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University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Hoops Hosts Syracuse In Rage In The Cage III
December 03, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 3, 2004
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Rage In The Cage III
• This afternoon, Massachusetts hosts the Orange of Syracuse.
• The Minutewomen have won both prior games in the Cage. On Dec. 11, 2002, UMass upset No. 24 Villanova, 55-50. The Wildcats ended UConn's 70-game winning streak that year and advanced to the Elite Eight. Then on Dec. 3, 2003, UMass up-ended Vermont, 54-49, in the Cage.
• This will be just the third game played in the historic Cage since UMass beat Temple, 82-40, on Feb. 18, 1995. Overall, the Minutewomen are 126-107 at the Cage, which opened its doors in 1931.
• This afternoon marks the seventh overall meeting between UMass and Syracuse University.
• The Orange hold a 5-1 advantage including a 1-0 mark in games played in Amherst.
• Last year, the teams met in upstate New York for the first time in nearly 20 years and Syracuse used a strong second half to win the game, 62-54. The Minutewomen enjoyed a nine-point halftime lead last year, but were outscored, 36-19, in the second half.
The UMass/Syracuse Series
Date Location Result
1/18/80 Syracuse, N.Y.1 L, 73-72
1/16/81 Syracuse, N.Y.1 W, 70-66 (OT)
12/5/81 Cage L, 92-67
1/10/83 Syracuse, N.Y. L, 88-75
12/29/84 Syracuse, N.Y.1 L, 61-46
11/25/03 Syracuse, N.Y. L, 62-54
1 Syracuse Tournament (Syracuse, N.Y.)
Scouting Syracuse University
• Syracuse University comes into this afternoon's game with a perfect 5-0 record. The Orange are coming off an 80-60 home win against Binghamton.
• They are averaging 66.6 ppg and allowing 56.8 ppg. Syracuse is shooting .438 from the field, .382 from three-point range and .565 from the free throw line. SU is out-rebounding its opposition, 41.6-38.0 and committing 19.6 turnovers.
• Chineze Nwagbo leads the team in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg). Lauren Kohn is second in scoring (11.8 ppg) and is a 52 percent three-point shooter.
Providence College Wrap-Up
• UMass closed out the game on a 14-0 run and defeated Providence, 53-39, Wednesday night at Alumni Hall. Pam Rosanio scored all 10 of her points in the game during the run which span the final 6:29 of the game.
• Katie Nelson had a game-high 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
• Massachusetts trailed by six points, 34-28, at the 14:43 mark of the second half, but a 9-0 run in the next 2:24 gave it a three-point lead. Nelson started the run with a three-pointer at the 12:21 mark. She then had a steal as the teams went back down the floor and set up Tamara Tatham for the fast-break lay-up which cut the lead to one. On the next possession for the Friars, Alisha Tatham stole the ball and set up her sister who was fouled and sent to the line. Tamara made one of two the line to tie the game at 34 and UMass never trailed again.
• UMass shot 38 percent (22-58) from the field and 26 percent (6-23) from three-point range against PC's 2-3 zone. Providence shot 35 percent (16-46) from the field and 36 percent (4-11) from behind the arc. The Minutewomen were 3-for-14 (.214) from the free throw line, while the Friars were 3-for-6 (.500). UMass held the edge on the boards, 39-34, and have now out-rebounded its opponent every game this season. The Minutewomen forced 22 turnovers and committed a season-low 14.
• Tamara Tatham recorded the teams' first double-double of the season on 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Rosanio finished with 10 points. Patrycja Gulak (Olsztyn, Poland) tallied six points and eight rebounds.
Stepping Up The D
• On December 1, the Minutewomen held Providence to 39 points in a 53-39 win. It was the fewest points that a UMass team has allowed since beating New Hampshire 56-39 on Dec 13, 2000.
• The Minutewomen currently rank fourth in the Atlantic 10 allowing a mere 54.2 ppg. Temple leads the way allowing 52.4 ppg.
• The Minutewomen have held each of their opponents this season to 62 or less points and below their season averages.
Lights Out In The Cage
• In the two prior games played at the Cage, the Minutewomen have shot extremely well. UMass has shot at a 43 percent (43-100) clip for the game while its opponents are shooting 36 percent (39-107). • In addition, the Minutewomen have used quick first halves to get going in each game. Massachusetts is shooting 50 percent (24-48) in the first half while its opponents have converted at just a 32 percent (17-53) rate.
Trying To Change It On The Road
• Prior to its win at Fordham on Feb. 13, 2004, the Minutewomen had gone 19 consecutive road games without a win, the longest streak in school history. Massachusetts lost its final two road games last year and took a streak into this year where it had lost 22 of 23 games on the road.
• UMass has turned that around this year, however, and are 2-0 on the road. The last time the Minutewomen won two straight games on the road was almost two years ago.
• UMass defeated New Hampshire, 70-50, on Dec 7, 2002, and Rhode Island, 59-45, on Dec. 9, 2002.
• The last three-game winning streak on the road was also in that 2002-03 season. Before knocking off UNH and URI, UMass handed Toledo a 73-61 defeat on the road.
• This is also the first time that the Minutewomen have started off the season winning its first two road games since 1997-98. That was also the last time the Minutewomen advanced to the NCAA Tournament. UMass defeated Hartford, 65-33, on Nov. 25, 1997, and Kent, 67-65, on Nov. 28, 1997. The Minutewomen lost their next game to Ohio State, 59-56. The last time a UMass team won its first three road games was in the 1980-81 season.
102 And Counting
• That 66-64 win at Fordham on Feb. 13, 2004, meant more than just snapping the longest road losing streak in school history. It marked career win number 100 for Marnie Dacko. Dacko became just the second coach in school history to reach this milestone. Joanie O'Brien went 159-159 in 11 seasons at the helm of Massachusetts from 1991-2002.
• Dacko had to wait nine more games for number 101 however. UMass' 61-60 win at Holy Cross on Nov. 23 was career win number 101 for Dacko.
• Dacko is now 22-39 (.361) overall in two seasons since coming to UMass from Cornell. She is 102-143 (.416) overall when you factor in her seven seasons with the Big Red.
Big Night For the Freshman
• Freshman Pam Rosanio had a career night Nov. 23 at Holy Cross, but saved her best shot for last. After UMass had blown an eight-point lead with under five minutes left, the Southampton, Pa., native hit a shot with seven seconds remaining in regulation to give UMass its first win of the season.
• The basket by Rosanio capped a career-high 16-point night. She was 7-for-14 from the field, 1-for-2 from three-point range and also added two rebounds and two assists.
• Rosanio leads the team in scoring at 10.6 ppg and has tallied double figures in four of the Minutewomen's first five games. She was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week and Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week on Nov. 29. She averaged 14.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.0 apg the previous week to earn the honor.
Freshman Comes Through In The Clutch ... Again
• Against PC, Rosanio was held scoreless for the first 34:31 and spent much of the second half on the bench. She then broke a 39-39 tie with a three-pointer and ended up scoring 10 of the Minutewomen's final 14 points to close out the game. UMass did not allow a point in the final 6:43 for the win.
• Rosanio hit two three-pointers in the final 6:29 of the game and is currently tied for 10th in the A-10 averaging 1.40 trifectas a game.
Bombs Away From Three
• UMass is on pace to shatter the school record for three-point field goals attempted in a season. The Minutewomen have taken 81 trifectas this year, an average of 16.2 per game. If they were to continue this pace, they would take 438 three-pointers during the regular season. The school record for three-pointer taken in a season is 413 in 2002-03. Katie Nelson leads the way with 38 three-pointers attempted this year. She has now taken 334 in her career which ranks third in school history.
• Nelson is also tied for sixth in the A-10 making 1.80 three-pointers a game. Pam Rosanio is tied for 10th averaging 1.40 trifectas a game.
• As a team, Massachusetts is ranked fourth in the league making 4.20 three-pointers a contest. Other than Saint Joseph's who has played three more games, UMass has taken the most three-pointers. They rank last in the league with a .259 percentage, however.
Solid Off The Bench
• With 6-4 center Patrycja Gulak in foul trouble all game against No. 20 Boston College Nov. 27, freshman Kate Mills was called upon and kept the Minutewomen in the game.
• Mills played a career-high 13 minutes off the bench and scored a career-high seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field. She also grabbed three rebounds.
Nelson's Back • Redshirt junior point guard Katie Nelson returns to the back court after sitting out last year following knee surgery. She came back in style averaging 8.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebound in two games at the Moran Realty Classic (Nov. 19-20) en route to All-Tournament team honors.
• Prior to injuring her knee Jan. 26, 2003 at Dayton, Nelson had started in each of her 48 career games since arriving in Amherst. She averaged 37.1 minutes as a sophomore in 2002-03 and was the only member of either team to play in all 50 minutes of the Minutewomen's, 78-70, double-overtime loss to Florida in the State Farm Classic Dec. 28, 2002. Nelson red-shirted the 2003-04 season.
• Nelson, whose father William is the head men's basketball coach at Johns Hopkins (Md.) University, has already cracked the top five in three-point field goals made and attempted. Nelson currently ranks third all-time in school history with 329 attempts, while her 99 trifectas are good for third. Nelson also ranks 10th with a .301 percentage from behind the arc.
Big Presence In The Center
• After sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, redshirt junior Patrycja Gulak is poised to be a force in the paint this season. The 6-4 native of Poland averaged 8.3 ppg and 4.8 rpg in two seasons with St. John's (N.Y.). UMass played all of last year without a true center.
• She was a two-time Big East Conference All-Academic team member. In her first three games as a Minutewoman, Gulak has averaged 5.4 ppg and is tied for second on the team pulling down 6.2 rpg.
• She is also second in the league averaging 1.60 blocks a game, but her eight swats are tied for the most.
Solid Debut
• Freshman Pam Rosanio had one of the better debuts in a UMass uniform. The Southampton, Pa., native had a game-high 11 points in the Minutewomen's 54-49 opening night loss to Southern California. This was the third-highest point total of any freshman playing in their first game the past 15 seasons.
Top Five Freshman Debuts (Last 15 Years)
Rk. Player Pts. Opponent Date
1. Kelly Van Huisen 14 Ohio State 11/24/96
2 .Paige Harris 13 Charlotte 11/20/00
3. Pam Rosanio 11 Southern California 11/19/04
4. Tamara Tatham 10 Sacred Heart 11/21/03
5. Jennifer Butler 9 Clemson 11/19/99
Home Cookin'
• While it has won just two road games in nearly 23 months, the Maroon & White have won 15 of the last 26 games on its home floor including seven of the past nine non-conference tilts. UMass finished with a a 3-8 home record last year.
Grabbing Those Boards
• Massachusetts has used a balanced effort on the glass to rank third in the A-10 in rebounding with 41.8 boards a game. The Minutewomen's +10.6 rebounding margin is first in the league by more than four boards.
• UMass has held the edge on the glass in each of its first five games thus far. Seven players are currently averaging at least 3.0 rebounds a game led by Brooke Campbell who has pulled down 6.4 boards a game.
Block Party
• Through the first four games this season, redshirt junior center Patrycja Gulak is second in the league with 1.60 blocks per game. • The Poland native swatted a career-high three shots in the season opener against USC.
• As a team, Massachusetts has 17 blocks which is fourth in the league.
No Sophomore Jinx
• Through five games, Sophomore Tamara Tatham is out to prove that there is no such thing as a sophomore jinx. After a very solid freshman year, Tatham is second on the team in both scoring (8.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg) this season.
• Tatham, the older sister of freshman Alisha Tatham, posted her first career double-double at Providence Dec. 1 with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
• Tatham is also tied for second on the team with three blocked shots and seven steals.
