University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts URI On Senior Day
February 28, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2004
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Game Day Information
What: Rhode Island (14-12, 7-8) at Massachusetts (6-20, 2-13)
Where: Mullins Center (9,493) * Amherst, Mass.)
When: Sunday, Feb. 29, 2004 * 2:00 PM
Tickets: All tickets are $1 and available at the door
Radio: WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst
Live Stats: Click on the "Gametracker" link on www.umassathletics.com
Series: UMass leads 30-23
Last Meeting: URI 63-57, on Jan. 16, 2004, at the Ryan Center
Game Day... The UMass women's basketball team wraps up the regular season this afternoon against the University of Rhode Island on senior day at the Mullins Center. The Minutewomen have locked up the sixth seed in the East for next week's A-10 Tournament to be played at the Alumni Fieldhouse in Philadelphia. The Minutewomen will face Duquesne, the third seed in the West, in the first round on Friday, March 5. If GW beats Temple this afternoon then the game will be played at 2:00 p.m. If the Owls pull out the victory, then the Minutewomen and Dukes will play at 6:00 p.m. UMass leads the all-time series against URI, 30-23, despite the Rams' 63-57 win earlier this year. UMass is looking to avoid being swept by URI in a season series for the first time since the 1991-92 campaign.
Scouting The Rams ... The University of Rhode Island enters today's game with a 14-12 overall record and are 7-8 in A-10 play, good for third place in the East. The Rams have lost two games in a row and are averaging 63.9 ppg (seventh in the A-10), while allowing 62.9 ppg (eighth). URI is shooting .398 from the field (11th), .293 from three-point range (12th) and .736 at the free throw line (third). The Rams are also last in the league in field goal percentage defense (.448) and 11th in rebounding offense 33.8 rpg). They are first in the league in turnover margin (+5.08) as well as steals (11.65 spg).
Tanya Rhodes is first on the team with 12.8 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Denise King is second pouring in 12.1 ppg and has dished out a team-high 4.2 assists per game. Shayla Johnson is also in double-figures in scoring at 11.8 ppg, while Katie Stailing is having a solid season with 9.5 ppg and 5.4 rpg.
Acting Head Coach Tom Garrick ... Tom Garrick will be the acting head coach at Rhode Island for the remainder of the season after head coach Boe Pearman requested and received permission to take a leave of absence from her position for health reasons. Garrick was no stranger to the University of Rhode Island when he took the post as an assistant on the staff two years ago. After spending three years as an assistant for the Rhode Island men's basketball program, the talented young coach helped lead the Rams to a 15-13, the ninth-best record in school history in his first-year on the staff. This past season, he helped guide the Rams to a 16-15 mark and a berth in the championship game of the Atlantic 10 tournament.
The Series ... This afternoon marks the 54th meeting between these longtime New England rivals. UMass leads 30-23, but the Rams won the earlier meeting this year, 63-57, on Jan. 16 at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. Despite the loss, UMass has still won 15 of the last 20 games in this series. Each team has won on the opponents' home floor the past two years.
The Last Time They Met ... The University of Rhode Island (9-6, 2-2 A-10) converted 18 of 19 free-throw opportunities in the second half, en route to a 63-57 victory over The University of Massachusetts (5-11, 1-4 A-10) at the Ryan Center in Atlantic 10 women's basketball action. Senior guard Judit Zsedenyi (Budapest, Hungary) led all scorers with a game-high 19 points to go with her four rebounds and three assists.
After the two teams came out of halftime tied at 26-26, Rhode Island built a six-point lead, 45-39 at the 9:26 mark. Massachusetts used a 6-0 run of its own over the next 1:20, including four of her 13 total points by freshman Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario), to erase the deficit, knotting the score at 45 apiece. At the 6:05 mark, Zsedenyi hit a jumper to put the Minutewomen up 49-47, but the Rams responded with an 8-0 run over the 1:35 to take another six-point lead, 55-49, with 3:26 left to play. Massachusetts cut the Rhode Island lead to three, 55-52, with 2:29 left, but could not take advantage of three opportunities to further cut the lead or tie the game. Rhode Island then made eight free-throws in the final 1:19 to seal the victory, handing the Minutewomen their fourth conference loss.
Rhode Island had four scorers in double figures, led by Tanya Rhodes, as she poured in 15 points and snatched six boards. The game consisted of 12 ties and seven lead changes as UMass outshot URI, going 22 of 48 for the game, to the Rams' 19 of 52, respective percentages of 45.8 and 36.5. The Minutewomen also held a slight rebounding edge as they grabbed 32 boards to Rhode Island's 31. URI earned 23 points at the charity stripe, going 23-25, while UMass was only 10-16.
From The Trainer's Room ... 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.
Back In True Form ... Redshirt sophomore Ashley Sharpton returned to the UMass lineup Feb. 26 against George Washington after missing 12 games with a severely sprained ankle she suffered in practice Jan. 8. The Conyers, Ga., native, picked up where she left off and hit two three-pointers in a 15-minute stint. Prior to the injury, Sharpton led the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goal percentage. She is currently shooting .394 (13-33) from downtown, but does not have enough games to qualify for the league leaders.
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 24 games on its home floor including seven of the past eight non-conference tilts. UMass has a 3-7 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 ninth in the A-10 averaging 0.73 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 15th in the league on the glass pulling down 6.0 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 .750 clip from the charity stripe this year. Foster is currently averaging 3.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.24 apg this year. She is tied for 12th in the league in assists per game and 10th with a 1.19 assist to turnover ratio. At home, Foster has compiled a 1.81 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 fourth on the team this year pouring in 9.0 points per game. She has scored at least 11 points in 12 of her last 21 games. Zsedenyi is also averaging 2.4 rebounds and 1.88 assists per game while playing in 34.3 minutes a game.
Tough D ... One of the positives for Massachusetts this season has been the play by the defense. The Minutewomen have allowed 61.1 points per game this season to rank fifth in the conference and 57th in the nation. Prior to allowing an average of 76.3 ppg in the last three games, 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 St. Bonaventure on Feb. 19 in an overtime win were the most points surrendered by UMass since a 91-65 loss at Michigan on Nov. 29, 2002. Through 26 games, UMass opponents are shooting .414 from the field (sixth 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 13-13 this year instead of 6-20. Massachusetts has enjoyed a halftime lead in 14 of its 26 games this season. In the seven games where UMass has surrendered its halftime lead in the second stanza, it is shooting .551 (98-178) from the field in the first half, but just .375 (63-168) 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 nine of the last 10 games. UMass is now getting out-rebounded by a 1.6 margin (34.5-32.9) 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.
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 220-for-378 at the charity stripe while its opponents have converted on 299 of their 411 (.727) 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 third on the team with 9.2 points per game. She is also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.73 blocks and 1.58 steals per game. The Brampton, Ontario, native has reached double-figures in scoring in 16 of her 26 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 10 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 11.0 points per game in her last 10 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 11.2 points, while also pulling down 6.0 rebounds per game. Her .474 shooting percentage leads the team and is 11th in the league.
George Washington Recap ... The George Washington University women's basketball team (20-6, 13-2 A-10) used a 21-3 run spanning 6:42 of the second half to overcome a one-point halftime deficit and defeat the University of Massachusetts (6-20, 2-13), 70-51, Feb. 26 at the Mullins Center. Junior Edris Bailey (Mt. Hope, Trinidad & Tobago) led the Minutewomen with 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
A basket by Bailey and the ensuing free throw after she had been fouled put Massachusetts up 35-34 with 17:17 left in the game, but that would be its' last lead. On the other end, GW's Anna Montanana scored to put the Colonials back up for good and started a 21-3 run over the next 6:42. After GW scored 11 straight points in 2:57, UMass senior Glamora Maeweather (Country Club Hills, Ill.) hit a three-pointer to stop the run and make it a 45-38 game. The Colonials responded by scoring the next 10 points however to put the game away. GW led by as many as 20 points and the Minutewomen were unable to get any closer than 15 points in the final 10 minutes and change of the contest.
Massachusetts led throughout much of the first half. The Minutewomen took the lead for good on a basket by freshman Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) at the 14:39 mark. UMass led by as many as seven points in the frame, but the Colonials clawed back to a point at intermission. UMass was up four points after a three-pointer by sophomore Ashley Sharpton (Conyers, Ga.) with five seconds left, but GW's Marsheik Witherspoon hit a trifecta from thirty feet out as the buzzer went off.
Bailey was the only double-figure scorer for the Minutewomen with her 15 points and 12 boards. Tatham and senior Cleo Foster (Toronto, Ontario) each had eight points. Foster also added seven rebounds and five assists, while Tatham had five boards. Cathy Joens led all scorers with 22 points for GW. Valerie Williams had 16 points, while Montanana had 13 points and nine rebounds.
UMass shot just 36 percent for the game and were 22 percent from three-point range. GW was 40 percent from the both the field and three-point range. The Colonials held a slight edge on the glass, 38-36, and committed five less turnovers than the Minutewomen (23-18).
It's An International Thing ... This year's UMass roster certainly has an International feel to it. There are five players who hail from overseas. 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.
From Here ... The Minutewomen will take on Duquesne in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Friday, March 5. This year's tournament will be played at the Alumni Fieldhouse on the campus of Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. The Minutewomen are the sixth seed in the East, while the Dukes are the third seed out of the West Division. If GW beats Temple this afternoon then the game will be at 2:00 p.m. If the Owl win, however, the game will be at 6:00 p.m. The tournament runs through March 8 with the winner earning the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
