University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Richmond
Women's Basketball Falls To Richmond, 46-40
January 12, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2007
RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond (7-10, 1-1 A-10) used a 14-2 second-half run to defeat Massachusetts (10-7, 0-2) 46-40 in a very sloppy game Friday afternoon at the Robbins Center. Richmond's Johanna McKnight scored 10 of her game-high 17 points during the run. Turnovers were the story of the day as the two teams combined for 47, but Richmond was able to turn them into points and the Minutewomen were not. The Spiders turned 27 UMass turnovers into 23 points while UMass had just 13 points off 20 Richmond turnovers. Senior Tamara Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) led the Minutewomen with 13 points and nine rebounds while junior Kate Mills (Elkton, Md.) had 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. UMass shot 42 percent from the field.
After a very sluggish start where it committed six turnovers in the first 11 minutes, UMass began turn solid defense into points mid-way through the first half. Down by two points 12-10, the Minutewomen went on a quick 10-0 run in 3:09 to take a 20-12 lead with 7:32 left. UMass had a chance to lead by a lot more as the Spiders were held scoreless for 6:53, but the Minutewomen continued to turn the ball over at a high rate. By the 3:28 media timeout, UMass had racked up 12 turnovers and saw the Spiders climb back in the game. After six straight points off turnovers by Richmond, the Minutewomen's lead was cut to two points.
The Spiders tied the game at 20 to cap an 8-0 run, but a basket by UMass junior Alisha Tatham (Brampton, Ontario) with 19 seconds left in the half gave the Minutewomen a 22-20 lead at the break. The basket also snapped a 7:13 scoring drought by the Minutewomen. UMass shot 45 percent from the field in the first half, but committed 13 turnovers. Richmond shot 38 percent and had 11 turnovers.
Both teams continued to struggle offensively in the second half. A lay-up by junior Pam Rosanio (Southampton, Pa.) at the 15:56 mark was the team's first basket of the second half. Both teams were racing up and down the floor, but turning the ball over. They combined for seven turnovers and just two field goals in the first four minutes of the second half.
By the second media timeout, the Minutewomen had 23 turnovers and 26 points but were only trailing by a basket at 28-26.
Richmond then began to capitalize on UMass' miscues and was able to open up an eight-point lead, 36-28, with just over nine minutes left in regulation. It was a 14-2 Richmond run in 5:02 that enabled it to take the lead. 10 of the points were scored by Richmond's Johanna McKnight during the decisive run..
Two straight UMass baskets made it 37-34, but the Spiders made a couple big shots with the shot clock running down and clung to a 45-39 lead with 2:08 left.
A Tamara Tatham free throw made it 45-40, but UMass was unable to score for the rest of the game. The Spiders tried to help UMass out by missing two straight front ends of a 1-and-1, but the Minutewomen were unable to convert.
UMass finished the game with a 33-27 edge in rebounding and finished with nine steals. The Spiders had 13 steals and outscored UMass in the paint, 28-20.
Massachusetts closes out its six-game road trip Sunday at No. 12/14 George Washington. Tip-time from the Smith Center in our nation's capitol is set for 2:00 PM. The game will be broadcast on WMUA, 91.1 FM in Amherst, and online at www.umassathletics.com beginning at 1:45 PM. Live stats will also be available at www.umassathletics.com.
