University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Plays At Temple Thursday
January 27, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2004
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Game-Day Information
What: Massachusetts (5-13 overall , 1-6 A-10) at Temple (10-7, 6-0)
Where: Liacouras Center (10,206) * Philadelphia, Pa.
When: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004 * 7:00 PM
Radio: WMUA, 91.1 FM
All-Time Series: Temple leads 23-18 (13-8 in Philadelphia)
Last Time: 52-40 Temple on Jan. 9, 2004 at the Mullins Center
Game Day... Head Coach Marnie Dacko looks for career win number 100 as the University of Massachusetts women's basketball team (5-13 overall, 1-6 A-10) heads to Philadelphia for the second time this month to face the Temple Owls (10-7, 6-0). Losers of their last 17 games on the road, the Minutewomen are looking to avoid the longest road losing streak in school history. Temple is in first place in the A-10 East and boasts the leagues' best conference mark after two impressive overtime wins last weekend against Richmond and Saint Joseph's. UMass has now lost three straight games and nine of its last 11. After its 52-40 win on Jan. 9 at the Mullins Center, Temple now leads the all-time series 23-18. Four of the last six games between these rivals have gone into overtime.
Scouting The Owls ... Temple University enters today's game with a 10-7 overall record and are a league-best 6-0 after two impressive overtime wins against Richmond and Saint Joseph's last weekend. The Owls have now won six of their last seven games after starting the year 4-6, but have played the 36th toughest schedule in the nation according to www.collegerpi.com. The Owls, who are ranked 46th in the latest RPI ranking, average 61.6 ppg (10th in the Atlantic 10) while allowing 61.7 ppg (fifth). They are shooting .415 (fifth) from the field, .317 (10th) from three-point range and .638 (11th) at the free throw line. The Owls are being out-rebounded, 35.8-34.9, and are committing 16.2 turnovers per game.
Candice Dupree leads the team in scoring at 14.8 ppg and 7.5 rpg. Cynthia Jordan is second on the squad with 9.8 ppg and has dished out a team-high 4.24 assists per game.
Head Coach Dawn Staley ... Just three seasons into her coaching career, head women's basketball coach Dawn Staley has won over 50 games, captured the university's first-ever Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship and made two trips to the post season, including the NCAA Tournament in 2002. Staley. who had no prior coaching experience before accepting the job at Temple, has averaged nearly 18 wins per season in her tenure and was named the 2002 Philadelphia Big Five Coach of the Year.
The Series ... This evening marks the 42nd meeting between these two teams. Temple holds a 23-18 lead and has won six of the last eight games. Prior to that stretch, the Minutewomen had reeled off 13 wins in a row. Temple holds a 13-8 lead in games played in Philadelphia with two of those games, both UMass losses, coming in A-10 Tournament play. Four of the last six games between these two rivals have gone into overtime, including the 2003 A-10 Tournament semifinal game at the Liacouras Center.
The Last Time They Met ... Temple used a 14-3 run over the final 5:21 to defeat UMass, 52-40, Jan. 9 at the Mullins Center.
Temple led 38-33 at the 9:53 mark of the second half before going on a 4:32 scoring drought. UMass finally cut into the lead on a basket by freshman Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) at the 6:29 mark. Less than a minute later, Tatham scored again to bring the Minutewomen within one point at 38-37, but that was when Temple scored 10 points in a row and 14 of the final 17 in the game. Dupree had five points in the run.
Both teams struggled on the offensive end in the first half. Massachusetts led for much of the way, but Temple used a 5-0 run in the final 2:19 to take a 24-20 lead into intermission. UMass led by as many as four points, but a jumper by TU's Britney Jordan at 5:10 gave it a lead at 17-16 for the first time in the game.
Temple shot 43 percent from the field for the game, while UMass connected at a 36 percent rate. Temple held the edge on the glass, 37-27, while UMass committed two more turnovers (19-17). UMass was 2-for-3 from three point range, while Temple made just one trifecta in 10 attempts.
Tatham led the Minutewomen with 12 points. She also added four rebounds and four steals. Senior Glamora Maeweather (Country Club Hills, Ill.) had nine points and three boards, while junior Edris Bailey (Mt. Hope, Trinidad & Tobago) finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
In addition to her 13 points and 12 rebounds, Dupree had three blocks and a steal for the Owls. Ari Moore finished with eight points, four boards and three assists, while Tynecia Pam had seven points and seven rebounds.
From The Trainer's Room ... Redshirt sophomore Ashley Sharpton (Conyers, Ga.) injured her ankle in practice Jan. 8 and will likely be out for the remainder of the season. 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 redshirt this season.
Road Woes ... After the 63-57 loss at Rhode Island Jan. 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 21 games on its home floor including seven of the past eight non-conference tilts. This season, UMass is scoring nearly seven more points per game at home (57.0-51.5), allowing two less points (58.4-60.5), shooting .025 percentage points better from the field as well as .013 percentage points better from three-point range and .054 percentage points better from the free throw line. In addition, UMass is committing more than four less turnovers a game at home while forcing nearly four more turnovers by its opponents.
Block Party ... Freshman Tamara Tatham swatted a career-high five shots in the Jan. 18 loss to St. Bonaventure. It was the highest block total in nearly four years for any Minutewoman and ranks as the second-most in a game played in the Mullins Center. Tatham ranks eighth in the A-10 averaging 0.89 blocked shots a game.
The New Point Guard ... 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 the Jan. 11 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 is 10th in the league in assists per game and 10th with a 1.02 assist to turnover ratio. At home, Foster has compiled a 1.93 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 leads the team this year pouring in 10.6 points per game. She has scored at least 11 points in nine of her last 13 games. Zsedenyi is also averaging 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while playing in 33.8 minutes a game. Her .386 (34-88) three-point field goal percentage is 6th in the A-10. She also ranks eighth in the league averaging 1.89 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 59.7 points per game this season to rank third in the conference and 55th in the nation. Through 18 games, UMass opponents are shooting .412 from the field (fourth in the A-10) and committing 16.8 turnovers a game.
Tale Of Two Halves ... If college basketball was just a 20-minute game, the Minutewomen would be 11-7 this year instead of 5-13. Massachusetts has enjoyed a halftime lead in 11 of its 18 games this season, including an eight-point advantage vs. Xavier Jan. 23. In the six games where UMass has surrendered its halftime lead in the second stanza, it is shooting .585 (86-147) from the field in the first half, but just .333 (54-141) in the second stanza. UMass led the Musketeers 40-26 with 8:16 left in the game only to see Xavier close out the contest on a 27-3 run. Xavier shot 19 percent in the first half and did not reach double-figures on the scoreboard until there was 2:43 left until halftime.
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 eighth in the league with a .333 percentage from downtown. UMass is 68-for-204 from behind the arc this season. UMass has also done a solid job defending the perimeter shot as it is fourth in the league allowing its opponents to shoot .331 (96-for-290) from three-point land. Senior Judit Zsedenyi has a .386 (34-88) three-point field goal percentage which is sixth in the A-10. She also ranks eighth in the league averaging 1.89 three-point field goals a game.
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. Last season, Butler led the nation grabbing 14.7 rebounds a game and only three other players were over 3.0. This year, seven different Minutewomen are grabbing at least three rebounds a game. Junior Brooke Campbell leads the team and is sixth in the A-10 pulling down 7.4 boards a contest. It has also been the highest single-game rebound tally in the league this season. Classmate Edris Bailey has registered the teams' other 15-rebound game this year when she grabbed the career-high tally Jan. 3 at La Salle. Bailey is averaging 5.1 rpg this year. Overall, UMass is out-rebounding its opponents, 33.9-32.1 and are third in the league with a +1.8 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 3-4. 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 9.4 points per game and 7.4 rebounds a game. Her tally on the glass is good for sixth-best in the conference. Campbell is also averaging 2.1 assists, 0.4 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.
Burned At the Line ... Massachusetts currently ranks last in the A-10 and 318th in the nation shooting 57 percent at the free throw line. UMass has gone just 155-for-272 at the charity stripe while its opponents have converted on 212 of their 297 opportunities. Its' 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.
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 8.8 points per game. She is also averaging 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. The Brampton, Ontario, native has reached double-figures in scoring in 11 of her 18 career games.
Lucky 20 For Number 24 ... unior 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 9.6 points, while also pulling down 5.1 rebounds per game. Her .484 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.
Xavier Recap ... Xavier University (11-7, 3-4) used an 18-0 run spanning 3:55 in the second half to erase a 14-point deficit and defeat the University of Massachusetts (5-13, 1-6), 53-43, tonight in Atlantic 10 women's basketball action at the Mullins Center. Junior Brooke Campbell (Baltimore, Md.) led UMass with 14 points and nine rebounds. After holding Xavier to 18.5 percent (5-27) shooting from the field in the first half, UMass led by eight point at halftime. That lead grew to 14 points, 40-26, after a basket by freshman Joyce Massey (Detroit, Mich.) at the 8:16 mark of the second half. On the other end of the floor, Miranda Green hit a three-pointer to start an 18-0 run by Xavier over the next 3:55 that gave it a 44-40 lead with 4:08 left. A free throw by freshman Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) and a lay-up by junior Monique Govan (Chicago, Ill.) cut the deficit to one at 44-43 with 2:17 left, but the Minutewomen were held scoreless the rest of the way.
Massachusetts was just 9-for-20 (.450) from the free throw line, including 5-of-13 in the second half and 1-for-7 in the games' final 6 minutes. The UMass defense held XU's leading scorer Tara Boothe to no points in 30 minutes of play. She entered the night second in the conference averaging 20.1 points per game. Xavier's first basket of the game came 5:37 after the opening tip and it trailed 19-5 with 8:07 left. UMass had a 15-point lead, 26-11, with 1:43 left, but the Musketeers closed out the first half on a 7-0 run. Campbell recorded her 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. She also had nine rebounds, two assists and a steal. Tatham had 11 points and four assists for the Minutewomen, while Govan and senior Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary) had six points apiece. UMass finished the game shooting 40 percent from the field, but were just 6-for-19 (.316) from the field in the second half. Freshman Chelsea Chowning scored a career high 15 points to lead Xavier. Nikki Wells added eight points to go with six rebounds.
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 19-26 (.422) at UMass and 99-130 (.432) overall in nine-plus seasons as a head coach. She is now just one win shy of 100 in her career.
From Here ... The Minutewomen will return home for a 12:00 p.m. game against Fordham on Sunday, Feb. 1, at the Mullins Center. The game is the A-10 Game of the Week and will be carried on the A-10 Television Network. After that, UMass hits the road for a pair of games., It will be at Duquesne (Feb. 8; 2:00 p.m.) and Fordham (Feb. 13; 7:00 p.m.).