Women Open UMass Hoops Doubleheader Vs. St. John's

Nov. 17, 2009

AMHERST, Mass. - Coming off an exciting overtime win over Boston University, the UMass women's basketball team will begin its stretch of three games in five days as the squad will play host to St. John's on Wednesday night in the Mullins Center, the first half of a women's-men's doubleheader, beginning at 5:30 p.m. The game will be carried on WMUA 91.1 FM and live stats will available via Gametracker at UMassAthletics.com. Streaming video of this and every home game throughout the season will be offered through UMass All-Access.

The Minutewomen Briefly

The 2009-10 Minutewomen are a balanced squad with two seniors, three juniors, three sophomores and three freshman. Sophomore Kristina Danella is the team's top returning scorer. She averaged 9.3 points per-game as a freshman in 2008-09 and is one of two returning starters along with senior Diatiema Hill (5.3 ppg, 2.9 apg in '08-'09). UMass was tabbed 11th in the A-10 preseason poll.

About The St. John's Red Storm

St. John's is coming off two straight WNIT bids and has appeared in postseason play four of the last five years. Last season, St. John's compiled a 19-15 overall record and was 4-12 in the BIG EAST (T-13th).

The Red Storm returns four starters and six letterwinners and features a five-person freshman class that was nationally rated in the top 15 by ESPN.com and Blue Star. Da'Shena Stevens was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team. She was the Red Storm's second-leading scorer in 2008-09, averaging 11.9 points, and she was the team's defensive leader, grabbing a team-high 6.6 rebounds per-contest while posting 35 blocks.

Head coach Kim Barnes Arico recorded her 200th-career victory as St. John's dominated in its season-opening game with an 89-52 win over Stony Brook this past Sunday.

Da'Shena Stevens, the reigning BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, picked up right where she left off last season, pouring in a game-high 22 points on 9-10 shooting and three steals. Shenneika Smith finished as the team's second-leading scorer with 17 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks in her first game with the Red Storm.

Kelly McManmon is only 23 treys away from breaking the St. John's career three-point record held by Monique McLean with 172. McManmon entered the record books last season after connecting on 91 treys to put her two-year total at 150. Her 91 threes last year were the second highest in a season for a Red Storm player.

Series History

In a series that began in 1977, UMass is 3-8 all-time against St. John's, but has won two of the last three meetings. The teams have played just once in the past 10 years, a 84-68 setback for the Minutewomen on the road on Dec. 4, 2007.

Last Time Against The Red Storm

UMass women's basketball suffered an 84-68 non-conference loss to St. John's on Dec. 4, 2007. Pam Rosanio led the Minutewomen with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Stefanie Gerardot had 11 points, while Sakera Young scored a career-high nine. Kate Mills chipped in with eight points and six rebounds for UMass. The Red Storm's Monique McLean led all scorers with 22 points and Lindsay Sky added 16.

The Minutewomen made their first five shots from the field, jumping them out to an 11-4 lead just under three minutes into the game. UMass widened the lead to 27-17 with 10:46 left in the half behind a 7-0 run, capped off by a Gerardot three-pointer. The tide would turn in St. John's favor for the rest of the half. The Red Storm outscored the Minutewomen, 34-11 over the final 10 minutes of the opening half sending the home team to the locker room ahead, 51-38.

UMass shot 48.4% (15-31), including 3-for-10 from three-point range, in the first 20 minutes, while the Red Storm shot 62.9% (22-35) and 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Rosanio and Gerardot led UMass with eight points each. Mills, Young, and Alisha Tatham added six points each. McLean led all scorers with 18 points for St John's with Lindsay adding 14.

The Red Storm used runs of 7-0 and 9-0 in the second half to extend its lead to 69-45 with 11:35 left. Teya Wright came off the bench to score six-straight points in a 1:21-span to cut into the lead. The closest UMass could get however, was 16 points, as the teams traded hoops the rest of the way.

For the game, UMass shot 38.5% (25-65) and St. John's shot 52.2% (35-67). The Minutewomen were 3-for-18 (16.7%) from behind the arc, while the Red Storm was 5-for-10 (50%). The battle on the glass was a draw at 38 rebounds a side.

Dacko Adds Kelly Robinson To Recruiting Class

Kelly Robinson, a 5-6 point guard from Queens Village, N.Y., has signed a National Letter of Intent with the UMass women's basketball program, head coach Marnie Dacko announced on Nov 17. Robinson, who will be a part of the Class of 2014, inked her letter to play for the Minutewomen during the November early signing period.

"Kelly Robinson is a jet-quick point guard with speed that is an asset on both ends of the court," said Dacko. "Kelly has great court vision and thrives on creating for her teammates. She also has the ability to generate offensive opportunities with her defensive pressure."

Robinson will come to UMass out of Francis Lewis High School, the same program as current Minutewomen senior guard Diatiema Hill, where she is coached by Stephan Tsai. A teammate of fellow Minutewoman signee Sara English, Robinson plays AAU ball with the NY Xplosion Elite under coach Dom Cecala.

After transferring to Francis Lewis from Archbishop Molloy last year, Robinson averaged 10.1 points and a PSAL `AA'-best 8.5 assists per-game as a junior. She led her squad to the PSAL Class AA quarterfinals where Francis Lewis fell to eventual champion Murry Bergraum. Robinson totaled 11 points and six assists in that contest.

This past April, Robinson was named the MVP at the Wheelchair Charities High School Basketball Classic and was also selected to the 2009 Rose Classic All-Tournament team.

Minutewomen Ink Sara English

UMass women's basketball head coach Marnie Dacko recently announced the signing of Sara English, who will join the Minutewomen next fall as a member of the Class of 2014. The 6-4 center inked a National Letter of Intent during the November early signing period.

"Sara English is a true post player," said Dacko. "She wants to play with her back to the basket and is a proficient scorer down low. At 6-4, Sara is an imposing presence; she presents a big target for our guards at the offensive end of the floor and will be an anchor for our defense."

English will come to UMass out of Smithtown West High School in Smithtown, N.Y., where she is coached by Nick Schroeder. She plays AAU for the NY Xplosion Elite under coach Dom Cecala.

English was named to the 2009-10 preseason All-Island team after ranking third in Suffolk County and in the top-10 for all of Long Island with 11.3 rebounds per-game last season as a junior.

Talen Watson Signs With Women's Basketball

A 5-8 combo guard, Talen Watson, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at UMass, Minutewomen head coach Marnie Dacko announced on Nov. 13. Watson, a native of Odenton, Md., inked a National Letter of Intent during the November early signing period, and will be a part of UMass' Class of 2014.

"Talen Watson will be an excellent addition to our backcourt," said Dacko. "She can handle the ball and create her own shot off the dribble. I was impressed with her defensive abilities, as well, as she is a very good on-the-ball defender and will enable us to extend our defense."

Watson attends Arundel Senior High School in Gambrills, Md., where she is coached by Lee Rodgers. She plays AAU ball for Team Unique under coach James Nichols.

As a junior, Watson had a breakout season, totaling a team-best 105 assists on the year. She helped lead the squad to the Class 4A state semifinals and a 22-5 record on the way to 2009 First Team All-Anne Arundel County

Sharp Shooters Beyond The Arc

It was a record-breaking year beyond the arc for women's basketball in 2008-09 as the squad shattered the program's all-time mark for three-point field goals with 195 (previous mark was 117 in 2002-03). For the first time in school history, three Minutewomen registered 40 or more three-pointers in a season. The 2009-10 returnees accounted for 141 of those 195 treys.

Dacko At Saint John's

UMass head coach Marnie Dacko was an assistant basketball coach under Don Perrelli at St. John's University from 1979-84. During her five seasons working at the Jamaica, N.Y., school, the squad recorded a 118-43 (.733) mark, including 102 victories during the last four years when the program made four straight postseason trips, three of which were to the AIAW or NCAA national tournaments.

With Dacko on the sidelines, St. John's won the BIG EAST Conference Tournament twice and set a school record with 27 victories in 1982-83 when it captured the league's first regular-season title.

Extra Minutes

UMass' 79-73 overtime victory against Boston University was the first overtime game for the Minutewomen since Jan. 9, 2007, at Rhode Island (71-69 Loss) and the first at the Mullins Center since Jan. 16, 2003, an 89-80 win over Temple.

Fab Five

UMass' starting five (Kristina Danella, Nicole Jones, Cerie Mosgrove, Kim Benton and Diatiema Hill) played a huge role in the win over Boston University on Nov. 15, combining for 73 of the team's 79 points and contributing 29 of 44 rebounds.

Four of the five (Danella, Jones, Benton and Hill) scored in double figures, while Mosgrove was just shy with seven points. UMass had four scorers in double figures four times in 2008-09 (New Hampshire, NJIT, Temple and La Salle) and posted a 4-0 record in those contests.

Reaching New Heights

Senior Kim Benton and sophomore Nicole Jones both posted career highs in UMass' season opener against Boston University.

Benton tied her career best with 18 points, originally set on Feb. 11, 2007, against Rhode Island and matched her career best in minutes played (39), first achieved on Dec. 17, 2006.

In her first collegiate start, Jones flirted with a double-double as she posted new highs in points (13) and rebounds (9). The center had four steals and three blocks as well in her 31 minutes on the floor.

New Faces

Three of UMass' four newcomers saw action in the season opener against Boston University on Nov. 18, Megan Zullo, Shakia Robinson and Jasmine Watson all played their first games in a Minutewoman uniform. Robinson contributed six rebounds and Watson had three blocks, in 16 and 15 minutes on the floor, respectively.

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics

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