Dec. 3, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. -
The UMass women's basketball team will look to build off the momentum of its win over Brown this past Wednesday when the squad plays host to Boston College this Sunday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. in the Mullins Center. Playing their second straight home game, the Minutewomen (1-6) will face a tough task as the Eagles are 7-0 thus far in 2010-11.
Scouting Boston College
The undefeated (7-0) Boston College Eagles enter Sunday's contest in Amherst averaging 90.0 points per-game as a team with all five starters averaging in double figures. This past Thursday, the squad earned its seventh win of the season, defeating Penn State in overtime, 113-104.
Carolyn Swords leads the Eagles with 18.9 points per-game and is averaging a team-best 10.9 rebounds per-game. Stefanie Murphy follows with 17.0 points per-game and 7.0 boards per-contest.
Since the teams first met in 1981, BC holds a 8-4 edge in the all-time series against UMass. The Minutewomen captured a victory in the Eagles' last trip to Amherst, coming out on top by the score of 69-66 on Nov. 14, 2007.
Last Time Against The BC Eagles
The UMass women's basketball team played its final non-conference road game of the 2008-09 regular season, falling at Boston College, 89-55 on Sunday afternoon in Conte Forum.
Senior Stefanie Gerardot's 16 points paced the UMass squad. She contributed six rebounds, as well. Sophomore Cerie Mosgrove followed with nine points on 3-for-4 shooting from three-point range, while freshman Kristina Danella and sophomore Teya Wright totaled eight points apiece. Wright led the squad in rebounding with eight on the afternoon.
After trailing by two at the 16:14 mark in the opening half, UMass managed just two field goals in the remainder of the period as BC outscored the Minutewomen, 38-11, during that stretch. The Eagles shot 50% from the field in the first half (21-of-42), while UMass went 4-for-23 (17.4%).
The Minutewomen's shooting improved to 11-for-29 in the second half (37.9%) to finish 28.8% for the game. However, the squad was unable to make up ground on Boston College as the Eagles shot 19-for-30 (63.3%) following the intermission and were 40-72 (55.6%) on the day.
BC led in points in the paint, 46-20, points off turnovers, 20-13, second chance points, 20-8, fast break points, 16-3 and bench points 21-19.
Mickel Picco's 27 points helped lead the Eagles to victory, while Stefanie Murphy had 17 points, completed her double-double with 12 rebounds and also dished six assists. Carolyn Swords chipped in with 10 points, seven boards and three blocks, while Ayla Brown was the fourth and final Boston College player to reach double figures with 10 points.
Home Sweet Home
UMass' three seniors, Stephanie Lawrence, Cerie Mosgrove and Megan Zullo have all been quite comfortable playing on their home court this season all averaging 6+ points and 5+ rebounds per-game in the Mullins Center.
Mosgrove is averaging 18.5 points per-game at home and is shooting 50% from three-point range. Zullo is averaging an eye-poping 11 assists per-game in Amherst and overall has an average of 5.0 asspsts per-game, which ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10.
Offense Turning It On
The Minutewomen are coming off their two best offensive performances of the year entering Sunday's game against Boston College as the squad put up 83 points against East Carolina and 78 vs. Brown.
UMass shot a combined 57-for-112 (50.9%) over the pair of games and saw four players score in double figures in each contest. Sophomore Shakia Robinson has paced the Minutewomen, averaging 24.0 points and shooting 66.7% (20-for-30) over the past two games.
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 high in steals (5) and scored in double figures for the first time. 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.
Teuscher matched a career high with nine points in the season opener and set a career-best with six rebounds at East Carolina, while matching it again in UMass' next contest with six boards vs. Brown.
Sophomore Dee Montgomery registered career highs in rebounds (6) and steals (3) against George Mason, while earning her first career start vs. Maryland and playing a personal best 27 minutes against the Terps.
Three players set career highs in minutes played at Seton Hall, Robinson and Teuscher with 36 and senior Stephanie Lawrence with 28.
Senior Cerie Mosgrove corralled a career high eight rebounds at East Carolina and matched her career high in points (19), she surpassed her personal best a game later vs. Brown, totalling 20 points in that contest.
True Minute Women
Seniors Cerie Mosgrove and Megan Zullo and sophomore Shakia Robinson have been fixtures on the floor for UMass this season, all averaging 31+ minutes per-game. Zullo is the team leader in minutes played (38.4 average) and also ranks first in the Atlantic 10 in minutes per-game. She has been on the floor for 269 of 280 possible minutes this season.
Mosgrove leads the Minutewomen in scoring with 12.6 points per-game, while Robinson and Zullo follow with averages of 12.1 and 11.3 respectively.
Each of the three has led the team in scoring in six out of seven games with Zullo finishing as the leading scorer three times, Mosgrove twice and Robinson once. The trio has combined for 11 double-digit scoring performances this season, with Zullo scoring in double figures four consecutive games.
Rookies Doing Their Part
Freshmen Talen Watson and Kelly Robinson have each seen time in the starting lineup 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. Lalime posted her first double-figure scoring performance with 11 at East Carolina while also grabbing five rebounds and dishing three assists.
What A Difference A Year Makes
Sophomore Shakia Robinson passed her freshman year playing total of 139 minutes just five games into the 2010-11 season. She passed her 2009-10 rebound total (27) five games in, as well, and has more than quadrupled her rookie year point total, currently with 85 points.
Junior Emilie Teuscher has posted new career highs for a season in virtually every statistical category, while 179 of her 309 career minutes have been played this season. Teuscher has 75 points in seven games, not only surpassing her 2009-10 total of 21, but more than doubling her career total of 34 entering this season. She currently has 38 rebounds after grabbing a total of 11 through her first two campaigns with the Minutewomen.
15 For 30
Sophomore Shakia Robinson poured in 30 points on Nov. 28 at East Carolina, shooting 13-for-19 and 4-6 at the free throw line. It not only marked a career high for Robinson, but was the first 30-point game for a UMass player since Jen Butler had 31 against Temple on Jan 6, 2003, and is tied for ninth-most all-time in a single game by a member of the Minutewomen.
Robinson was 8-for-10 and had 18 points in the second half alone, which equaled her point total from her entire freshman season.
Robinson is just the sixth player in program history to log a 30-point game, joining Butler, Melissa Gurile, Barbara Hebel, Julie Ready and Octavia Thomas. All five of those players finished their UMass careers with 1,400+ points and rank in the top-10 in career scoring.
The UMass single game record for points is 38, set by Gurile on Dec. 11, 1993 against Providence.
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.
Dates for December 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 266-154 (.633) 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.
Dawley earned her first victory as UMass head coach on Dec. 1, 2010, a 78-55 win over Brown at home in the Mullins Center.
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 background 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 accompishments 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 105 career treys, good for sixth all-time. She also ranks seventh in career three-point attempts (310) and eighth in career three-point percentage (.339). 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 career percentage (.374) ranks fourth 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. She leads the team this season with 16 threes and is shooting 43.2% from beyond the arc.
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 90 career games played and 30 starts. She entered the 2009-10 season as the lone member of the team with over 1,000 minutes played and is the program's active leading scorer with 438 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 this fall.
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. 
