University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Plays At Richmond Sunday
February 21, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2004
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Game-Day Information
WHAT: Massachusetts (6-18, 2-11) at Richmond (16-8, 8-5)
WHERE: Robins Center (9,071) * Richmond, Va.
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2004 * 2:00 PM
RADIO: WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst
Matt Goldstein (Play-by-Play) & Seth Gerard (color)
SERIES:Richmond leads 3-1
LAST TIME: Richmond won 69-57 on Feb. 16, 2003, at the Mullins Center.
Game Day... The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team looks to bounce back from a tough overtime loss to St. Bonaventure Thursday night against the University of Richmond this afternoon in these teams' only meeting of the regular season. The Minutewomen led for much of the second half Thursday night against the Bonnies and held a three-point edge with four seconds left but could not close it out. Massachusetts is now 6-18 this season and in last place in the A-10's eastern division with a 2-11 record. The Spiders, meanwhile, are 16-8 overall following their 66-39 win at Fordham on Thursday night. Richmond is 8-5 in league play, good for third place in the West. Richmond holds a 3-1 lead in the all-time series and are 2-0 against UMass at the Robins Center.
Scouting The Spiders ... The University of Richmond enters this afternoon's game with a 16-8 overall record and are 8-5 in league play, good for third place in the A-10 West. It started the season, 12-3, but then lost four of five games, all in A-10 play. UR has bounced back to win its ;last three games however. The Spiders are averaging 70.4 ppg (second in the A-10) while allowing 63.4 ppg (eighth). Richmond is shooting .465 from the field (first), .343 from three-point range (sixth) and .707 at the free throw line (sixth). They have out-rebounded the opposition, 37.3-34.0, and are committing 15.8 turnovers a game.
Kate Flavin leads the team and is third in the A-10 with 18.8 ppg. She is also first in the league pulling down 9.8 rpg and has a team-high 44 steals. Saona Chapman is second on the team pouring in 13.3 ppg and is tied for third in the league dishing out 5.33 assists per game. Amber Goppert is also in double-figures for the Spiders scoring 10.0 ppg.
Head Coach Joanne Boyle ... On April 2, 2002, University of Richmond Director of Athletics Jim Miller announced the hiring of Joanne Boyle as the new head women's basketball coach. Boyle, an assistant at Duke for nine seasons, becomes the 16th head coach in the 83-year history of Richmond women's basketball. As an assistant at Duke, Boyle helped direct the careers of numerous all-Atlantic Coast Conference selections and national honorees. Among them the past three ACC Player's of the Year and two consecutive Kodak All-America selections in Georgia Schweitzer (2001) and Alana Beard (2002). Boyle played a vital role in the program's success on the court, helping Duke compile an impressive nine-year record of 265-67. In almost two seasons at Richmond, Boyle has compiled a 37-19 record.
The Series ... Today marks just the fifth meeting between these two teams. Richmond holds a 3-1 edge in the series after winning last year's match-up, 69-57, on Feb. 16, 2003, at the Mullins Center. The Spiders have won both games played at the Robins Center in Richmond.
The Last Time They Met ... Jennifer Butler scored 15 points and had 19 rebounds and seven steals, but a seven-minute scoring drought gave Richmond a 69-57 win over the UMass on Feb. 16, 2003, at the Mullins Center. Leading 52-48 with 8:14 remaining in the game, the Minutewomen seemed poised for their 13th win of the season, but a 13-0 run by the Spiders over the next 4:24 gave Richmond its largest lead of the game at nine, 61-52. It was three minutes later at the 1:27 mark, a span of 6:47, before Monique Govan (Chicago, Ill.) was finally able to end the scoring drought for the Minutewomen.
Richmond went on an 8-0 run take an early 12-4 lead, but after a Minutewoman timeout at the 15:48 mark, they controlled the play for the rest of the half. Butler's basket at the 10:38 mark evened the score at 17. After a basket by Kristin Cannon gave the Minutewomen their largest lead of the game at 36-29 with less than 20 seconds left, Richmond's Cammy Desmond drained a three-pointer just before the half to give the Spiders momentum heading into the locker room.
UMass built its lead back to seven to open the second half, but Richmond took advantage of too many Minutewoman turnovers and poor free throw shooting to keep within striking distance. For the game, UMass committed 22 turnovers and shot just 6-12 (.500) from the free throw line. Butler was 3-8 (.375) at the charity stripe, all in the second half. After connecting at a .571 (4-7) rate from three-point range in the first half, UMass was just 1-11 (.091) in the second. Massachusetts held a 38-27 advantage on the boards. Nekole Smith led the Minutewomen with 16 points, while Butler added 15 points, 19 rebounds, seven steals, three blocks and two assists. Govan had nine points and four assists off the bench.
From The Trainer's Room ... Redshirt sophomore Ashley Sharpton (Conyers, Ga.) injured her ankle in practice Jan. 8 and has not played since then. She is close to returning. 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. Junior Brooke Campbell (Baltimore, Md.) will be out indefinitely as well due to personal reasons.
Road Woes ... With the 66-64 win at Fordham Feb. 13, UMass snapped a school-record 19 game road losing streak. With the 82-76 overtime loss at St. Bonaventure on Feb. 19, the Minutewomen have still dropped 20 of its last 21 games on the road. It's last win on the road had been 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 1-12 on the road in 2003-04, but 2-0 in neutral site games. The previous record was a 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.
Seventh Times' A Charm ... When UMass head coach Marnie Dacko won her 99th career game on Jan. 11 vs. Dayton, she probably didn't imagine it would be nearly a month before number 100. After failing in six prior games, the Minutewomen finally gave Dacko the milestone with a 66-64 win at Fordham on Feb. 13. Dacko becomes just the second coach in school history to eclipse the 100-game plateau.
Home Cookin' ... While it has won just one road game in over 13 months, The Maroon & White have now won 15 of the last 23 games on its home floor including seven of the past eight non-conference tilts. This season, UMass is scoring six more points per game at home, allowing more than two less points, shooting .027 percentage points better from the field as well as .041 percentage points better from three-point range and .045 percentage points better from the free throw line. In addition, UMass is committing more than five less turnovers a game at home while forcing more than four 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 10th in the A-10 averaging 0.75 blocked shots a game.
Grabbing Those Boards ... Junior Edris Bailey pulled down a career-high 18 boards in the Feb. 8 loss at Duquesne, including 11 in the first half. It is tied for the highest single-game rebound tally in the league this year. She currently ranks 17th in the league on the glass pulling down 5.8 boards 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 injured 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 first on the team shooting at a .733 clip from the charity stripe this year. Foster is currently averaging 3.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 3.13 apg this year. She is tied for 12th in the league in assists per game and 10th with a 1.18 assist to turnover ratio. At home, Foster has compiled a 1.83 assist to turnover ratio.
Two Extremes Against Fordham ... UMass has had two very different shooting performances against Fordham. The Minutewomen shot a season-low .265 (14-52) from the field in a 61-45 loss to Fordham on Feb. 1 at the Mullins Center, but then shot a season-high .480 (24-50) from the field en route to a 66-64 win at Fordham Feb. 13. The win in the Bronx on Friday the 13th for UMass also avoided being swept by the Rams for the first time ever in the season series.
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 is second on the team this year pouring in 9.5 points per game. She has scored at least 11 points in 11 of her last 19 games. Zsedenyi is also averaging 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while playing in 34.6 minutes a game. Her .333 (39-117) three-point field goal percentage is 16th in the A-10. She also ranks 12th in the league averaging 1.62 three-point field goals a game.
Tough D ... One of the positives for Massachusetts this season has been the play by the defense. The Minutewomen have allowed 60.1 points per game this season to rank fifth in the conference and 57th in the nation. Prior to allowing a season-high 82 points to St. Bonaventure Feb. 19, the Minutewomen had not cracked the 60-point plateau all year and were ranked in the top three for scoring defense in the league. It was the most points surrendered by UMass since a 91-65 loss at Michigan on Nov. 29, 2002. Through 24 games, UMass opponents are shooting .408 from the field (fourth in the A-10) and committing 17.2 turnovers a game.
Tale Of Two Halves ... If college basketball was just a 20-minute game, the Minutewomen would be 12-12 this year instead of 6-18. Massachusetts has enjoyed a halftime lead in 13 of its 24 games this season. 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.
Dominated On The Glass ... After spending the first half on the season ranked among the top three in the league in rebounding margin, the Minutewomen have been out-rebounded in seven of the last eight games. UMass is now getting out-rebounded by a 1.5 margin (34.4-32.9) and are last in the league in rebounding offense.
No Offensive Rebounds? ... In the Feb. 15 loss to Saint Joseph's, Massachusetts did not register an offensive rebound. The Minutewomen were out-rebounded, 45-19, in the contest. The Hawks had 17 offensive boards and turned it into eight second-chance points.
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 fifth 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 209-for-364 at the charity stripe while its opponents have converted on 281 of their 390 (.721) opportunities. UMass has lost several games this season at the line. Most recently in the overtime loss at St. Bonaventure, UMass shot 12-of-22 from the line (.545) while the Bonnies were 26-for-32 (.813). SBU went 21-for-24 from the charity stripe in the second half and overtime.
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 9.1 points per game. She is also averaging 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.75 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. The Brampton, Ontario, native has reached double-figures in scoring in 15 of her 24 career games, including a career-high 15 against Saint Joseph's on Feb. 15.
Making The Most Of The Minutes ... With UMass suffering from a depleted roster this year, junior walk-on Michelle Cantave has had a chance to get some time on the floor. Cantave sank a free throw against Temple Jan. 29 for her first career point. She then drained a three-pointer against Fordham for her first career field goal. Feb. 8 at Duquesne, Cantave set a career-high with four points. She has appeared in a total of eight games this year with 13 points, six rebounds, an assist and two steals.
Freshman Fitting In ... After a slow start to her collegiate career, freshman Joyce Massey has been very solid off the bench for the Minutewomen in the last six weeks. The Detroit, Mich., native has averaged 11.4 points per game in her last eight games, including a career-high 22 points against St. Bonaventure on Feb. 19. For the season, Massey is averaging 5.9 ppg and 1.8 rpg. She made her first career start on Feb. 8 at Duquesne and responded with five points, six rebounds, two assists and a career-high two blocked shots in 34 minutes and has been in the starting five every game since then.
Lucky 20 For Number 24 ... Junior Edris Bailey has poured in at least 20 points on four occasions this season. Most recently, she broke our for 20 points in the Feb. 13 win at Fordham. Bailey is first on the team averaging 11.0 points, while also pulling down 5.8 rebounds per game. Her .481 shooting percentage leads the team and is 11th 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.
St. Bonaventure Recap ... Audrey Latendresse converted on a three-point play with four seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime and helped the St. Bonaventure women's basketball team (8-16, 4-9 A-10) to an 82-76 overtime victory over the University of Massachusetts (6-18, 2-11) in Atlantic 10 action tonight at the Reilly Center. Massachusetts led by three points, 72-69, after freshman Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) made two free throws with twenty seconds left. The Bonnies took the ball down the floor and Lyndsey Maurer threw up an air ball on a three-point attempt with four seconds left. Latendresse caught the miss being in the right place at the right time and made a lay-up while getting fouled by Tatham. It was Tatham's fifth foul and Latendresse made the free throw to send the game into overtime. The Bonnies out-scored the Minutewomen 10-4 in overtime, all from the free throw line, and escaped with the win. The Minutewomen led by as many as eight points in the second half, but St. Bonaventure was able to come back. They came as close as one point, 55-54 at the 7:00 mark, but did not tie the game until a shot by Maurer made the score 69 apiece at the 1:14 mark. Freshman Joyce Massey (Detroit, Mich.) made one of two free throws on the next UMass possession and after a defensive stop, Tatham made it a three-point game. Massey led the Minutewomen with a career-high 22 points. Junior Edris Bailey (Mt. Hope, Trinidad & Tobago) finished with 14 points and six rebounds but fouled out with 1:14 left in regulation. Tatham had 12 points, three rebounds and three steals, while senior Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary) had 11 points and was 3-for-5 from three-point range.
From Here ... The Minutewomen return home for a two-game set that closes out the regular season. It welcomes George Washington to the Mullins Center on Feb. 26 (7:00 p.m.) and Rhode Island on Feb. 29 (2:00 p.m.).