University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Hoops Plays At Saint Joseph's Tuesday
January 05, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2004
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Game-Day Information
What: Massachusetts (4-8) at Saint Joseph's (6-4)
Where: Alumni Memorial Field House (3,200) * Philadelphia, Pa.
When: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2003 * 12:00 PM
Radio: WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst
Eric Martignetti (play-by-play) and Seth Gerard (color)
Series: SJU leads 37-5
Streak: SJU has won nine in a row
Game Day... The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team (4-8) looks to even its conference record this afternoon when it plays a 12:00 p.m. matinee at Saint Joseph's. The game is being marketed as "Field Trip to the Fieldhouse Day." The Minutewomen are coming off of a disappointing 64-60 loss at La Salle on Saturday in which it blew two double-digit second half leads. The Hawks (6-4), meanwhile, are 1-0 in A-10 play after defeating Duquesne, 64-58, on Sunday. SJU holds a commanding 37-5 lead in the series between these schools, including the past nine games. UMass is just 1-18 on the road against the Hawks. Head Coach Marnie Dacko is still two wins away from 100 for her career. After today, UMass plays four of the next five games at home.
Scouting The Hawks ... Saint Joseph's University enters this afternoon's game with a 6-4 overall record. They are 1-0 in A-10 play, good for first-place in the East. The Hawks are averaging 63.3 ppg and allowing 61.8 ppg. They are shooting .420 from the field, .322 from three-point range and .684 at the free throw line. Saint Joseph's is being out-rebounded, 35.5-37.7, and is committing 16.2 turnovers a game.
Stephanie Graff is leading the team in scoring at 12.2 ppg as well as rebounding at 7.9 rpg. She also has a team-high 28 blocked shots, including a school single-game record seven swats against Duquesne last Sunday. Irina Krasnoshiok is second on the team with an 11.6 ppg average and 5.1 rpg. Erin Brady is third on the team with 9.1 ppg and is dishing out a team-high 3.6 assists per game.
Head Coach Cindy Griffin ... The 2003 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, former Hawk standout Cindy Griffin is in her third year as head coach of the Saint Joseph's University women's basketball team just three victories shy of 100 for her career. A 1991 graduate of SJU, Griffin (nee Anderson) was named the seventh head coach in the program's 30-year history on April 25, 2001. She previously served as the head women's basketball coach at Loyola (Md.) College from 1999-2001. Griffin has compiled an overall record of 97-56 in five seasons as a head coach.
The Series ... This afternoon marks the 43rd meeting between these two teams. Saint Joseph's holds a commanding 37-5 lead all-time, including the last nine in a row. Overall, UMass is 1-18 on the road against the Hawks. The last Massachusetts win in the series was a 55-46 decision on Feb. 14, 1998, at Alumni Fieldhouse.
The Last Time They Met ... Jennifer Butler had a game-high 17 points and 12 rebounds, but Saint Joseph's (15-9, 10-3) defeated the University of Massachusetts (12-12, 4-9), 60-51, Feb. 20, 2003, at the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. Despite out-shooting the Hawks .412 to .396 and controlling the boards, 35-30, the Minutewomen fell to .500.
It was 4:40 into the game before UMass got on the board courtesy of a Butler basket, but it ignited an 11-0 Minutewoman run which gave them an early 11-5 lead. Saint Joseph's came back to tie and the two teams traded baskets for the majority of the half. Consecutive baskets by Nekole Smith gave UMass a five-point lead with a minute left, but the Hawks reeled off five in a row to tie the game at 24 heading into the locker room.
Saint Joseph's went on a 10-2 run spanning 4:49 to take a 41-33 lead at the 10:41 mark of the second half and looked like it was going to pull away from the outmanned Minutewomen, but UMass was able to make a comeback. A three-pointer by Amber Sneed and lay-up from Monique Govan cut the Hawks lead to three, 41-38, at the 9:46 mark, but that would be as close as UMass would get. After a Hawk basket on the other end, a Butler scoop shot brought UMass within three again, but a 7-0 run by Saint Joseph's over the next 2:48 provided the knock-out punch.
Govan played all 40 minutes for Massachusetts at point guard and scored a career-high 13 points on 6-12 shooting from the field. She also added four rebounds, four assists and three steals. In addition to her 17 points and 12 rebounds, Butler dished out three assists, blocked three shots and recorded a steal. Smith and Sneed both added seven points in the loss. The Minutewomen recorded 14 assists on their 21 field goals, but committed 17 turnovers.
Erin Brady led the Hawks with 15 points, while Amra Mehmedic had 10. SJU had just eight turnovers in the game, and were credited with 14 assists.
Road Woes ... Dating back to last season, the Minutewomen have now dropped 15 straight road games. The last win for Massachusetts on an opponents' home floor was over a year ago. It was a 59-45 win at Rhode Island on Dec. 9, 2002. Prior to that streak, the Minutewomen had been victorious on seven of nine straight road or neutral site contests. Before defeating Brown on Nov. 30, 2003, in the third-place game of the Coca-Cola Classic at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., the Minutewomen had lost 14 straight road or neutral site contests. UMass is 0-7 in road contests so far in 2003-04, but 2-0 in neutral site games.
Home Cookin' ... Before last Tuesday's 63-49 win over UNC-Greensboro at the Mullins Center, it had been a while since the Minutewomen were last at home. It marked the first time in nearly four weeks that UMass played in Amherst. It's last home game was a 54-49 win over Vermont on Dec. 3 in the Cage. The last game at the Mullins Center was a 68-63 loss to Holy Cross on Nov. 23. The Maroon & White have now won 14 of the last 17 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, allowing four less points, shooting .055 percentage points better from the field and .118 percentage points better from the free throw line. After this afternoon, UMass will play four of its next five games at home, all A-10 contests.
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 10.5 points per game. She has scored at least 14 points in five of her last seven games. Zsedenyi is also averaging 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while playing in 32.6 minutes 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 58.4 points per game this season to rank second in the Atlantic 10 Conference and 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 11 games, UMass opponents are shooting .402 from the field and committing 17.4 turnovers a game. UMass has played especially tough defense in the first half. Its opponents are averaging just 24.2 ppg in the first half. The lowest has been Vermont on Dec. 3, which scored just 14 points in the first 20 minutes.
Tale Of Two Halves ... If college basketball was just a 20-minute game, the Minutewomen would be 9-3 this year instead of 4-8. Massachusetts has enjoyed a halftime lead in nine of its 12 games this season, including a 12-point advantage at La Salle Jan. 3. In games where UMass has surrendered the lead at intermission, it is shooting .517 (104-201) from the field in the first half, but just .324 (70-216) in the second stanza.
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 second in the A-10 pulling down 8.2 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 has pulled down 11.3 boards in her last three games and is averaging 5.3 rpg this year. Overall, UMass is out-rebounding its opponents, 36.4-31.9 and are second in the league with a +4.5 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 3-0. They are 1-8, 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 second on the team averaging 10.3 points per game and 8.2 rebounds a game. Her tally on the glass is good for second-best in the conference. Campbell is also averaging 1.7 assists, 0.6 blocks and 1.7 steals per game.
Coca-Cola Classic All-Tournament Team ... Junior Brooke Campbell exploded for 37 points and 26 rebounds during the two-day Coca-Cola Classic, Nov. 29-30, at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., en route to All-Tournament team honors. The Midland (Texas) Junior College transfer also added five assists, two blocks and four steals as the Minutewomen finished in third place. She was also named the Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week on Dec. 3.
Sharpton's A Sharp-Shooter ... Redshirt sophomore Ashley Sharpton played a major role off the bench in the UMass 55-52 win over Brown on Nov. 30 as well as the 54-49 triumph over Vermont on Dec. 3 at the Cage. She tallied a career-high 10 points in 18 minutes to help the Minutewomen earn their first win of the season against the Bears. The UNC-Asheville transfer was 4-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, and also had a rebound and an assist. Against the Catamounts, she nailed two three-pointers in a 2:01 span to put UMass back up by 13 points after Vermont had cut a 20-point deficit down to five. For the season, the Conyers, Ga., native is averaging 3.4 points in 10.8 minutes. She is shooting .400 (10-25) from three-point land. She has not played the past two games due to an injury.
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 8.5 points per game. She is also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. The Brampton, Ontario, native has reached double-figures in scoring in seven of the 12 games this season. Her line Dec. 30 against UNC-Greensboro was seven points, seven rebounds, six assists, a blocked shot and four steals.
Lucky 21 ... Junior Edris Bailey has poured in 21 points on two occasions this season. Most recently, she broke our for 21 points and 10 rebounds in the Minutewomen's 60-53 loss at Hartford on Dec. 21. She was 8-for-11 from the field and also added two steals in 32 minutes. In her Mullins Center debut, a 68-63 loss to Holy Cross on Nv. 23, she tallied 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting in just 20 minutes off the bench. Bailey is third on the team averaging 10.0 points, while also pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game. Her .509 shooting percentage is good for 10th in the league. In the last three games, Bailey has averaged 18.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg.
La Salle Recap ... La Salle University (8-3, 1-0 A-10) went on a 19-4 run over the final 5:48 to stun the University of Massachusetts (4-8, 0-1 A-10), 64-60, Saturday afternoon in Atlantic 10 Conference women's basketball action at Tom Gola Arena.
UMass saw a 12-point halftime lead slip away before building an 11-point edge at the 6:07 mark of the season half on a three-pointer by senior Glamora Maeweather (Country Club Hills, Ill.). Senior Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary) hit a pair of trifectas during the run. After La Salle tied the game at 56 on a three-pointer by Meghan Wilkinson at the 2:58 mark, junior Edris Bailey (Mt. Hope, Trinidad & Tobago) took a nice pass from freshman Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) after breaking the press and put UMass back up by two at 58-56 with 2:45 left in regulation. La Salle's Jill Marano hit two free throws on the next possession to tie the game. After a Minutewoman turnover, Marano took advantage of an offensive rebound and was fouled. She hit both free throws and gave the Explorers their first lead since it was 13-11 in the first half. All told, La Salle was 10-for-10 at the free throw line during the run to stun the Minutewomen. Marano was 8-of-8 during that stretch. After shooting 55 percent in the first half, UMass cooled down to 36 percent in the second stanza. La Salle was the opposite, shooting 48 percent in the second half after a 31-percent performance in the first stanza. Massachusetts out-rebounded the Explorers, 44-27, but are now 1-8 when holding the edge on the glass this season. UMass committed 21 turnovers, while La Salle had just 11.
UMass closed out the first half on a 13-2 run to take a 12-point lead at halftime. UMass has now led at halftime in eight of its 12 games this year, but has won just four of them.
Bailey led the Minutewomen with 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. She had 12 points and 10 boards by halftime. Zsedenyi finished with 16 points and three assists, while Maeweather had 12 points and three boards. Junior Brooke Campbell (Baltimore, Md.) had seven rebounds, but was held scoreless. Marano led three La Salle double figure scorers with 21 points. Meghan Wilkinson had 12 points and Kat Foley finished with 11.
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.
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 18-21 (.462) at UMass and 98-125 (.439) overall in nine-plus seasons as a head coach. She is now just two wins shy of 100 in her career.
From Here ... Massachusetts will finally return home to play four of its next five games at the Mullins Center. The Minutewomen will host Temple (Jan. 9; 7:00 p.m.), Dayton (Jan. 11; 2:00 p.m.), St. Bonaventure (Jan. 18; 2:00 p.m.) and Xavier (Jan. 23; 7:00 p.m.). A 12:00 p.m. matinee at Rhode Island on Jan. 16 will be sandwiched in there as well.