Dec. 3, 2007
AMHERST, Mass. -
The UMass women's basketball team (3-4) is back on the road for a Tuesday game at St. John's (5-1) at 7 p.m. The Minutewomen are coming off a victory against Hartford on Saturday that made them a perfect 3-0 at home. The Red Storm enters the game with a 5-1 record and have won three-straight.
This will be the first of three road games against Big East opponents UMass plays in the month of December. UMass is the only Atlantic 10 school on the Red Storm's schedule this season.
BROADCAST INFO
The game will be carried on WMUA 91.1 FM and on UMassAthletics.com with Zach Claudio and Mike Walsh calling the action. Live stats will be available via Gametracker at UMassAthletics.com, while streaming video will be on St. John's All-Access at RedStormSports.com.
LAST TIME OUT
UMass defeated Hartford, 72-60, on Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center to improve to 3-0 at home. The Hawks had received votes in last week's AP and coaches' polls.
Kate Mills registered her second-straight double-double with 18 points, a career-high 14 rebounds, and six blocks.
Pam Rosanio led all scorers with 22 points and added six rebounds with a game-high five assists.
The Minutewomen shot 50 percent (25-50) from the field while holding the Hawks to 33.3 percent (22-66).
Stefanie Gerardot and Kim Benton each made their first starts of the season and delivered with 11 and eight points, respectively.
Erica Beverly led Hartford with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 11th time the two teams have met in a series that dates back to 1977. St. John's leads the series, 7-3, but UMass has won the last two games.
The last time the two teams met was on Nov. 14, 1998, with the Minutewomen winning, 83-66, at the Mullins Center.
UMass won the first game of the series in 1977 before St. John's won the next seven match-ups followed by two UMass wins.
SCOUTING ST. JOHN'S
St. John's is 5-1 on the season and has won three-straight. After starting the season with wins against Army and N.C. State, the Red Storm lost its first game of the year at Vermont, 66-48, on Nov. 18. Since then, they have collected wins over Dartmouth, Monmouth, and most recently, Boston University.
St. John's is 5-1 on the season and has won three-straight. After starting the season with wins against Army and N.C. State, the Red Storm lost its first game of the year at Vermont, 66-48, on Nov. 18. Since then, they have collected wins over Dartmouth, Monmouth, and most recently, Boston University.
St. John's last game was a 76-69 win over recent UMass opponent Boston University on Saturday.
The Red Storm is 2-0 at home.
St. John's is led by 5-11 junior guard Moniques McLean, averaging 15.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. She shoots 40 percent from long-range and is joined in the backcourt by freshman Sky Lindsay, who is averaging 10.3 ppg. Kelly McManmon adds 9.0 ppg and shoots 44.4 percent from behind the arc.
Senior guard Kia Wright is coming back from an injury and has played in only three games but had her best performance of the season against BU with 13 points. She led the Big East last season with 5.5 assists per game and was second on the team in scoring at 14.0 ppg.
Kim Barnes Arico is in her sixth season coaching the Red Storm. She led the club to an NCAA appearance in 2005-06 and a 22-8 record that year. She was previously a head coach at Division II Adelphi for three seasons.
LAST ROAD GAME
UMass concluded its season-long four-game road trip on Nov. 28, falling to Boston University, 72-60, at Case Gymnasium.
The Terriers used a 16-2 run over the first 6:25 of the second half to turn an eight-point halftime lead into a 22-point lead. The Minutewomen were down by 23 with just over three minutes left, but finished the game on an 11-0 run over the final 3:11.
Kate Mills registered her 10th career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Stephanie Gerardot led UMass with 13 points, six of them coming at the free throw line. Alisha Tatham and Sakera Young added nine and eight points, respectively. Teya Wright hauled in 10 rebounds in 18 minutes of action.
BU's Jesyka Burkes-Wiley led all scorers with 20 points while Amarac Umez-Eronini added 18 and Cheri Raffo 16.
OVER THE HOLIDAY
The Minutewomen traveled south over the Thanksgiving weekend, playing at the East Carolina Lady Pirate Invitational in Greenville, N.C. On Friday, Nov. 23, UMass fell to the Jacksonville Dolphins, 72-68, in their first round match-up before losing, 66-51, to East Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 24.
Against Jacksonville, Kate Mills scored a team-high 22 points, despite being limited to only 25 minutes due to foul trouble. She shot 9-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-2 from three-point range. Pam Rosanio netted 20 points, shooting 6-of-9 and going a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line.
Against East Carolina, Kate Mills and Pam Rosanio scored 13 points each to lead UMass. Freshman forward Teya Wright grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals in 16 minutes of play. ECU used a 16-0 second half run over 5:55 to take control of what was a close game.
BACK IN THE CITY
Tuesday's game will be a homecoming of sorts for head coach Marnie Dacko. She was an assistant coach at St. John's from 1979-1984 under head coach Don Perrelli.
During her stay, St. John's had a 118-43 record, including four-straight postseason trips and two Big East titles.
Dacko also left her mark at St. John's by starting the softball program there and leading it for four seasons, including the 1982 NYSAIAW softball title.
PLAYING TEAM BASKETBALL
A good sign of team basketball is high assist numbers and UMass has certainly achieved that this year. The Minutewomen are first in the Atlantic 10 in assists with 16.7 per game.
In seven games this season junior point guard Sakera Young leads the way with 3.9 assists per game (27). Pam Rosanio is second with 20 assists, while Alisha Tatham and Kate Mills each have 17.
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 117 assists on 174 field goals (67%).
SHARP SHOOTERS
The Minutewomen boast the top field goal percentage in the Atlantic 10 thus far in 2007-08 with a .446 (174-390) mark.
Four of the top-13 field goal percentages in the A-10 are owned by Minutewomen. Alisha Tatham is second in the conference at .537 (22-41). Kate Mills and Pam Rosanio are tied for seventh in the conference with a .514 mark. Stefanie Gerardot is 13th at .489 (23-47). No other team has more than two in the top-15 (Dayton, Duquesne).
UMass shooters also have put up the conference's top two 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.
Pam Rosanio is tied with three 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).
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 (17.0 ppg), rebounding (6.7 rpg), blocks (19), and minutes (34.7 per game).
Mills recorded her second-straight double-double and 11th of her career vs. Hartford (12/1).
Mills scored 22 points vs. Jacksonville on Friday 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."
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 15.6 points per game and assists with 20. She is third in rebounding at 5.0 per gameand second in minutes with 30.7 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 3,083. 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."
SAKERA AT THE POINT
Point guard Sakera Young has 27 assists on the season and 3.86 per game ranks seventh in the A-10.
Young's assist to turnover ratio of 1.93 (27 assists, 14 turnovers) is the third-best in the A-10.
She set a career-high with eight assists vs. Jacksonville (11/23).
In the season-opening win vs. Vermont, Young sank two free throws with four seconds left to put UMass up three and help seal the victory for the Minutewomen.
"Sakera is growing by leaps and bounds," Coach Dacko said. "She is becoming more vocal and becoming a leader. She brings us speed and is explosive. Sakera is seeing the floor much better. Her timing has gotten much better and her decision-making has improved."
STARTING TO GET IT WRIGHT
Freshman forward Teya Wright continues to get more minutes coming off the bench for UMass.
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 25.5 minutes and 6.4 points per game in 2006-07, she is averaging 30.4 minutes and 8.6 points per game this season all while being a key figure on defense. She also leads the club in field goal percentage (.537).
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'S A DEEP THREAT
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 ten field goals from long range.
She's not only a shooter however, as she has 16 assists on the season.
She made her first start of the year vs. Hartford and scored eight points.
"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."
Benton got her career-high of 18 points on Feb. 11 against Rhode Island. She set a new UMass Mullins Center record with six three-pointers. The previous record was four by several players.
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 14 games this season, Tatham is averaging 15.4 ppg, 8.2 rpg, and 3.8 steals per game while shooting 51.3 percent. She is currently her team's second-leading scorer.
The Catz are 13-1 and tied for first 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 (1,122) sits just ahead of Rosanio (1,097) in career points.
The pair continue to climb up UMass' all-time scoring list. Mills is currently 13th and Rosanio sits 15th in career points.
Mills is just 10 points behind Kathy Coynbber for 12th on the career-scoring list. Coyner was a 5-6 guard that played 1997-01.
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: VS. MAINE
The Minutewomen are back at home on Saturday to take on the Maine Black Bears at noon at the Mullins Center.
The game will be carried on WMUA 91.1 FM and on live stats will be available on Gametracker at UMassAthletics.com. UMass All-Access will have live streaming video of the game as well.
