University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball To Host GW Tonight
February 26, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2004
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Game-Day Information
WHAT: George Washington (19-6, 12-2) at Massachusetts (6-19, 2-12)
WHERE: Mullins Center (9,493) * Amherst, Mass.
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 26, 2004 * 7:00 PM
RADIO: WMUA, 91.1 FM
LIVE STATS: Available on www.umassathletics.com
SERIES: GW leads, 29-7 (9-6 in Amherst and 3-3 at the Mullins Center)
LAST MEETING65-59 GW in OT on Feb. 13, 2003, at the Smith Center in Washington, D.C.
Game Day... The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team opens up its season-ending two-game homestand tonight against the George Washington University. After Sunday's 77-49 loss at Richmond, the Minutewomen are now 6-19 overall and in sixth place in the A-10 East with a 2-12 record. The Colonials, who just had their 11-game winning streak snapped last Sunday at Duquesne, are 19-6 overall and 12-2 in conference play. They are in first place in the A-10 West and trail eastern division leader Temple by one game for the overall top spot in the league. GW leads the all-time series against UMass, 29-7, but the Minutewomen won the last time these two teams played in the Mullins Center. Overall, the Colonials are 9-6 in Amherst and 3-3 at the Mullins Center.
Scouting The Colonials ... The George Washington University is 19-6 overall and 12-2 in league play. The Colonials have already clinched the top spot in the West and trail eastern division leader Temple by one game for the top spot in the Atlantic 10. GW just lost last Sunday at Duquesne, 77-60, snapping its 11-game winning streak. The Colonials are scoring 70.2 ppg (second in the A-10) and allowing 60.6 ppg (fourth). They are first in scoring margin (+9.6), shooting .460 (second) from the field, .372 (first) from three-point range and .720 (fifth) at the free throw line. GW is out-rebounding the opposition, 37.3-36.9, and committing 16.8 turnovers a game.
Cathy Joens leads the team and is second in the league averaging 20.4 ppg. She is also 12th in rebounding at 6.2 rpg and 12th in assists with 3.28 apg. Ugo Oha is second on the team and eighth in the league pouring in 13.9 ppg. She is also sixth in rebounding at 7.0 rpg and first averaging 3.48 bpg. Anna Montanana is 16th in the league averaging 12.6 ppg, second pulling down 7.7 rpg and second dishing out 5.80 assists per game.
Head Coach Joe McKeown ... Joe McKeown enters his 15th season at GW as the school's all-time winningest women's basketball coach by both percentage (.733) and number of victories (318). He is also among the winningest active coaches in Division I women's basketball, winning 74% of his games over 17 years. He is the winningest coach in the 19 years of the Atlantic 10 Conference, building a 184-42 record (.814) in A-10 games. McKeown passed former Rutgers coach Theresa Grentz for the winningest coach- in overall victories with 320 career wins. McKeown was voted Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2001-02 by his peers, an honor he has now received four times while at GW. He is currently 339-123 at GW and 407-143 in 17-plus seasons as a head coach.
The Series ... Tonight will be the 37th meeting between Massachusetts and George Washington. The Colonials lead 29-7, but UMass has been competitive the past couple of times they have met. The Minutewomen spoiled the Colonials' bid for a perfect conference season the last time they met at the Mullins Center with a 62-53 victory on Feb. 24, 2002. Last year, GW needed overtime to dispatch UMass, 65-59, on Feb. 13, 2003, at the Smith Center in Washington, D.C. Overall, George Washington is 9-6 against Massachusetts in Amherst but both teams have won three games apiece in games played at the Mullins Center.
The Last Time They Met ... Jennifer Butler made one of two free throws with eight-tenths of a second left in regulation forcing overtime, but George Washington outscored UMass, 10-4, in the extra frame to claim a 65-59 overtime victory Feb. 13, 2003, at the Smith Center in Washington, D.C.. Trailing 33-23 at halftime, Massachusetts charged out on a 7-0 run to open the second half and got back into the game. For the next several minutes, GW tried to re-establish its lead, but the Minutewomen would not let them. A three-pointer by Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary) brought the Minutewomen within a point (41-40) at the 11:06 mark, the closest they had been since it was 4-4. At the 6:14 mark, the Colonials went back up by six, but UMass was not going to go down without a fight.
After trading baskets for two minutes, the Minutewomen scored five consecutive points to tie the game at 50 with less than four minutes remaining. on a three-pointer by Amber Sneed from the right wing with 3:48 left in regulation. After a GW miss, Butler hit a shot to put UMass on top for the first time in the game, 52-50, with 2:58 left. On the other end of the floor, Butler got a steal, but the Minutewomen were unable to score. With 1:52 left, Cathy Joens drilled a trifecta to give GW the lead again, 53-52, but a quick outlet to Nekole Smith by Ebony Pegues gave UMass the lead again, 54-53, with 1:423 left. After a GW timeout, Anna Montanana missed a three-pointer and gave UMass the ball under a minute, but a quick turnover gave the Colonials possession right back. After inbounding, the Colonials' Marsheik Witherspoon threw the ball away and gave UMass possession, up one point and just 41 second remaining. After working the clock down, the Minutewomen got the ball in to Butler, but she was called for travelling as she was about to pass the ball back out to the wing. GW called a timeout and took possession with 19 second showing on the clock. Ugo Oha hit a lay-up off a feed from Greeba Outen Barlow to put GW back up one point with 10 seconds left. For the Minutewomen, Pegues dribbled to half court and called their final timeout with four seconds left. When play resumed, the Minutewomen calmly worked to ball in to Butler and the Oha obliged by fouling her with eight-tenths of a second showing on the clock. Butler missed the first free throw, but sank the second one to force overtime.
In the extra frame, the Colonials outscored the Minutewomen 10-4 to earn the victory. After GW scored the first six points, Smith recorded a basket to make the score 61-57, but the Colonials scored four quick points to seal the victory. Smith led the Minutewomen with 18 points. Butler had 14 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and seven steals, while playing all 45 minutes. Sneed chipped in with nine points and six boards, while Zsedenyi had five points and a career-high seven rebounds. Pegues dished out a game-high eight assists, but committed nine turnovers. Sophomore point guard Katie Nelson (Ellicott City, Md.) returned to action tonight after missing the last two weeks with a knee injury, but had to leave after playing three minutes. The Minutewomen were 6-for-12 from the free throw line, while GW was 11-for-14.
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 will be dressed tonight. 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. After the Feb. 22 at Richmond the Minutewomen have still dropped 21 of its last 22 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 finished the 2003-04 season 1-13 on the road, 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 nearly 14 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. UMass has a 3-6 home record this year.
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 0.72 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 2.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 3.17 apg this year. She is 13th in the league in assists per game and 10th with a 1.17 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 third on the team this year pouring in 9.3 points per game. She has scored at least 11 points in 12 of her last 20 games. Zsedenyi is also averaging 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while playing in 34.3 minutes a game. Her .331 (39-118) three-point field goal percentage is 16th in the A-10. She also ranks 15th in the league averaging 1.56 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 60.8 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, and a second-highest 77 points at Richmond on Feb. 22, the Minutewomen had not cracked the 60-point plateau all year and were ranked in the top three for scoring defense in the league. The 82 points scored by the Bonnies were the most points surrendered by UMass since a 91-65 loss at Michigan on Nov. 29, 2002. Through 24 games, UMass opponents are shooting .414 from the field (sixth in the A-10) and committing 17.1 turnovers a game.
Tale Of Two Halves ... If college basketball was just a 20-minute game, the Minutewomen would be 12-13 this year instead of 6-19. 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 eight of the last nine games. UMass is now getting out-rebounded by a 1.6 margin (34.3-32.8) 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.
Burned At the Line ... Massachusetts currently ranks last in the A-10 and 318th in the nation shooting 58 percent at the free throw line. UMass has gone just 215-for-372 at the charity stripe while its opponents have converted on 289 of their 398 (.726) 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 9.2 points per game. She is also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.72 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. The Brampton, Ontario, native has reached double-figures in scoring in 16 of her 25 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 nine 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 11.2 points per game in her last nine games, including a career-high 22 points against St. Bonaventure on Feb. 19. For the season, Massey is averaging 6.0 ppg.
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 .472 shooting percentage leads the team and is 12th in the league.
Richmond Recap ... The Minutewomen dropped the second game of its weekend roadtrip Feb. 22 afternoon, 77-49, at the hands of the Richmond Spiders. Junior forward Edris Bailey (Mt. Hope, Trinidad and Tobago) and freshman forward Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) both posted 12 point efforts to lead the scoring for the Minutewomen. Tatham also pulled in nine rebounds to lead the Minutewomen in that category. Richmond senior Amber Goppert scored a season-high 21 points in the contest. In addition to her game-high 21 points, Goppert registered a career-tying seven steals and seven assists. Freshman Christina Campion recorded her first career double-double with ten points and 13 rebounds. Junior Kate Flavin added 19 points and sophomore Saona Chapman contributed ten. Richmond took its first double-digit lead (14-4) just five minutes into the contest off freshman DeUnna Hendrix's jumper. After a four-minute dry spell in which neither team could score, Tatham connected on a lay-up for the Minutewomen that put the score at 16-6. With 5:20 remaining in the half, Flavin's lay-up gave the Spiders a 20-point advantage before Richmond took its largest lead of the half (26) with a pair of free throws from Campion. At the break, the Spiders held a 43-22 advantage. The Spiders held their largest lead of the game (36) with 4:50 left in the contest.
From Here ... The Minutewomen close out the regular season on Sunday by hosting Rhode Island at the Mullins Center on Senior Day. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. It will be dollar fan appreciation day. Tickets, scorecards, hot dogs, soda and popcorn will all be available for just $1. The 2003-04 Atlantic 10 Tournament will be March 5-8 at Saint Josephs' Alumni Fieldhouse in Philadelphia.