Nov. 26, 2010
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Game Notes 
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GREENVILLE, N.C. -
The UMass women's basketball team will wrap up its stretch of five straight road games this weekend as the squad will play a pair at the East Carolina Thanksgiving Tournament in Greenville, N.C. To open up the tournament, the Minutewomen will face No. 23 Maryland on Saturday, Nov. 27, followed by a game against the host Pirates at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 28.
Scouting Maryland
Maryland, who will play East Carolina on Friday, enters the tournament ranked No. 23 in the AP poll with a record of 3-1. The Terrapins have won their past two games, against Towson (72-47) and American (78-52), while their lone loss came at Georgetown (53-45) after opening the season with a 73-40 victory over Monmouth.
The Terps returned nine letterwinners from last season for 2010-11, including four starters, though Freshman Alyssa Thomas leads the team in scoring with an average of 10.8 points per-game. Junior Lynette Kizer follows with a 10.5 points per-game average and boasts a squad-best 8.8 rebounds per-game. Freshman Alicia DeVaughn has pulled down 7.5 boards, while Thomas is averaging 7.0 per-contest.
UMass has faced Maryland just once in program history, narrowly falling to the Terps, 67-63 in College Park, Md., on Dec. 29, 2004.
Last Time Against Maryland
The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team (6-4) cut a 15-point deficit to three in the final six minutes, but came up just short, 67-63, to 17th-ranked Maryland (9-1) on Dec, 29, 2004 at Comcast Center in the Terrapin Classic. Senior Brooke Campbell led the Minutewomen with 12 points and eight rebounds. Redshirt junior Katie Nelson added 11 points and five assists while freshman Pam Rosanio and sophomore Tamara Tatham added 10 points apiece.
The Minutewomen trailed by 15 points, 63-48, with 5:55 remaining in regulation before going on a 12-0 run in the next 3:54 to cut the deficit to just three. Redshirt junior Patrycja Gulak started the run by hitting a shot to make it a 13-point game. She then had a steal on the other end and got the fast-break basket courtesy of an outlet pass by Nelson. Nelson then set up freshman Kate Mills for another lay-up after a defensive stop to get the game back into single-digits. Mills was fouled as well but missed the freebie.
After another steal on the next Maryland possession, Nelson drained a three-pointer to cut the Terrapin lead to six at the 4:18 mark and force Maryland to use a timeout. After the timeout, Maryland came up empty again on the offensive end and the Minutewomen started back the other way. Rosanio drove to the basket and got fouled. She made one of two at the line to cut the Maryland lead to five. Neither team scored for the next 2:03, but it was a jumper by Mills from just inside the three-point line at the 1:43 mark which cut the lead to three. It was as close as UMass had been since the 9:53 mark of the first half. On the next Maryland possession, Shay Doran missed a three-pointer and UMass came down the floor on a 4-on-2. Nelson came down the center of the floor and found a wide open Gulak on the left wing. Her three-pointer missed which would have tied the game and the Terps came back down the floor. They had thee chances to score after getting two offensive rebounds, but could not end the drought. Cyrstal Langhorne got fouled by Mills at the 1:16 mark and went to the line for a one-and-one. She missed the front end, but teammate Ashleigh Newman grabbed the rebound. The tough UMass defense forced a bad pass out of bounds and the Minutewomen had another chance to cut the lead to one or tie it.
Rosanio missed a shot, but Campbell grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled on the floor. She went to the line for a one-and-one, but missed it. With less than 30 seconds on the clock, the Minutewomen were forced to foul. Nelson fouled Anesia Smith with 27 seconds left at center court, but the official called an intentional foul. Smith made one of the free throws, but the Terrapins got the ball back. Doran was then fouled with 23 seconds left and made two free throw shots to give Maryland a six-point lead again. The Minutewomen would not go away quietly as Nelson drained her third three-pointer of the half with nine seconds left. UMass then fouled Doran with six seconds left. She made one of two to seal the game and Maryland escaped with the win despite not making a field goal for the last 5:55 of the game.
Maryland was able to build up a 14-point halftime lead thanks to a 19-4 run midway through the half. The Terrapins out-rebounded the Minutewomen 25-13, in the first half and had 11 second-chance points. UMass shot 51 percent for the game, including 59 percent in the second half. Maryland came into the game leading the ACC shooting just under 50 percent from the field, but was held to 39 percent. The Terrapins went 17-for-30 from the free throw line, while UMass had just eight chances. It converted on three of those trips. The Terrapins held a 40-34 edge on the glass and had 15 turnovers. UMass committed 21 turnovers, but just eight in the second half.
Scouting East Carolina
East Carolina is off to a 2-2 start entering the tournament this weekend, posting wins over Western Carolina (80-76) and Virginia Union (101-41), while suffering losses to American (72-68) and UNC Wilmington (84-73).
The Pirates brought back nearly their entire roster from the 2009-2010 campaign, a squad that made an appearance in the WNIT. ECU lost just two letterwinners heading into this season, both reserves.
The Pirates are under the direction of first-year head coach Heather Macy, a 2000 graduate of Greensboro College. Since her graduation, Macy has been an assistant coach at Catawba College, Lenoir-Rhyne College, High Point University, and UMBC. Her head coaching experience was at Pfeiffer University and Francis Marion University.
Kim Gay leads ECU with 12.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per-game. Ashley Clarke follows with 12.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per-contest. Clakre also has a team-best 18 assists and 14 steals to her credit.
UMass has faced East Carolina twice in program history and is 0-2 all time against the Pirates. The teams last met when the Minutewomen played in the 2007 ECU Thanksgiving Tournament. The Pirates came away with a 66-51 victory in that meeting.
Last Time Against East Carolina
The UMass women's basketball team (2-3) closed out play at the Lady Pirate Invitational with a loss to host East Carolina (2-4), 66-51, on Nov. 24, 2007 at Williams Arena. Kate Mills and Pam Rosanio led the Minutewomen with 13 points each. Teya Wright grabbed seven rebounds to lead UMass on the boards while Sakera Young dished out seven assists. Jasmine Young led all scorers with 18 points and had 10 assists.
UMass shot 36 percent (18-50) for the game and 29.4 percent (5-17) from three-point range. ECU was 41.7 (25-60) overall and 50 percent (6-12) from long-range. The Pirates held a 40-30 edge on the boards.
The first half was a defensive struggle as both teams' shooters struggled. The Minutewomen shot 27.6 percent (8-29) from the floor while the Pirates shot 34.5 percent (10-29). ECU used an 18-5 run over the final 8:53 of the first half to erase a 14-8 UMass lead and take a 25-19 edge at halftime.
Kim Benton led UMass in the first half with six points coming in the form of two three-point baskets. Mills added five, while no UMass player had more than two field goals in the opening 20 minutes. Wright came off the bench to contribute five rebounds and three steals. Young paced the Pirates with seven first half points.
UMass was able to tie the game, 37-37, with 13:23 left on a Mills lay-up, but the Pirates would put together a 16-0 run over 5:55, giving them a 56-39 lead. The Minutewomen put together a 7-0 run, led by five points by Rosanio, to cut the lead to 10 with 5:27 remaining, but ECU outscored UMass, 10-5, down the stretch to pull off the 66-51 victory.
Mills led the way in the second half for the Minutewomen with eight points and two blocks. Young scored 11 in final period for ECU as the Pirates shot 5-6 from three-point range and outrebounded UMass, 19-11, in the half.
Reaching New Heights
Returning players Shakia Robinson and Emilie Teuscher both made their first career starts in the season opener against George Mason. Robinson set new career highs in points (12), rebounds (8) and steals (5), scoring in double figures for the first time. Teuscher matched a career high with nine points and grabbed a career-best four rebounds. It also was a first for Robinson leading the team in scoring and rebounding. She improved upon her career high in rebounds just three games later, hauling in 11 boards at Seton Hall.
Sophomore Dee Montgomery registered career highs in rebounds (6) and steals (3) vs. the Patriots.
Three players set career highs in minutes played at Seton Hall, Robinson and Teuscher with 36 and senior Stephanie Lawrence with 28.
True Minute Women
Seniors Cerie Mosgrove and Megan Zullo have been fixtures on the floor for UMass this season. Zullo has played all but three minutes of the first four contests, for a an average of 39.2 minutes per-game. Mosgrove has seen 132 minutes on the court, an average of 33.0 per-contest.
Zullo, who currently leads the Minutewomen in scoring with 11.0 points per-game, boosted her average with a career-best 25 points against Seton Hall. She enters the weekend perfect at the free throw line (7-for-7) and has handed out a team-best 19 assists. Mosgrove is also averaging in double figures with 10.0 points per-game and totaled a team-high 17 points against George Mason, two shy of her career high. She has corralled five rebounds per-game, as well.
Mosgrove's 17-point performance against the Patriots marked the senior's 10th career game in double figures, the first since Nov. 20, 2009 when she logged 12 points at New Hampshire, her only double-digit scoring performance of the season in 2009-10. Mosgrove followed up with her 11th career game with 10+ points, netting 11 at Providence on Nov. 14.
Rookies Doing Their Part
Freshmen Talen Watson and Kelly Robinson have each started two games this season. Watson began her career by scoring six points against George Mason. Another freshman, Sara English, came off the bench in that contest to make her first appearance in a UMass uniform.
In game two at Providence, Watson, English and Robinson, joined by classmate Abbey Lalime, combined for half of the team's point total. Led by Watson's team-best 11 points, the group registered 24 points against the Friars. Lalime had six points in her collegiate debut.
English managed seven points in six minutes against LSU before sustaining a cut to the face that forced her to leave the game.
Talen's Treys
Freshmen Talen Watson has been automatic from beyond the arc thus far in her young career, sinking all six three-pointers she has attempted. Watson is shooting 8-for-16 (.500) overall and is a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
What A Difference A Year Makes
Sophomore Shakia Robinson is nine shy of passing her freshman year playing total of 139 minutes She has equalled her 2009-10 rebounds total (27) and has nearly doubled her points total from a year ago (has 31 points in four games, had 18 in 21 games last season).
Junior Emilie Teuscher has posted new career highs for a season in virtually every statistical category, while 110 of her 240 career minutes have been played this season. Teuscher has 28 points in four games, not only surpassing her 2009-10 total of 21, but nearly equalling her career total of 34 entering this season. She currently has 13 rebounds after grabbing a total of 11 through her first two campaigns with the Minutewomen.
Zullo Sets Mullins Assist Record
Senior Megan Zullo recorded a remarkable 13 assists on 21 UMass baskets (19 possible assist opportunities since two field goals in the contest were her own), setting a new women's Mullins Center record for a single game on Nov. 12 vs. George Mason. Her previous career high was seven against Fordham on Feb. 6, 2010.
The total is second all-time in program history for a single game, trailing only her aunt, the late Christel Zullo, who dished 15 assists against Temple on Feb. 14, 1986.
The previous Mullins Center record was last set by Diatiema Hill during the 2009-10 season with 11 assists on Senior Day vs. Saint Joseph's.
UMass Women's Basketball Radio Show On WMUA
Throughout the 2010-11 season, catch up on what's going on with the Minutewomen as WMUA broadcasters John Windheim and Matt Lopes talk with head coach Sharon Dawley and other special guests from the UMass women's basketball team on the UMass Women's Basketball Coach's Show, Mondays from 5 to 5:30 p.m. on WMUA 91.1 FM and www.wmua.org.
Upcoming dates include: 12/6, 12/13 and 12/20.
A New Era
Sharon Dawley, the former women's basketball coach at the University of Vermont, was named as the 10th head coach in progam history on April 6, 2010. Dawley joins Minutewomen after a highly successful tenure with the Catamounts that included two consecutive America East titles (2008-09 and 2009-10) and three straight postseason berths.
In seven seasons at Vermont, Dawley posted a mark of 128-86 (.598) and holds a career record of 265-152 (.635) in her 17th season as a head coach. She became the winningest coach in Vermont women's basketball history when the Catamounts upset No. 7-seed Wisconsin in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on March, 21, 2010, the program's first NCAA tournament victory.
A Native of Revere, Mass., Dawley was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in October of 2009.
The Supporting Cast
Joining head coach Sharon Dawley on the sidelines are Steve Lanpher, Jen MacAulay, Morgan Valley and Alison Brown.
Both Lanpher and MacAulay came to UMass from Vermont along with Dawley, while Brown was one of Dawley's former players at UVM. Lanpher's backgound includes 10 years of head coaching experience and nearly 20 seasons overall.
Valley is a native of Vermont, but joins Dawley's staff from Towson. She was a member of three NCAA national championship teams at the University of Connecticut and won two BIG EAST titles while playing for the Huskies from 2000-04. She helped the squad to a four-year record of 139-8.
From Near And Far
UMass' 13-player roster is comprised of individuals from 11 different states and provinces. Senior Cerie Mosgrove is the lone representative from the state of Massachusetts, hailing from Needham.
Megan Zullo and Millie Niggeling are the first Minutewomen in program history from their respective home states of North Carolina and Iowa.
New Faces
The Minutewomen have welcomed six new players to the fold this fall: freshman guards Abbey Lalime, Kelly Robinson and Talen Watson, freshmen centers Sara English and Millie Niggeling and sophomore guard Carolann Cloutier.
Among the high school accomplishments of this group, Talen Watson helped Arundel High School to a state title, Lalime was tabbed the Vermont Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year and Niggeling won two state championships at Bishop Heelan High School.
Cloutier, a transfer from Old Dominion, played with Team Canada at the World University games before college. Both Cloutier and Niggeling with redshirt the 2010-11, season, Cloutier's is per-NCAA transfer rules.
Three Party
The 2010-11 UMass roster contains three of the best three-point shooters in program history as seniors Stephanie Lawrence, Cerie Mosgrove and Megan Zullo all have etched their names into the UMass record book in various three-point shooting categories.
Lawrence sunk 20 of 52 shots from beyond the arc in 2009-10, for a .385 shooting percentage. Her single season mark from a year ago stands eighth all-time.
Mosgrove has 98 career treys, good for seventh all-time. She also ranks seventh in career three-point attempts (296) and ninth in career three-point percentage (.331). Mosgrove registered 51 threes as a sophmomore in 2008-09, fifth-most all-time for a single season.
Zullo was the UMass leader with 54 three-pointers last season, shooting 54-for-150 (.360) from beyond the arc. Her percentage (.357) ranks fifth all-time for a career, while her single season total for threes made stands third. Against Quinnipiac on Dec. 6, 2009, Zullo made six treys for a career high.
Youth-Full Roster
Nine of the 13 players on the Minutewomen roster are either freshmen or sophomores, accounting for nearly 70% of the team.
Senior Cerie Mosgrove is the squad's most tenured player with 87 career games played and 27 starts. She is the lone member of the team with over 1,000 minutes played. She is the program's active leading scorer with 390 points.
Just four players on the UMass roster had seen time in the starting lineup prior to the 2010-11 season. Megan Zullo and Jasmine Watson, the team's two returning starters, both played their first campaigns with the Minutewomen last season.
Center Of Attention
Sophomore Jasmine Watson, UMass' top returning scorer, was named to the preseason Atlantic 10 third team last month.
The league's reigning Rookie of the Year, Watson played in all 30 games in 2009-10, starting the final 16. She finished second on the squad in scoring last season with 307 points, an average of 10.2 per-game, and brought down a team-best 176 rebounds (5.9 per-game). She also registered 38 blocks for an average of 1.3 per-game.
Watson, who was named A-10 Rookie of the Week a school-record four times, finished her rookie campaign as the leading freshman scorer in the Atlantic 10. In conference play, Watson averaged a team-best 13.0 points per-game to rank 10th in the conference.
The center scored in double figures 16 times in 2009-10 and had two 20-point games and two double-doubles, including a season-high 21 points against Fordham on Feb. 6. She was the team's leading scorer on six occasions and the leading rebounder 11 times.
Watson is just the third player in program history to log 300+ points and 150+ rebounds as a freshman. She joins Melissa Gurile and Octavia Thomas in that elite group. Both Gurile and Thomas finished their UMass careers with 1,500+ points and 800+ rebounds.
Challenging Road Ahead
The Minutewomen's 2010-11 schedule features tough competition from the ACC, America East, BIG EAST, Colonial, Conference USA, Ivy, Mid-American, Northeast, Patriot and SEC before beginning the always-challenging Atlantic 10 schedule.
Out of UMass' 28 opponents, 14 are coming off 2010 postseason appearances in the NCAA and WNIT. According to Realtimerpi.com, the Minutewomen entered the season with the 39th-toughest schedule out of 347 Division I teams.
Emily Mital Signs With UMass
Head coach Sharon Dawley has announced that Emily Mital, a 5-8 point guard/shooting guard out of Frisco Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas, has signed a National Letter of Intent during the November early signing period, and will be a part of UMass' Class of 2015.
A four-year captain and starter under head coach Mari Harrison, Mital has led Frisco Liberty in scoring each season heading into her senior year and helped the squad to the Texas UIL playoffs her during freshman and sophomore seasons.
Entering her final campaign with Frisco Liberty, Mital was named to the 2010-11 Texas Basketball Magazine Pre-Season All-State Team as the best returning three-point shooter in the state after draining 82 treys as a junior.
Mital led her district in scoring in both 2009-10 and 2008-09, with 17.0 points per-game and 17.3 points per-game, respectively. She also chipped in 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 3.1 assists per-game as a junior on her way to a second straight TABC 4A Region 2 All-Region selection and a third straight first team all-district honor. Mital was recognized with both pre-and post-season all-state accolades from Texas Basketball Magazine in 2009-10, as well.
The three-time academic all-district honoree was tabbed the District 9-3A Newcomer of the Year in 2007-08 and earned a spot on the All-Collin County third team after posting 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.4 assists per-game as a freshman.
Mital has been named to several all-tournament teams in her high school career and has ranked second in Texas UIL (public school, all classifications) for free throw percentage the past two seasons. She holds Frisco Liberty's records for total points, career and season scoring average, career two-point field goals, career three-point field goals, career free throws, career assists and points in a game.
Grandison Inks NLI To Join UMass
Head coach Sharon Dawley has announced that 5-10 forward Ronni Grandison has inked a National Letter of Intent to join the Minutewomen in 2011-12. Grandison will come to UMass out of Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio, and is the second signee for Dawley during the November early signing period.
Grandison, who is coached by Andy Fishman, was named to the Greater Miami Conference second team last season and was selected as a District 15 All-Star after averaging 7.3 points per game as a junior in 2009-10. She shot 23-for-57 (40.4%) from three-point range and 39-for-52 (75%) at the free throw line to lead the Lakota West Firebirds last season, which ranked her second and fourth in Butler County in each respective category.
Grandison plays AAU ball with the highly successful Cincinnati Heat, coached by Krista Doan. She is the daughter of Barb and Ronnie Grandison. Her father, Ronnie, played in the NBA for the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets. ing average, career two-point field goals, career three-point field goals, career free throws, career assists and points in a game.
Dawley Adds Timbilla To List Of Signees
Rashida Timbilla, a 6-1 forward from Nepan, Ontario, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the Minutewomen during the November early signing period, UMass women's basketball head coach Sharon Dawley announced on Nov. 18. Timbilla joins Emily Mital and Ronni Grandison as the third member of UMass' Class of 2015.
Timbilla played with the Canadian Junior National Team this past summer that captured bronze at the 18U Tournament of the Americas.
As member of the Kanata Cavs, coached by Dean Tanasijevic, Timbilla helped her squad to a record of 22-5 and a No. 5 ranking in the province. In 2009-10, Timbilla averaged 20.4 points, 14.4 rebounds (6.1 offensive), 7.8 assists, 3.1 blocks and 2.8 steals per-game. She played an average of 27 minutes per-contest and posted a 74% free throw percentage, as well.
Timbilla was also a four-year varsity field hockey player for John McCrae Secondary School, helping the team to a National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association title in 2010 and an undefeated record in the regular season. She is the daughter of Bawah and Adiza Timbilla.
Rodney Signs NLI To Play Basketball At UMass
Aisha Rodney of Grosse Pointe South High School in Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at UMass, head coach Sharon Dawley announced on Nov. 22. The 6-0 power forward inked her NLI during the November early signing period and joins Emily Mital, Ronni Grandison and Rashida Timbilla as the fourth member of UMass' Class of 2015.
Rodney enters her senior season as a three-time all-state and all-conference player under head coach Kevin Richards at Grosse Pointe South. She averaged 16.4 points per-game and was the team's top rebounder with 12 boards per-game last season, leading her squad to a third-straight conference championship, while earning her second team MVP honor. Rodney holds the school's scoring record and was tabbed Grosse Pointe South's rookie of the year as a freshman. The McDonald's All-American Nominee is ranked 52nd at her position by Hoopgurlz.
Rodney plays club basketball with the Michigan Crossovers, coached by Emez Oliver and Dena Head. She helped the Crossovers to the semifinals at Nike Nationals, the furthest any team from Michigan has ever advanced in the tournament.
Rodney is the daughter of Antje and Lorenzo Rodney. 
