University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Defeats Siena For Fifth-Consecutive Win
December 12, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 12, 2004
LOUDENVILLE, N.Y. - Sophomore Tamara Tatham scored a career-high 21 points and freshman Pam Rosanio, the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, added 10 as the Massachusetts women's basketball team won its fifth-straight game with a 59-49 victory at Siena on Sunday afternoon.
UMass has won five-straight games for the first time since enjoying a six-game win streak spanning Dec. 1-14, 2002. The win also improves UMass to 4-0 on the road for the first time since the 1979-80 season.
More importantly, the Minutemwomen improve to 6-3 on the season matching last season's win total.
Tatham led all players with her 21 points and 11 rebounds - which tied her career high set earlier this season at Providence. She was 7-for-15 from the floor, dished out two assists and made three steals in 31 minutes of work. Sunday's performance was her second career double-double and follows an outstanding five-game stretch where she has averaged 11.0 points and just over six rebounds per game.
Siena (3-6) struggled from the field going 14-of-59 (24 percent), but did hit eight three-pointers and 13 free throws to keep the game close. The Minutewomen held the edge at the charity stripe going 20-of-25, including 5-of-6 for redshirt junior Katie Nelson in the final minute of play.
After trailing by as many as 15 points, 45-30, Siena opted to send UMass to the free throw line to extend the game. The Minutewomen converted 11-of-13 from the free throw line in the final nine minutes, 32 seconds of regulation to maintain its lead as the Saints allowed just two UMass field goals in that stretch.
At the halftime break, UMass held a 29-26 advantage, but jumped out to a 13-to-2 run to open the second stanza. Tatham scored eight of her 21 points in that stretch.
Melissa Manzer and Laura Menty led Siena with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Katelyn Dooley chipped in nine points to round out the Saint scoring. Menty fell one rebound shy of a double-double as she collected nine boards.
Earlier on Sunday, Rosanio was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week and senior Brooke Campbell was named the league's Player of the Week.
Campbell finished the game with four points and four rebounds snapping her three game streak of double-double performances.
The Minutewomen will break for two weeks before heading to the Terrapin Classic hosted by the University of Maryland. UMass will play the #23/24 Terps on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 7:00 p.m. before playing either Elon or Marshall the following day.