University of Massachusets Athletics
Women 's Basketball Set For Duquesne
February 07, 2004 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2004
Game-Day Information
WHAT: Massachusetts (5-15, 1-8) at Duquesne (11-10, 6-4)
WHERE: Palumbo Center (6,200) * Pittsburgh, Pa.
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 8, 2004 * 2:00 PM
RADIO:WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst
SERIES: UMass leads 19-13 (5-10 on the road)
LAST MEETING: UMass 77-68 on March 2, 2003 at the Mullins Center
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game Day... The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team (5-15 overall, 1-8 Atlantic 10) looks to snap a five-game losing streak this afternoon as it takes on Duquesne University (11-10, 6-4). UMass head coach Marnie Dacko is in search of career win number 100 this afternoon as well. The Minutewomen are coming off a 61-45 homecourt loss to Fordham last Sunday, while the Dukes defeated Rhode Island 82-76 at home Friday night. UMass holds a 19-13 advantage in the series and are 5-10 on the road. Massachusetts defeated Duquesne, 77-68, on March 2, 2003, at the Mullins Center the last time these teams met. UMass will also be looking to snap a school-record 18-game road losing streak today. Its' last win on the road was Dec. 9, 2002, against Rhode Island.
Scouting The Dukes ... Duquesne University enters this afternoons game with an 11-10 overall record. They are 6-4 in conference play which is good for third-place in the A-10 West. The Dukes are averaging 68.8 ppg (third in the A-10), while allowing 71.6 ppg (12th). They are shooting .400 (ninth) from the field, .336 (seventh) from three-point range and .716 (fifth) at the free throw line. Duquesne is getting out-rebounded by its opponents, 38.2-36.9, while averaging 14.5 assists per game.
Candace Futrell leads the team and is first in the A-10 averaging 21.4 ppg. She is also grabbing 6.7 rpg. Shiri Sharon is second pouring in 9.2 ppg, while dishing out a team-high 5.1 assists per game. Her assist tally is good for fourth in the league. She also leads the squad with 48 steals, an average of 2.4 a game (third in the league). Nicole Sinclair leads the team and is third in the league pulling down 7.5 boards a contest.
Head Coach Dan Durkin ... Dan Durkin was named Duquesne's eighth women's head coach the summer of 1993. He is in his 11th season at the Dukes' helm and as a head coach. Under his guidance, the Dukes have set University marks for most wins in a season (19 in 1998), most Conference wins (10 in 1998) as well as posting the school's highest seeding in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. In addition, DU posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1983 when the Dukes went 19-9 (1998) and 15-13 (1999). The 1998 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year has seen his Dukes jump to a program-best 7-0 start in 1999 as well. Duquesne's winningest women's basketball coach has also seen the program garner its first votes ever in both the USAToday/ESPN and AP Top 25 polls. Durkin is 141-159 in 10-plus seasons at Duquesne.
The Series ... This afternoon will be the 33rd meeting in the series between these two schools. UMass holds a 19-13 advantage including last season's 77-68 victory on March 2, 2003, at the Mullins Center. The Minutewomen are 5-10 on the road in the series and have lost their last two games at the Palumbo Center.
The Last Time They Met ... Five players scored in double figures as UMass closed out the regular season with a 77-68 win over Duquesne March 2, 2003, before 1,278 fans at the Mullins Center. Massachusetts went on a 13-1 run in the first half to turn a 9-9 game into a 22-10 lead. The Minutewomen then extended the lead to 14 at 28-14 on two consecutive baskets by Jennifer Butler and free throws by Amber Sneed at the 10:58 mark. The two teams then traded baskets for the remainder of the half as the Minutewomen took a 41-30 lead into halftime.
A basket by Siiri Liivandi at the 14:16 mark of the second half gave UMass its largest lead at 16 (54-38), but the Dukes chipped away and eventually made it a game. Duquesne outscored UMass 15-3 over the next 5:21 to cut its deficit to just four points at 57-53. Consecutive free throws a couple of minutes later by Liivandi and Butler extended the Minutewomen's lead back to 12 and they were able to hold off the Dukes for the win on Senior Day. The five senior starters, Liivandi, Sneed, Butler, Nekole Smith and Ebony Pegues accounted for 76 of the 77 total points. Smith led the way with 20 points on 8-12 shooting as well as hauling in five rebounds. Pegues finished with 18 points, six assists and five steals, while Butler had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Sneed scored 12 points and had nine boards, while Liivandi had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Candace Futrell scored a game-high 31 points for the Dukes, including her 1,000th career point in the second half. Nicole Sinclair also had 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Dukes.
UMass shot .429 (27-63) this afternoon and out-rebounded the Dukes, 43-34. The Minutewomen committed 18 turnovers, but forced 21 miscues by the Dukes. UMass was 20-28 (.714) at the free throw line.
From The Trainer's Room ... Redshirt sophomore Ashley Sharpton (Conyers, Ga.) injured her ankle in practice Jan. 8 and will likely be out for the remainder of the season. 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 ... After the 63-52 loss at Temple Jan. 29, UMass has now dropped a school-record 18 consecutive games on the road. It's last win on the road was 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 0-10 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.
Home Cookin' ... While it has not won a road game in over 13 months, The Maroon & White have now won 15 of the last 22 games on its home floor including seven of the past eight non-conference tilts. This season, UMass is scoring over five more points per game at home (55.5-50.2), allowing nearly four less points (58.8-62.6), 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 four 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 eighth in the A-10 averaging 0.85 blocked shots 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 second on the team shooting at an .857 clip from the charity stripe this year. Foster is currently averaging 2.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.95 apg this year. She is 15th in the league in assists per game and 12th with a 1.02 assist to turnover ratio. At home, Foster has compiled a 1.81 assist to turnover ratio.
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 9.8 points per game. She has scored at least 11 points in nine of her last 15 games. Zsedenyi is also averaging 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while playing in 34.0 minutes a game. Her .365 (35-96) three-point field goal percentage is eighth in the A-10. She also ranks 10th in the league averaging 1.75 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 just 59.9 points per game this season to rank second in the conference and 63rd in the nation. Through 20 games, UMass opponents are shooting .416 from the field (seventh in the A-10) and committing 17.0 turnovers a game.
Tale Of Two Halves ... If college basketball was just a 20-minute game, the Minutewomen would be 11-9 this year instead of 5-15. Massachusetts has enjoyed a halftime lead in 11 of its 20 games this season, most recently an eight-point advantage vs. Xavier Jan. 23. 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. UMass led the Musketeers 40-26 with 8:16 left in the game only to see Xavier close out the contest on a 27-3 run. Xavier shot 19 percent in the first half and did not reach double-figures on the scoreboard until there was 2:43 left until halftime.
Nailing The Trifecta ... Massachusetts has quietly become one of the better three-point shooting teams in the Atlantic 10 this season. The Minutewomen currently rank 10th in the league with a .320 percentage from downtown, but were as high as third just two weeks ago. UMass is 73-for-228 from behind the arc this season. UMass has also done a solid job defending the perimeter shot as it is seventh in the league allowing its opponents to shoot .343 (110-for-321) from three-point land. Senior Judit Zsedenyi has a .365 (35-96) three-point field goal percentage which is eighth in the A-10. She also ranks 10th in the league averaging 1.75 three-point field goals a game.
Don't Want To Dominate On The Glass ... UMass seems to play better this year when not out-rebounding the opposition. When either tied on the glass or being out-rebounded this season, UMass is 3-6. They are just 2-9, however, when holding the edge on the glass. Dec. 30's win over UNC-Greensboro was the first time this season UMass out-rebounded its opponent and won.
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 314th in the nation shooting 58 percent at the free throw line. UMass has gone just 181-for-311 at the charity stripe while its opponents have converted on 226 of their 321 (.704) opportunities. It's' 63-57 loss at Rhode Island Jan. 16 can be attributed to one thing-free throw shooting. The Minutewomen shot better from the field (46 percent-37 percent), made three more field goals (22-19) and out-rebounded the Rams, 32-31, but still lost. The game saw 12 ties and seven different lead changes, but URI was 23-for-25 (92 percent) from the charity stripe, including 18-for-19 in the second half to give it the edge.
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 9.0 points per game. She is also averaging 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. The Brampton, Ontario, native has reached double-figures in scoring in 12 of her 20 career games.
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 month or so. The Detroit, Mich., native has averaged 10.8 points in her last four games, including a career-high 16 points against St. Bonaventure on Jan. 18. For the season, Massey is averaging 4.7 ppg and 1.5 rpg.
Lucky 20 For Number 24 ... Junior Edris Bailey has poured in at least 20 points on three occasions this season. Most recently, she broke our for 20 points in the Jan. 11 win over Dayton. Bailey is first on the team averaging 10.0 points, while also pulling down 5.3 rebounds per game. Her .483 shooting percentage leads the team and is 10th 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.
Fordham Recap ... Fordham University (11-8, 4-4) went on a 22-5 run over the first 8:30 of the second half en route to a 61-45 win over the University of Massachusetts (5-15, 1-8) Feb. 1 in Atlantic 10 women's basketball action at the Mullins Center. The Minutewomen, who were outscored, 36-22 in the second half, have now lost a season-high five games in a row. Fordham committed 16 first-half turnovers, but UMass struggled from the field and could not capitalize. The Minutewomen shot just 29 percent in the first half while Fordham shot 39 percent . The Rams held a slim 25-23 lead at halftime. In the second half, Fordham came out firing, going on a 10-3 run to start the half and take a 35-26 lead, following a three-point play by Patricia Williams. The Rams then outscored UMass, 12-4, over the next six minutes to take a 47-30 lead with 11:00 to go with Williams scoring six of those points. Fordham continued to pour on the offense as Mack hit back-to-back three-pointers as the Rams led by 21, 55-34 with 7:16 left. Senior Glamora Maeweather (Country Club Hills, Ill.) hit for five straight points for UMass to cut the Fordham lead to 59-43, but the Rams would hold on to win by 16. UMass, which shot 27 percent for the game, made more free throws (15) than field goals (14). Freshman Joyce Massey (Detroit, Mich.) was the only Minutewoman to reach double-figures. She had 14 points. Freshman Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) had nine points and six rebounds, while Maeweather and junior Edris Bailey (Mt. Hope, Trinidad & Tobago) had eight points and four steals apiece. Fordham out-rebounded UMass, 43-30, and shot 45 percent from the field for the game. Junior Monica Mack had a game-high 18 points to go with seven assists, while senior Patricia Williams recorded her second career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Seniors Lauren Fleischer and Beth Ann Dickinson each added 12 points as well for the Rams. This marked the first win for Fordham at the Mullins Center and just the second in 11 meetings in Amherst.
Marnie's Army Leader ... With an 8-1 start last year, Massachusetts Head Coach Marnie Dacko enjoyed the best start of any UMass coach in their first season at the helm, not to mention the second-best start of any UMass team in the program's history as the 1968-69 team, which started 9-0, did not have a coach. When the Minutewomen downed Sacred Heart, 74-48 on Nov. 22 2002, Dacko became the seventh head coach out of nine in the program's history to win their first game on the UMass bench. The 1978 Southern Connecticut State University graduate is currently 19-28 (.404) at UMass and 99-132 (.429) overall in nine-plus seasons as a head coach. She is now just one win shy of 100 in her career.
It's An International Thing ... This year's UMass roster certainly has an International feel to it. There are five players who are not from the US. 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. In addition, four of the five usual starters are not from the United States.
From Here ... UMass continues the road swing on Friday the 13th when it travels to the Bronx to face Fordham at 7:00 p.m. The Minutewomen then return home to host Saint Joseph's on Feb. 15 at 2:00 p.m. before hitting the road again for a two-game stretch at St. Bonaventure and Richmond on Feb. 19 and Feb. 22.