-10) at Rhode Island (8-6, 1-2 A-10)
Where: Ryan Center (7,571) * Kingston, R.I.
When: Friday, Jan. 16, 2004 * 12:00 p.m.
Radio: WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst
Live Stats: www.umassathletics.com
Series: UMass leads 30-22 (14-8 at URI)
Game Day... The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team (5-10 overall, 1-3 A-10) heads back to the site of its last road win, the Ryan Center, to take on the University of Rhode Island (8-6, 1-2) in a special 12:00 p.m. matinee this afternoon. A crowd of over 5,000 is expected for the Rhode To Success Field Trip Day as UMass Head Coach Marnie Dacko looks for career win number 100 against the Rams. Since defeating URI, 59-45, on Dec. 9, 2002 at the Ryan Center, the Minutewomen have lost 16 straight road games. UMass is coming off of a 78-68 victory over Dayton Sunday at the Mullins Center, while the Rams lost a pair of games at Richmond and Fordham last weekend. UMass leads the all-time series against URI, 30-22, including the last three on the road.
Scouting The Rams ... The University of Rhode Island is 8-6 overall and 1-2 in A-10 play heading into this afternoon's match-up. The Rams won their conference opener over St. Bonaventure, but have lost the past two at Richmond and Fordham. URI is third in the league scoring 67.2 ppg, and are eighth allowing 64.7 ppg. The Rams rank sixth in field goal percentage (.419), 11th in three-point field goal percentage (.347) and third in free throw percentage (.725). URI ranks last in rebounding (33.6 rpg) and first in turnover margin (+5.43).
Tanya Rhodes leads the team in scoring at 13.4 ppg and rebounding with 7.1 rpg. Denise King is second in scoring at 12.1 ppg and has dished out a team-high 4.3 assists per game. Shayla Johnson is also in double-figures at 11.5 ppg, while Katie Stailing has averages of 9.6 ppg and 4.7 rpg.
Acting Head Coach Tom Garrick ... Tom Garrick will be the acting head coach at Rhode Island for the remainder of the season after head coach Boe Pearman requested and received permission to take a leave of absence from her position for health reasons. Garrick was no stranger to the University of Rhode Island when he took the post as an assistant on the staff two years ago. After spending three years as an assistant for the Rhode Island men's basketball program, the talented young coach helped lead the Rams to a 15-13, the ninth-best record in school history in his first-year on the staff. This past season, he helped guide the Rams to a 16-15 mark and a berth in the championship game of the Atlantic 10 tournament.
The Series ... Today marks the 53rd meeting between the Minutewomen and Rams of Rhode Island. UMass leads the all-time series, 30-22, including a 14-8 mark on the road. In addition, UMass has won the last three road games in the series including last season's 59-45 victory on Dec. 9, 2002 in the first conference game played at the new Ryan Center. Overall, Massachusetts has won 15 of the previous 19 games that these two teams have played on the hardwood, but each squad has been victorious on its opponents' home floor the past two times.
The Last Time They Met In Rhody ... Nekole Smith scored a game-high 18 points, 14 of them coming in the second half, as the University of Massachusetts (6-1, 1-0) women's basketball team handed the University of Rhode Island (6-1, 0-1) its first loss of the season, 59-45, Dec. 9, 2002, in Atlantic 10 conference action at the Ryan Center. UMass, which led by as many as 21 points in the second half, saw its lead trimmed to 12 at the 2:21 mark, but limited the Rams to just one point the rest of the way for the conference victory. The Minutewomen started the game on a 12-0 run before URI finally got on the board at the 16:09 mark.
In addition to Smith's 18 points, she pulled down a season-high eight rebounds. Jen Butler added 14 points and 11 rebounds. The double-double was her fifth of the season and 46th for her career. Katie Nelson (Ellicott City, Md.) added 11 points and four assists. All of her points came in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point land and was 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Amber Sneed tied a season-high with eight points, all in the second half. Smith continued her hot shooting from the charity stripe, converting on all six of her attempts. With her 11 rebounds on the night, Butler became the first player in school history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. For the game, Massachusetts shot .413 (19-46), while holding the Rams to .274 (17-62). UMass out-rebounded the Rams, 40-38. URI came into the contest with a +5.8 rebounding margin. UMass was .750 (18-24) from the free-throw line, while URI was just .500 (7-14). UMass led by as many as 14 points at 24-10 in the first half, and Rhode Island never got any closer than nine points after the Minutewomen's initial 12-0 run to start the game. UMass led by 10, 28-18 at the break. Butler scored seven points and pulled down 11 rebounds. UMass shot .429 (9-21) from the field, while holding the Rams to a .241 (7-29) clip. UMass out-rebounded URI, 21-16, but committed 12 turnovers to the Rams' seven. URI guard Shayla Johnson came into the game as its leading scorer, averaging 16.8 point per game, but was limited to just four this evening by a suffocating UMass defense. She was 0-for-7 from the field, and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. Denise King led the Rams with 17 points and nine boards. Katie Stalling added 10 points and 13 boards in the loss.
From The Trainer's Room ... Redshirt sophomore Ashley Sharpton (Conyers, Ga.) injured her ankle in practice Jan. 8 and will be out indefinitely. She had just returned after missing two games with a groin injury. Junior Katie Nelson (Ellicott City, Md.) is still recovering from a torn ACL she suffered against Dayton on Jan. 26, 2003. She will likely redshirt this season.
Road Woes ... This afternoon, UMass heads back to the site of its last road win. It has dropped 16 consecutive games on the road since defeating Rhode Island, 59-45, Dec. 9, 2002, at the Ryan Center. Prior to the streak, the Minutewomen had been victorious on seven of nine road or neutral site contests. UMass is 0-8 on the road in 2003-04, but 2-0 in neutral site games. The longest road losing streak in school history was a 17-game stretch from Jan. 23, 1989, 73-60 loss at Dartmouth, to Feb. 3, 1990, a 78-74 win at Harvard.
Home Cookin' ... While it has not won a road game in over 13 months, The Maroon & White have now won 15 of the last 19 games on its home floor including seven of the past eight non-conference tilts. This season, UMass is scoring almost 10 more points per game at home (59.6-50.9), allowing three less points (57.2-60.2), shooting .042 percentage points better from the field as well as from three-point range and .100 percentage points better from the free throw line. In addition, UMass is committing four less turnovers a game at home while forcing nearly four more turnovers by its opponents.
Career Game ... A defensive specialist for three seasons, senior Cleo Foster was forced to be the starting point guard this year with Katie Nelson still recuperating her knee. Foster broke out for a career-high 12 points in last Sunday's win over Dayton at the Mullins Center. Foster also dished out seven assists in the win, her second-highest total this year. Foster, who was 6-for-6 from the free throw line against the Flyers, leads the team shooting at a .929 clip from the charity stripe this year. Foster is currently averaging 2.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.2 apg this year. She ranks 11th in the league in assists per game and 13th with a 0.94 assist to turnover ratio. At home, Foster has compiled a 1.86 assist to turnover ratio.
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 now leads the team this year pouring in 10.3 points per game. She has scored at least 11 points in seven of her last 10 games. Zsedenyi is also averaging 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while playing in 33.4 minutes a game. Her .453 (58-128) field goal percentage is good for 15th in the conference, while her .384 (28-73) three-point field goal percentage is fifth in the A-10. She also ranks ninth in the league averaging 1.87 three-point field goals a game. 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 59.2 points per game this season to rank first in the Atlantic 10 Conference and 44th in the nation. They 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 15 games, UMass opponents are shooting .418 from the field and committing 17.4 turnovers a game.
Tale Of Two Halves ... If college basketball was just a 20-minute game, the Minutewomen would be 10-5 this year instead of 5-10. Massachusetts has enjoyed a halftime lead in 10 of its 15 games this season, including a 12-point advantage at La Salle Jan. 3 which quickly evaporated in the second half. In the five games where UMass has surrendered the lead at intermission, it is shooting .603 (76-126) from the field in the first half, but just .393 (48-122) in the second stanza.
Nailing The Trifecta ... Massachusetts has quietly become one of the better three-point shooting teams in the Atlantic 10 this season. The Minutewomen currently rank fifth in the league with a .347 percentage from downtown. UMass is 58-for-167 from behind the arc this season. UMass has also done a solid job defending the perimeter shot as it also ranks fifth in the league allowing its opponents to shoot .326 (75-for-230) from three-point land. Senior Judit Zsedenyi has a .384 (28-73) three-point field goal percentage which is fifth in the A-10. She also ranks ninth in the league averaging 1.87 three-point field goals a game. Redshirt sophomore Ashley Sharpton was second in the league connecting at a .423 rate from three-point range before getting injured. She does not meet the minimum requirements to be on the leader board anymore.
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 fourth in the A-10 pulling down 7.6 boards a contest. It has also been the highest single-game rebound tally in the league this season. Classmate Edris Bailey has registered the other 15-rebound game this year when she grabbed the career-high tally Jan. 3 at La Salle. Bailey is averaging 5.3 rpg this year. Overall, UMass is out-rebounding its opponents, 35.0-31.3 and are second in the league and 52nd nationally with a +3.7 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 3-2. They are just 2-8, however, when holding the edge on the glass. Dec. 30's win over UNC-Greensboro was the first time this season UMass out-rebounded its opponent and won.
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 third on the team averaging 9.9 points per game and 7.6 rebounds a game. Her tally on the glass is good for fourth-best in the conference. Campbell is also averaging 1.9 assists, 0.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. The previous week, Campbell was selected to the Coca-Cola Classic All-Tournament Team and was also named the Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week.
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 fourth on the team with 8.3 points per game. She is also averaging 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. The Brampton, Ontario, native has reached double-figures in scoring in eight of the 15 games this season.
Lucky 20 For Number 24 ... Junior Edris Bailey has poured in at least 20 points on three occasions this season. Most recently, she broke our for 20 points in the Jan. 11 win over Dayton. Bailey is second on the team averaging 10.1 points, while also pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game. Her .500 shooting percentage is tied for ninth in the league. In the three games from Dec. 21 until Jan. 3 (at Hartford, vs. UNC-Greensboro and at La Salle), Bailey averaged 18.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg. She was named the Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week on Jan. 7.
Dayton Recap ... Junior Edris Bailey (Mt. Hope, Trinidad & Tobago) led four double-figure scorers with 20 points and five rebounds as the University of Massachusetts women's basketball team (5-10, 1-3 A-10) defeated the University of Dayton (2-13, 0-4), 78-68, Jan. 11, 2004, at the Mullins Center. The win was the first of the New Year for the Minutewomen and the 78 points were a season-high. Massachusetts led by 13 points, 47-34, at the 15:49 mark of the second half until Dayton caught fire from the outside. An 11-0 UD run in the next 1:59 cut the UMass lead to two points at 47-35 and forced it to call a timeout. After the timeout, UMass reeled off the next six points to build the lead back to eight. The teams traded baskets for the next couple of minutes until UMass began to pull away late in the half. A jumper by freshman Joyce Massey (Detroit, Mich.) gave UMass a 15-point edge, 68-53, at the 5:44 mark. The Minutewomen were 4-for-4 from the free throw line down the stretch and locked up their first conference win of the season.
UMass led for much of the way in the first half, but the Flyers chipped away and eventually took the lead, 23-22, at the 3:11 mark of the first half. A three-pointer by Stefanie Miller, one of her seven trifectas on the day, gave Dayton its only lead of the game. UMass senior Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary) drained a three-pointer of her own the next trip down the floor and sparked an 11-0 UMass run to close out the half. Zsedenyi hit two three-pointers in the run while Massey also connected from downtown. Miller led all scorers with 27 points and was 7-for-16 from three-point range. Bailey led four UMass double-figure scorers with 20 points on 9-of12 shooting. She also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Zsedenyi finished with 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three point range and three assists. Junior Brooke Campbell (Baltimore, Md.) had 13 points, seven boards, three assists, a block and a steal, while senior Cleo Foster (Toronto, Ontario) had a career-high 12 points and seven assists. UMass shot 48 percent from the field for the game and out-rebounded the Flyers, 39-27. UMass also outscored Dayton in the paint, 30-18, and committed a season-low 15 turnovers.
It's An International Thing ... This year's UMass roster certainly has an International feel to it. There are five players who are not from the US. 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. In addition, four of the five usual starters are not from the United States.
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 19-23 (.452) at UMass and 99-127 (.438) overall in nine-plus seasons as a head coach. She is now just one win shy of 100 in her career.
From Here ... Massachusetts will host St. Bonaventure at the Mullins Center on Tuesday. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m.