University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Hoops Back In Action Sunday At Fordham
January 29, 2005 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2005
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Massachusetts Looks To Get Back On The Winning Track Sunday At Fordham
• Massachusetts (11-8 overall, 4-4 A-10) looks to get back on the winning track this afternoon at Fordham (5-15, 1-6).
• The Minutewomen are coming off of their worst offensive game in four years as they lost at St. Bonaventure, 49-35, Friday afternoon in Western New York.
• The 35 points were the fewest that a UMass team ha scored since a 46-35 loss at Rhode Island on Jan. 31, 2001. It also marked the fewest amount of points that St. Bonaventure has ever held an A-10 opponent to.
• Fordham picked up its first A-10 win last Thursday with a 56-53 win at Rhode Island.
• Despite the loss to the Bonnies, UMass is still in sole possession of first place in the A-10 East with a 4-4 record.
• These same two teams met Jan. 16 at the Mullins Center and UMass came out 65-54 winners. UMass used an 11-1 run late in the first half to key the win. Senior Brooke Campbell had four steals during the run which turned into eight points. She finished the night with a career-high seven steals as well as 16 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Pam Rosanio scored a then-career-high 19 points.
• UMass is looking for its first season sweep of the Rams since the 1999-2000 season.
• UMass holds a 16-8 lead in the series including the win earlier this month. The Minutewomen are 6-5 at Rose Hill Gym, but have lost three of the last four meetings.
Scouting Fordham
• Fordham comes into this afternoon's game with a 5-15 overall record and are 1-6 in the league which is good for sixth-place in the A-10 East. The Rams' win last Thursday against Rhode Island was their first against a Division I opponent since defeating Hofstra on Nov. 27. They had beaten D-II foe Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on Dec. 22.
• The Rams rank 11th in the league in scoring offense (52.5 ppg), sixth in scoring defense (60.6 ppg), 10th in field goal percentage (.369), 12th in three-point field goal percentage (.238), eighth in free throw percentage (.663), ninth in rebounding margin (-3.0) and ninth in turnover margin (-2.25).
• Jada Jefferson leads the team in scoring at 10.7 ppg. Monica Mack is second with 10.2 ppg, while Vanessa Silva is third at 9.9 ppg and first pulling down 7.0 rpg.
Stepping Up The D
• On Jan. 13, the Minutewomen held Saint Joseph's to 33 points in a 42-33 win. It marked the fewest amount of points that a UMass team has held its opponent to since beating Hartford, 65-33, on Nov. 25, 1997.
• It marked the second game this season that the Minutewomen have held a team under 40 points. UMass defeated Providence, 53-39, on Dec. 1, 2004.
• The Minutewomen currently rank second in the Atlantic 10 and 26th in the country allowing a mere 54.6 ppg.
• The Minutewomen have held each of their opponents this season to 67 or less points. • In addition, all of its opponents have been held below their season averages.
• The Minutewomen are also tied for first in the league and 23rd nationally in field goal percentage defense holding their opponents to a .355 (374-1053) clip from the field.
• UMass held three straight opponents to under 30 percent from the field. Toledo shot .299 from the field on Dec. 6, while Hofstra was .286 from the field on Dec. 9. UMass then held Siena to 24 percent shooting from the field on Dec. 12.
• UMass turned in its best defensive effort of the season in a 42-33 Jan. 13 win at Saint Joseph's. The Hawks shot just 22 percent from the field for the game, including a 19 percent rate in the second half.
• Only five of the Minutewomen's 18 opponents this season have shot better than 39 percent from the field. Boston College shot 46 percent on Nov. 27. Elon connected at 45 percent on Dec. 30. Temple shot 49 percent from the field on Jan. 4, Duquesne shot 42 percent on Jan. 21 and most recently Saint Joseph's shot 42 percent on Jan. 24.
Second Half D
• The Minutewomen have been especially tough defensively in the second half and that has been a major part of its wins.
• In its 11 wins, Massachusetts is holding its opponents to a 29 percent (93-318) clip from the field in the second half. They are shooting 41 percent (107-262) in the first halves of those games.
Dramatic Change 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 5-4 on the road. Three of its four losses (Maryland, Temple, George Washington) have come to teams at least receiving votes in both polls at the time of the game.
• The Minutewomen had their four-game road winning streak snapped Dec. 29 by #17/17 Maryland. They then suffered a 59-43 set-back to Temple on Jan. 5. The Owls were receiving votes in both polls at the time.
• The last four-game winning streak on the road came during a five-game run in the 1997-98 season. The Minutewomen defeated five straight A-10 foes that year (Temple, La Salle, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's and St. Bonaventure).
• This was also the first time that the Minutewomen started off the season winning its first four road games since 1979-80.
• The previous time a UMass team won just two straight road games to start a season was in 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.
108 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, while at UMass. 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 31-44 (.413) overall in two-plus seasons since coming to UMass from Cornell. She is 111-148 (.429) overall when you factor in her seven seasons with the Big Red.
Dishing It Out In Style
• As a team, Massachusetts had 28 assists in the Dec. 6 win against Toledo to set a new school record. This surpassed the previous mark of 27 set on Feb. 24, 1986, against Temple.
• The 28 assists by the Minutewomen were also the most by an Atlantic 10 team since Saint Joseph's had 28 against St. Bonaventure on Jan. 13, 2002.
• Point guard Katie Nelson led the way with seven helpers, just one off her career-high.
• As a team, the Minutewomen are tied for sixth in the league averaging 13.37 assists a game.
• Nelson also ranks fifth in the league handing out 3.89 helpers a game.
• Nelson tied her career-high by dishing out eight assists Jan. 21 against Duquesne.
Starters Are Solid From The Field
• In the Minutewomen's 76-56 win over Toledo on Dec. 6, the five starters combined for 54 points. More impressively, however, the quintet shot a combined 25-of-34 (74 percent) from the field.
• Brooke Campbell was 5-for-11 (11 points), Tamara Tatham was 6-for-8 (13 points), Patrycja Gulak was 6-for-6 (12 points), Katie Nelson was 2-for-4 (five points) and Pam Rosanio was 6-for-9 (13 points).
• All told, the Minutewomen made 35 field goals against the Rockets. That tied a Mullins Center record. The only other time it has happened in the Mullins Center was against Fordham on Jan. 31, 1999.
• Those same five then scored 56 of the squad's 65 points in the Jan. 16 win over Fordham. The quintet were 19-for-38 (.500) from the field. Rosanio and Campbell were each 6-for-9 from the field.
Five For Fighting
• In the 64-57 win at Hofstra on Dec. 9, those same five starters all scored in double figures. That was the first time that the five Massachusetts starters all scored at least 10 points since March 2, 2002. The Minutewomen defeated Duquesne, 77-68, on Senior Day at the Mullins Center.
• Freshman Pam Rosanio led the way against the Pride with 13 points. Senior Brooke Campbell and redshirt junior Katie Nelson each had 12 points. Redshirt junior Patrycja Gulak finished with 11 points, while sophomore Tamara Tatham tallied 10.
Near Perfect December
• With the Minutewomen's 59-49 win Dec. 12 at Siena, it marked the first time in two years that they had won five games in a row.
• UMass' last five-game winning streak was part of a six-game run from Dec. 1-Dec. 14, 2002. The Minutewomen knocked off Toledo, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Villanova and Northeastern during that stretch.
• The Minutewomen concluded the month of December with a 6-1 record.
Dacko Likes December
• Massachusetts just defeated Elon, 57-50, to finish the month of December 6-1.
• In three seasons at the helm of Massachusetts, head coach Marnie Dacko is 15-6 in the month of December. Just seven of those 21 games have come at home and the Minutewomen won each of those contests.
Big Night For the Freshman
• Freshman Pam Rosanio has broken out lately and is averaging 13.5 points in her last four games.
• The Southampton, Pa., native set a career-high with 24 points Jan. 24 against Saint Joseph's. This came just eight days after scoring a then-career-high 19 points against Fordham on Jan. 16.
• In just her third career game Nov. 23 at Holy Cross, Rosanio showed UMass what may be in store for the next four years. After UMass had blown an eight-point lead with under five minutes left, Rosanio hit a shot with seven seconds remaining in regulation to give UMass its first win of the season.
• The basket by Rosanio capped a then-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 10.8 ppg and has tallied double figures in 12 of the Minutewomen's 19 games.
• Rosanio is a two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week selection.
Bombs Away From Three
• UMass is on pace to match or break the school record for three-point field goals attempted in a season. The Minutewomen have taken 271 trifectas this year, an average of 14.3 per game. If they were to continue this pace, they would take more than 400 three-pointers during the regular season.
• The school record for three-pointers taken in a season is 413 in 2002-03.
• Katie Nelson leads the way with 119 three-pointers attempted this year. She has now taken 415 in her career which ranks third in school history.
• Nelson is also tied for eighth in the A-10 making 1.79 three-pointers a game.
Top Youngsters
• Freshman Pam Rosanio's 10.8 ppg tally not only leads the team, but it is the second-highest average of any freshman in the league. Safi Mojidi of Rhode Island leads the way with 12.8 ppg. Erica Pollock of Saint Joseph's is third pouring in 9.7 ppg.
Solid Off The Bench
•Freshman Kate Mills broke out for a career-high 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field at Temple, Jan. 5. Mills also grabbed four rebounds against the Owls and had a career-high three steals. She played 30 minutes, 17 more than her previous high.
• She was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on Jan. 9 for her efforts. Mills averaged 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in UMass' first week of league play.
• For the season, Mills is averaging 4.2 ppg and 2.8 rpg. She is averaging 13.1 minutes a game and has seen action in every contest thus far.
• Mills has become one of the top shot blockers in the league. She now has 11 in the past 17 games and is second on the team with 12.
• Her 12 blocks this year are the third-most for a freshman in the league and 13th-most overall.
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 rebounds 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 415 attempts and 125 three-point field goals made. Nelson also ranks 10th with a .301 percentage from behind the arc.
• Nelson also earned All-Tournament honors at the Terrapin Classic, Dec. 29-30. She averaged 11.0 ppg and 3,5 apg.
• Nelson is third on the team this year averaging 7.5 ppg and has a team-high 74 assists (3.89 apg).
• Nelson's 241 career assists place her 11th all-time on the school's all-time career chart.
Up And Down At The Line
• Sophomore Tamara Tatham has certainly had a roller coaster ride at the free throw line during a three-game stretch earlier.
• Tatham began the period by going 6-for-6 at the charity stripe against 20th-ranked Boston College on Nov. 27. She then came back the next game and went just 2-for-10 from the free throw line in a win at Providence Dec. 1.
• Tatham had just two freebies Dec. 4 against Syracuse, but they could not have come at a bigger time. The Brampton, Ontario, native had a one-and-one opportunity with just 11 seconds left in regulation and the game tied at 50.
• She calmly drilled the first one to put the Minutewomen up a point. Following a Syracuse timeout, she nailed the second one which turned out to be the game-winner and the Minutewomen got the W.
80 Percent Is Better
• Massachusetts came into the Dec. 12 game at Siena shooting 46 percent from the free throw line. That ranked last in the league and 320th in the nation out of 324 teams.
• UMass might have single-handedly won the game against the Saints because of its shooting from the charity stripe. The Minutewomen were 20-for-25 (.800) from the line against Siena, including 13-for-15 (.867) in the second half.
• Including that game, Massachusetts has fared much better from the line. In the past 11 games, the Minutewomen are shooting 64 percent (116-180) at the charity stripe.
• For the season, Massachusetts is now shooting 58 percent (169-294) from the free throw line.
Double-Double Campbell
• For the first time in her career, senior Brooke Campbell posted three consecutive double-double performances.
• The Baltimore, Md., native had 16 points and 10 rebounds against Syracuse on Dec. 4. She followed that up with an 11-point, 13-board game against Toledo on Dec. 6 and then 12 points and 14 rebounds against Hofstra on Dec. 9.
• For her efforts, Campbell earned co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors on Dec. 12. Campbell averaged 11.5 points and 13.5 rebounds against Toledo and Hofstra.
• Campbell then posted another double with 10 points and 10 rebounds against La Salle Jan. 7. Her four double-doubles are tied for the sixth-most in the A-10 this season.
• She was also named the Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week on Dec. 13. It marked the third straight week that a women's basketball player earned that feat.
• Campbell had her best all-around game of the season Jan. 16 against Fordham. She had 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field to go along with eight rebounds and a career-high seven steals.
• For the season, Campbell is averaging 7.4 points per game and is fourth in the league pulling down 8.6 boards a game.
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 Yrs)
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 USC 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 six road games in two years, the Maroon & White have won 20 of the last 32 games on its home floor including nine of the past 11 non-conference tilts.
• In the annual "Rage In The Cage" contest, the Minutewomen are 3-0. That started in the 2002-03 season and one game a year is played in the historic Curry Hicks Cage. Massachusetts has defeated Villanova, Vermont and Syracuse there.
Grabbing Those Boards
• Massachusetts has used a balanced effort on the glass to rank second in the A-10 in rebounding with 40.3 boards a game. The Minutewomen's +4.6 rebounding margin is also third in the league and 60th in the nation.
• UMass has held the edge on the glass in 14 of its 19 games thus far. Six players are currently averaging at least 3.0 rebounds a game led by Brooke Campbell who has pulled down 8.6 boards a game.
• Campbell is fourth in the league on the glass and has tallied seven double-digit rebounding games this year.
They're Thieves
• UMass has quietly started racking up the steals and has the third-most in the league. The Minutewomen have 186 thefts, an average of 9.79 a game.
• Two UMass players are among the leaders. Brooke Campbell has 2.26 spg which is sixth in the league, while Tamara Tatham is 10th with 2.00 spg.
• Campbell had a career-high seven steals Jan. 16 against Fordham, while Tatham had a career-high six thefts Dec. 30 against Elon.
Block Party
• Redshirt junior center Patrycja Gulak is third in the league with 1.33 blocks per game. She has swatted 24 shots thus far.
• The Poland native swatted a career-high three shots vs. USC, Hofstra and La Salle.
• Edris Bailey turned in a career-high, four-block performance against Syracuse, Dec. 4, while Kate Mills established a career-high three blocked shots against Toledo on Dec. 6 and Siena on Dec. 12.
• As a team, Massachusetts has 69 (3.63 bpg) blocks which is fourth in the league.
• The Minutewomen had nine blocked shots against Toledo on Dec. 6 at the Mullins Center. It was the most blocks by a UMass team since it had 12 against Rhode Island on March 3, 1988.
• The nine swats set a new Mullins Center woman's record.
No Sophomore Jinx
• Through 19 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 (8.7 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg) this season.
• Tatham tallied her second career double-double Dec. 12 at Siena with a career-high 21 points. She also tied a career-high with 11 rebounds against the Saints.