Dec. 21, 2007
AMHERST, Mass. -
MINUTEWOMEN HOST BUFFALO ON SATURDAY AT NOON
The UMass women's basketball team (5-6) returns to the friendly confines of the Mullins Center on Saturday to host the Buffalo Bulls (6-4) in a non-conference game at noon. UMass is coming off a 59-50 victory at Wagner on Saturday, Dec. 15. It was the Minutewomen's first road win of the season. The Bulls, members of the Mid-American Conference, are coming off a 71-67 loss at home to Jacksonville on Tuesday.
UMass is a perfect 4-0 at home this season and will be going for win No. 100 at the Mullins Center.
This will be UMass' only game against a Mid-American Conference opponent this year and the Minutewomen are the only Atlantic 10 foe Buffalo will face this season.
Atlantic 10 teams are currently 7-3 against MAC opponents this season.
BROADCAST INFO
The game will be carried on WMUA 91.1 FM and on UMassAthletics.com with Mike Walsh and Zach Claudio calling the action. Streaming video is available on UMass All-Access. Live stats will also be available via Gametracker at UMassAthletics.com.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the third time the Minutewomen and Bulls have met. The series is tied 1-1.
Buffalo won the inaugural game in the series, 63-53, on Jan. 23, 1992 in Buffalo. The teams then went 15 seasons until meeting again last season, on Dec. 12, 2006 in Buffalo, a 72-67 win in overtime for the Minutewomen.
In last season's meeting, Kate Mills led four UMass players in double-figures with 18 points. Kim Benton hit four 3-pointers on her way to 15 points while Tamara (14) and Alisha (11) Tatham combined for 25 points. The elder Tatham also added 11 rebounds to record a double-double. Buffalo was led by Rachelle Matthys (20 pts) and Stephanie Bennett (18 pts). The Minutewomen shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in overtime to outscore the Bulls, 11-6 in the extra period.
UMass Coach Marnie Dacko is 1-2 in her career versus Buffalo, with last season's win and two losses while coaching Cornell.
SCOUTING BUFFALO
The Bulls are currently 6-4 and had a three-game winning streak snapped by Jacksonville at home on Tuesday, 71-67. That loss was preceded by wins on the road over Niagara and Albany and at home versus Cleveland State.
Saturday's game versus UMass will be the fourth away game for Buffalo in a stretch of five out of seven games being on the road. The Bulls are 3-2 away from home this season.
UB has a very balanced scoring attack, led by 5-8 senior guard Stephanie Bennett at 13.1 points per game. She shoots 39.4 percent (28-71) from long-range, including a 6-for-8 performance behind the arc vs. Jacksonville on Tuesday on her way to 24 points. A pair of 6-0 forwards control the middle for UB. Senior Heather Turner averages 10.9 ppg and leads the team with 9.0 rpg, while junior Jamie Schiebner nets 9.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg. 5-4 sophomore guard Ashley Zuber scores 9.7 ppg, has hit 15 3's, and leads the team with 45 assists.
Linda Hill-MacDonald is in her third year coaching the Bulls and has a 26-41 record at the school. Overall she is 300-335 in a career that spans 22 years and head coaching stints at Temple (1980-90) and Minnesota (1990-97). She was also the head coach of the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers from 1997-99. Prior to UB, she was an assistant for five seasons at South Carolina.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Mullins Center has been extra good to the Minutewomen this season. They are a perfect 4-0 on their home court.
UMass averages over eight points per game more at home (71.0-62.6) while allowing almost 10 fewer (62.2-72.1). The Minutewomen also shoot much better in the familiar surroundings, 46.8% to 41.7%. The biggest difference has been behind the 3-point arc, where they shoot 39.2% at home as opposed to 26.1% on the road.
Last season UMass was 8-4 at home.
A victory Saturday would be No. 100 for the Minutewomen at the Mullins Center. They currently have a record of 99-58 (.631) at UMass' home court since their first game there on Jan. 2, 1994 vs. Vanderbilt.
LAST TIME OUT
Last Saturday, UMass picked up its first win on the road, 59-50, over Wagner. The Minutewomen used a 12-0 run in the middle of the first half to open up a 25-9 lead, but the Seahawks put together a run of their own to trim the lead to ten going into the half. Wagner cut the lead to as few as three in the second half, but the Minutewomen held strong and Kate Mills sank 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
UMass placed three player in double-fugures, led by Mills with 16. Pam Rosanio was right behind her with 15 points and Stefanie Gerardot added 14. Mills and Roasnio both just missed double-doubles with nine rebounds each. Rosanio dished out a game-high five assists while Mills led at the defensive end with four blocks and three steals.
Wagner was led by John'a Poole with 11 points and Ali Ridge grabbed eight boards.
UMass is now 4-1 all-time versus Wagner, while winning the last four.
MINUTEWOMEN FALL AT VILLANOVA
The Minutewomen fell on the road to Villanova, 75-51, on Tuesday night. The Wildcats, made 15 three-pointers, including 10 in the first half, while shooting 41.7% (15-36) from behind the arc.
Kate Mills poured in 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting to lead UMass. Pam Rosanio added nine points and Sakera Young scored eight second half points to go along with a team-high six rebounds.
It was the second-straight game that a point guard has led UMass on the boards. Kim Benton hauled in five versus Maine.
UMass out-rebounded Villanova, 34-29.
The loss dropped UMass to 0-6 away from the Mullins Center.
LAST TIME AT HOME
UMass defeated Maine, 74-55, on Dec. 8 at the Mullins Center. The Minutewomen improved to 4-0 at home with the win. They used a 9-0 run over the final 3:33 of the first half to break open a close game.
Pam Rosanio scored 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting and had six assists to lead UMass. Kate Mills added 16 points and Kim Benton hit three first half three-pointers on her way to 13 points. Benton also led the team in rebounds with five.
The Minutewomen had a season-high 24 assists on 27 field goals.
UMass scored 27 points off 26 Maine turnovers.
The Minutewomen dominated in the paint, outscoring the Black Bears, 34-18.
Tanna Ross led Maine with 20 points, including 6-for-8 shooting from three-point range.
MILLS CONTINUES TO CLIMB CAREER CHARTS
With 68 points over the last four games, Kate Mills leapt from 13th to ninth on the UMass all-time scoring list (1,180 pts). She surpassed Kathy Coyner, Keyburn McCusker, Tez Kraft, and Nekole Smith.
Mills is just six points behind Tamara Tatham (1,186) for eighth on the career-scoring list. Tatham, a 6-1 post-player out of Brampton, Ontario and older sister to Alisha, just graduated in 2007.
With six rebounds on Dec. 4 at St. John's, Kate Mills surpassed the 500-rebound mark for her career. She becomes the 13th player in UMass history to amass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in a career.
With four blocks on Dec. 15 at Wagner, Mills became just the second player in UMass history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 150 blocks in a career. Melissa Gurile had 1,679 points, 830 rebounds, and 182 blocks in a career that spanned 1992 to 1996.
PLAYING TEAM BASKETBALL
A good sign of team basketball is high assist numbers and UMass has certainly achieved that this year. The Minutewomen are third in the Atlantic 10 in assists with 16.1 per game.
The assists have been coming from a variety of sources. In 11 games this season, senior guard Pam Rosanio leads the team with 36. Junior point guard Sakera Young is right behind her with 35, while forwards Kate Mills and Alisha Tatham have 28 and 23, respectively. Sophomore point guard Kim Benton rounds out the five player averaging two or more a game with 22.
UMass had a season-high 24 assists on Dec. 8 vs. Maine with 24. They recorded an assist on 89% of their field goals that day (24-27).
The Minutewomen recorded an assist on 69 percent of their baskets last year.
So far this season they are on almost the same pace, with 177 assists on 267 field goals (66%).
SHARP SHOOTERS
The Minutewomen boast the top field goal percentage in the Atlantic 10 thus far in 2007-08 with a .436 (267-613) mark.
Two of the top-14 field goal percentages in the A-10 are owned by Minutewomen. Kate Mills is eighth in the conference at .516 (79-153) and Pam Rosanio is 14th at .488 (59-121). Only two other teams has two players in the top-14 (Dayton, Duquesne).
UMass shooters also have put up the conference's top-three shooting performances of the season thus far. Kate Mills' 9-for-11 shooting display in her 22-point game versus Jacksonville on Nov. 23 was the best percentage in a game this season (.818). Stefanie Gerardot shot 8-of-10 in UMass' home victory over Boston College on Nov. 14 on the way to her career-high 20 points. On Tuesday, Mills' 8-for-10 performance on the way to 18 points tied Gerardot's mark for second.
Pam Rosanio is tied with four players for the best performance from the free throw line in a game this season. She was a perfect 8-of-8 versus Jacksonville on Nov. 23 when she finished with 20 points.
UMass was one of the top shooting teams in the league last season. The Minutewomen finished second in the A-10 shooting 44 percent from the field and were just .005 points behind first-place Temple.
Kate Mills led the league in 2006-07, shooting .538 from the floor (193-of-359).
ROSANIO DOING IT ALL
Now in her senior season, Pam Rosanio continues to be a leader in the backcourt. The Southampton, Pa. native has finished in the top-three on the team in scoring in her first three seasons. She was also named Second Team All-Conference two of those years.
Rosanio is second on the team in scoring at 15.1 points per game and leads the club in assists with 36. She is second in rebounding at 4.9 per game and minutes with 31.6 per game.
In the game at East Carolina, Rosanio logged her 3,000th minute played for UMass. She is the 15th player in school history to reach that plateau and now sits in 12th all-time with 3,216. The last UMass player to eclipse that mark was Tamara Tatham last season (3,509/7th).
Rosanio scored a career-high 25 points versus Vermont on Nov. 9 to become the 17th player in UMass history to reach 1,000.
"When it comes to Pam, I look at her hustle. She's always the first one down the floor and the first one on the break," said Coach Dacko. "She's worked hard at her game, trying to get other opportunities and finding ways to score off the perimeter using screens. Pam's worked on playing effective defense and being able to create some shots for other people. I think she's really going to have an outstanding year."
MILLS LEADING THE WAY
So far in 2007-08, Kate Mills is picking up right where she left off last season, when she eclipsed 1,000 career-points in the season finale. This season she leads the team in scoring (16.1 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg), blocks (26), field goal percentage (.516), and minutes (33.5 per game).
Mills just missed her third double-double of the season with 16 points and nine rebounds at Wagner on Dec. 15.
She led UMass with 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting on Tuesday at Villanova.
Mills recorded her second-straight double-double and 11th of her career vs. Hartford (12/1).
Mills scored 22 points vs. Jacksonville on Dec. 23 while playing only 25 minutes due to foul trouble.
Mills tied her career-high with 28 points at Northeastern on Nov. 17 and was named Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week for that week, along with La Salle's Carlene Hightower.
"Kate has grown every year, grown into a leadership role, and grown into really making this her team," said Coach Dacko. "She has been our go-to player. Kate is probably the best perimeter shooter we have as well as the best percentage-wise. Our game is inside-outside, so Kate gets the ball every time down the floor and it's her decision to take it or dish it out. She is also a real stabilizing factor for us defensively."
GERARDOT STEPPING UP
Stefanie Gerardot has taken her game to a new level here in her junior year. Coming into this season she averaged 3.5 ppg and 13.1 minutes per game over her career. This season she is scoring at a 9.0 ppg clip and playing an average of 26.2 minutes per game.
Has started in the last five games and recorded 14 points at Wagner on Dec. 15.
Gerardot scored 11 points in Dec. 4's St. John's game to give her double-figures in three-straight games.
The Fort Wayne, Ind. native scored a career-high 20 points on 8-for10 shooting, including 4-for-6 from behind the arc, to lead UMass to a 69-66 win over Boston College (11/14).
STARTING TO GET IT WRIGHT
Freshman forward Teya Wright continues to get more minutes coming off the bench for UMass. She is third on the team in rebounding, at 4.3 per game, while playing just under 13 minutes per contest.
The Paterson, N.J. native recorded a career-high 10 rebounds in 18 minutes of action at Boston University on Nov. 28.
Against ECU, Wright grabbed seven boards and four steals.
She set career-highs in minutes (23), and points (11) on Nov. 17 at Northeastern.
"Teya is an outstanding athlete," Dacko said. "She is very gifted. She has a quick release when she's posting up and can get the ball into the bucket. She has a real nose for the basketball and fills the lane. Teya is strong in the post and is going to provide some defensive stability down low."
TATHAM ANSWERING THE CALL
Senior Alisha Tatham has been asked to take on a larger role this season and thus far has responded well. After averaging 17.2 minutes and 4.0 points per game in her first three seasons, she is averaging 28.5 minutes and 6.7 points per game this season all while being a key figure on defense.
Tatham has tied her career-high with 14 points in back-to-back games vs. Boston College (11/14) and Northeastern (11/17).
"Alisha is one of the hardest workers I've ever coached in my life," said Dacko. "She brings a great deal of leadership and is a tremendous student-athlete. She is in incredible shape after traveling all over with Canada Basketball this summer. She is very passionate about basketball, her teammates, and her school."
THE BULLDOG: DANGEROUS FROM LONG-RANGE
Kim Benton, aka The Bulldog, is one of UMass' top three-point specialists and is looking to build upon a successful freshman season. Benton nailed 50 three's last year, the third highest total in school history, and shot .350 from long range.
Benton leads the team again this season with 16 field goals from long-range.
She's not only a shooter however, as she has 22 assists on the season.
Benton has moved into the starting lineup in the last five games, scoring eight points vs. Hartford, three at St. John's, 13 vs. Maine, three at Villanova, and three at Wagner.
"Kim understands the leadership role from the point guard position," Coach Dacko said. "She is a great shooter, but she's not someone who we want to just take outside shots. She has worked on finding other ways to score and helping her teammates score. Defensively, Kim has got to be able to really control the top of the perimeter for us to be successful."
SUCCESS OVERSEAS
2007 UMass alum Tamara Tatham is finding success in her first season playing professionally in Europe. She is a starter for Catz Lappeenranta of the Finnish Basketball Association.
In 16 games this season, Tatham is averaging 14.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, and 3.8 steals per game while shooting 48.6 percent. She ranks 14th in the league in scoring and leads her club in assists with 33.
The Catz are 15-1 and tied for first-place in the nine-team league.
Tatham averaged 12.8 ppg and 9.0 rpg last season for the Minutewomen.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Pam Rosanio joined select company in Nov. 9's season-opening win versus Vermont. She became the 17th player in UMass history to reach the 1,000-point mark. She ended last season with 988 and poured in a career-high 25 in the 69-68 victory.
The last UMass player to reach the 1,000-point plateau was fellow-senior Kate Mills. She reached the mark just last season, in the finale versus St. Bonaventure. Now in their fourth season playing together, Mills (1,180) sits just ahead of Rosanio (1,154) in career points.
The pair continues to climb up UMass' all-time scoring list. Mills is currently 9th and Rosanio sits 11th in career points.
MILLS NAMED TO A-10 PRESEASON TEAM
Prior to the start of the 2007-08 season, senior forward Kate Mills was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Second Team as voted on by the league's coaches and media.
Mills, a Third-Team All-Conference selection at the conclusion of last season, was UMass' leading scorer averaging 16.1 points per game. She also led the club in field goal percentage (.538), free throw percentage (.819), and blocks (64). She finished second on the team in minutes (1004) and rebounds (6.9 per game). Her field goal percentage was also tops in the A-10, while her blocks total was good for second in the conference. In all, Mills finished in the top 15 in the conference in seven individual statistical categories. She recorded her 1000th career point, becoming the 16th player in school history to do so, on March 2 versus St. Bonaventure.
UMASS PICKED TO FINISH 7TH IN ATLANTIC 10 PRESEASON COACHES/MEDIA POLL
The Minutewomen were picked to finish seventh in the A-10 Coaches/Media Poll among the 14-team conference earlier this season. George Washington, the 2006-07 A-10 champ, was unanimously picked to repeat.
Xavier and Charlotte tied in votes for second. They finished third and fourth, respectively, last season. Temple was predicted to drop from second to fourth place while Saint Joseph's slipped from fifth to sixth. Richmond was picked to move up from a three-way tie with UMass and La Salle in 2006-07 to fifth this season.
NEXT GAME: AT PROVIDENCE
The Minutewomen return to action on Monday, Dec. 31 when they travel to Providence to take on the Friars in 4:30 p.m. New Year's Eve game at Alumni Hall. It will be UMass' third road game against a Big East school this season. The Minutewomen are 7-7 all-time against the Friars. UMass has won the last three meetings, most recently on Dec. 1, 2004.
The game will be carried on WMUA 91.1 FM and on UMassAthletics.com. Live stats will be available on Gametracker. 
