University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts St. Bonaventure
January 17, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2004
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Game-Day Information:
What: St. Bonaventure (4-11, 0-4) at Massachusetts (5-11, 1-4)
Where: William D. Mullins Center (9,493) * Amherst, Mass.
When: Sunday, Jan. 18, 2004 * 2:00 PM
Radio: WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst
Live Stats: Available on www.umassathletics.com
Series History: UMass leads 26-12
15-4 at home
8-0 at the Mullins Center
Streak: SBU won the last meeting, but UMass has taken 17 of the past 20 games.
Game Day... Head Coach Marnie Dacko looks for career win number 100 this afternoon as the University of Massachusetts women's basketball team (5-11 overall, 1-4 A-10) hosts St. Bonaventure (4-11, 0-4) in Atlantic 10 action at the Mullins Center. The Minutewomen are coming off a tough 63-57 loss at Rhode Island Friday, while the Bonnies last lost on the road at Duquesne, 74-60. In the UMass/URI game, there were 12 ties and seven lead changes throughout the game. UMass leads the all-time series with St. Bonaventure, 26-12, and have won 17 of the last 20 match-ups. In addition, the Minutewomen are undefeated (8-0) against St. Bonaventure at the Mullins Center and 15-4 overall at home in the series. After this afternoon's matinee, UMass hosts Xavier at the Mullins Center Friday night at 7:00.
Scouting The Bonnies ... St. Bonaventure University enters this afternoon's game with a 4-11 overall record and are 0-4 in Atlantic 10 Conference play. The Bonnies are averaging 65.7 ppg (5th in A-10), while allowing 67.6 ppg (10th). They are shooting .401 from the field (9th), .353 from three-point range (4th) and .745 (2nd) at the free throw line. SBU has been out-rebounded, 38.1-35.0, and are committing 15.7 turnovers a game.
Stefanie Collins leads the team and is third in the conference averaging 18.8 ppg. She is a .472 (50-106) shooter from three-point range to lead the conference. Lyndsey Maurer is second on the team pouring in 7.9 ppg, while Caitlin Crist is third at 6.8 ppg. Crist also leads the team on the glass, hauling in 4.7 rpg.
Acting Head Coach Jim Crowley ... In just three short years, Jim Crowley has significantly raised the level of expectations for women's basketball at St. Bonaventure. Crowley's 2001-02 club won six more games than his first team did, going 13-15 overall and 7-9 in the competitive Atlantic 10 Conference. Crowley demonstrated his flexibility as a coach that season, adopting a defense-first philosophy after using a run-and-gun style his first season. Renowned for his work ethic, Crowley's players follow their coach's example on and off the court. Crowley is now 30-69 in his tenure at St. Bonaventure.
The Series ... Today marks the 39th meeting in the series between Massachusetts and St. Bonaventure. UMass holds a commanding 26-12 lead, including a 15-4 mark at home. The Minutewomen, who are 8-0 against the Bonnies at the Mullins have won 17 of the past 20 games between these two teams.
The Last Time They Met ... St. Bonaventure University used a 12-0 run at the end of the first half and into the second half to defeat the University of Massachusetts, Feb. 9 at the Reilly Center.
St. Bonaventure closed out the first half on a 10-0 run to take a 28-18 lead into the break. After the Minutewomen tied the game at 18 on a three-pointer by Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary), the Bonnies scored ten straight points in the final 4:17 of the first half. St. Bonaventure's Becky Valenti banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to give them the double-digit lead. Massachusetts was forced to play the majority of the first half without its two top post players. Nekole Smith picked up two early fouls, while classmate Jen Butler missed four minutes with an injury. She then returned and picked up two quick fouls of her own. Cindy Gonzalez drained two trifectas on consecutive possessions mid-way through the half to keep UMass in the game. There were 22 fouls between the two teams in the first half.
After a basket by the Bonnies increased their lead to 12, the Minutewomen went on a 9-0 run of its own spanning 2:40 to get back in the game. After the teams traded baskets for a couple of minutes, a shot by Ebony Pegues cut the UMass deficit to a point at 34-33, but that would be as close as it would get. After the Bonnies went back up by six, UMass made another come-back attempt but were unable to take the lead. A steal and lay-up by Butler made the score 42-40 at the 3:48 mark, but St. Bonaventure made clutch free throws down the stretch for the win.
Butler led the Minutewomen with her 17th double-double of the season on 16 points and 14 rebounds. Pegues had 11 points and two assists as well. Massachusetts shot just .279 (17-61) from the field and were 12-20 at the free throw line. The Bonnies were .386 from the field and 18-25 at the charity stripe. UMass was out-rebounded, 42-38, and had only 10 assists in the game. Courtney Mattingly led the Bonnies with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while Caitlin Crist had 14 points.
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 ... After the 63-57 loss at Rhode Island Jen. 16, UMass has now dropped 17 consecutive games on the road. It's last win on the road was over 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 0-9 on the road in 2003-04, but 2-0 in neutral site games. This ties the longest road losing streak in school history. The last 17-game stretch without a win on the road was from Jan. 23, 1989's 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 eight more points per game at home (59.6-51.5), allowing three less points (57.2-60.5), shooting .036 percentage points better from the field as well as .047 percentage points better from three-point range and .100 percentage points better from the free throw line. In addition, UMass is committing three less turnovers a game at home while forcing nearly five 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, is second on the team shooting at an .882 clip from the charity stripe this year. Foster is currently averaging 2.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.18 apg this year. She ranks 10th in the league in assists per game and 12th with a 0.98 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 10.8 points per game. She has scored at least 11 points in eight of her last 11 games. Zsedenyi is also averaging 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while playing in 33.6 minutes a game. Her .465 (66-142) field goal percentage is good for 15th in the conference, while her .392 (31-79) three-point field goal percentage is 6th in the A-10. She also ranks 8thin the league averaging 1.94 three-point field goals a game. Zsedenyi, who also leads the team shooting at a .909 clip from the free throw line, 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 59.4 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 16 games, UMass opponents are shooting .414 from the field and committing 16.9 turnovers a game.
Tale Of Two Halves ... If college basketball was just a 20-minute game, the Minutewomen would be 10-6 this year instead of 5-11. 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 5th in the league with a .343 percentage from downtown. UMass is 61-for-178 from behind the arc this season. UMass has also done a solid job defending the perimeter shot as it also ranks fourth in the league allowing its opponents to shoot .317 (77-for-243) from three-point land. Senior Judit Zsedenyi has a .392 (31-79) three-point field goal percentage which is sixth in the A-10. She also ranks eighth in the league averaging 1.94 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, 34.8-31.3 and are second in the league and 52nd nationally with a +3.5 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 2-9, 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 9.7 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 1.6 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.
Burned At the Line ... UMass' 63-57 loss at Rhode Island Jan. 16 can be attributed to one thing-free throw shooting. The Minutewomen shot better from the field (46 percent-37 percent), made three more field goals (22-19) and out-rebounded the Rams, 32-31, but still lost. The game saw 12 ties and seven different lead changes, but URI was 23-for-25 (92 percent) from the charity stripe, including 18-for-19 in the second half to give it the edge. UMass was just 10-for-16 from the charity stripe and are last in the conference this year from year just shooting 58 percent.
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 8.6 points per game. She is also averaging 4.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. The Brampton, Ontario, native has reached double-figures in scoring in nine of the 16 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 9.8 points, while also pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game. Her .497 shooting percentage leads the team and is 10th 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.
Rhode Island Recap ... The University of Rhode Island (9-6, 2-2 A-10) converted 18 of 19 free-throw opportunities in the second half, en route to a 63-57 victory over The University of Massachusetts (5-11, 1-4 A-10) at the Ryan Center in Atlantic 10 women's basketball action, Jan. 16. Senior guard Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary) led all scorers with a game-high 19 points to go with her four rebounds and three assists.
After the two teams came out of halftime tied at 26-26, Rhode Island built a six-point lead, 45-39 at the 9:26 mark. Massachusetts used a 6-0 run of its own over the next 1:20, including four of her 13 total points by freshman Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario), to erase the deficit, knotting the score at 45 apiece. At the 6:05 mark, Zsedenyi hit a jumper to put the Minutewomen up 49-47, but the Rams responded with an 8-0 run over the next 1:35 to take another six-point lead, 55-49, with 3:26 left to play. Massachusetts cut the Rhode Island lead to three, 55-52, with 2:29 left, but could not take advantage of three opportunities to further cut the lead or tie the game. Rhode Island then made eight free-throws in the final 1:19 to seal the victory, handing the Minutewomen their fourth conference loss.
Rhode Island had four scorers in double figures, led by Tanya Rhodes, as she poured in 15 points and snatched six boards. The game consisted of 12 ties and seven lead changes as UMass outshot URI, going 22 of 48 for the game, to the Rams' 19 of 52, respective percentages of 45.8 and 36.5. The Minutewomen also held a slight rebounding edge as they grabbed 32 boards to Rhode Island's 31. URI earned 23 points at the charity stripe, going 23-25, while UMass was only 10-16.
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 19-24 (.442) at UMass and 99-128 (.436) 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 Xavier at the Mullins Center on Friday. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. After that game, UMass heads back to Philadelphia for the second time this month to take on Temple, Jan. 39, at 7:00 p.m.