Feb. 27, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. -
Coming off a thrilling win over Saint Joseph's this past Thursday, the UMass women's basketball squad will look to carry the momentum from that victory into its final game of the regular season when the squad will play at Charlotte on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 2 p.m. Both teams have already secured a berth into the Atlantic 10 tournament next weekend as the Minutewomen (11-17, 5-8 A-10) are currently tied for ninth in the standings, while the 49ers (15-12, 8-5 A-10) sit in a three-way tie for fifth.
About The Charlotte 49ers
The Charlotte 49ers are 15-12 overall and 8-5 in conference play. The squad will attempt to end the season on a high note as the 49ers have dropped four of their last six games after beginning the conference slate at 6-1.
The 49ers are looking to solidify the No. 5 seed in the A-10 conference tournament with a win against the Minutewomen. Charlotte is 11-1 at home this season.
Junior guard Shannon McCallum and senior forward Ashley Springs have been the go-to players for the 49ers as McCallum is averaging 14.3 points per-game and 7.5 rebounds per -game and Springs is averaging 10.1 points per-game and 6.0 rebounds per-game.
McCallum has registered 20+ points in a game six times this season and 11 times total in her career. Aysha Jones has also scored 20 points in a game once this year.
The 49ers are looking to defend their A-10 title for the second consecutive season, after beating Richmond 59-54 in the A-10 Championship game in 2009.
Series History
The Minutewomen are 1-5 all-time against Charlotte since first facing the 49ers on Nov. 21, 1999. UMass' lone win in the series came on Nov. 17, 2000 at home by a 64-48 margin.
The 49ers are 3-0 in the series when facing the Minutewomen at home.
One To Watch
Freshman Jasmine Watson has been named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week three times this season and was also tabbed UMass Athlete of the Week on Feb. 8.
After posting three blocks in her collegiate debut, Watson found her scoring touch in her second game with the Minutewomen, pouring in 14 points in 24 minutes against St. John's on Nov. 18. Watson shot 5-for-10 from the field against the Red Storm and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
Watson has scored seven or more in 19 of the past 24 games and has grabbed five-plus rebounds in 20 of the last 24.
She ranks 12th in the conference in field goal percentage at 44.5% (109-for-245).
Elite Company
Jasmine Watson is just the sixth player in program history to log 250+ points and 150+ rebounds as a freshman as she is currently has 288 and and 162 respectively. She joins Crystal Carroll, Melissa Gurile, Jean Michaelson, Nekole Smith and Octavia Thomas in that elite group. Four of the five finished their UMass careers with 1,100+ points and 500+ rebounds.
More On Watson
In her first collegiate start on Jan. 6 against Harvard, Jasmine Watson posted a double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Nine of her team-leading 13 rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor, the most offensive rebounds in a game by a Minutewoman this season. She had six offensive boards vs. Fordham, five at La Salle and currently ranks seventh in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 2.6 offensive rebounds per-game (74 in total).
Watson is averaging 13.0 points per-game and 6.8 rebounds per-game as a starter, including a team-leading 13.2 points per-game in Atlantic 10 play. She has scored in double figures in 12 of the past 15 games.
In Atlantic 10 games, Watson is the top scoring freshman (10th overall) and is fifth in blocks per-game (1.6). She ranks 12th in rebounds (6.3), eighth in field goal percentage (48.3%) and is tied for second in offensive rebounds (3.1).
Sophomore Standout
Sophomore Kristina Danella has led the Minutewomen in scoring in 11 of the 27 games she has played in thus far with a season-high 21 points coming against BU. She was the top point-producer eight times in 2008-09 as a freshman.
Danella grabbed a squad-best seven rebounds at La Salle on Feb. 17, the 10th time in her career she has been the leading rebounder for the Minutewomen and fifth this season.
In career rebounds, Danella is second among active players behind Diatiema Hill with 289. She scored her 500th career point on Jan. 9 vs. Rhode Island, her 600th career point on Feb. 20 at Xavier and grabbed her 200th career board vs. Vermont on Dec. 9.
Danella scored in double figures in eight consecutive games this season, the longest streak of her career. She has tallied at least 10 points 19 times in 27 games.
As the team's leading scorer, Danella is 13th in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 12.0 points per-game.
Getting To 600 Before Junior Year
With 604 career points, Kristina Danella is the leading scorer among active Minutewomen players and is 36th all-time. She is one of just two players in that top-40 with 60 or less games played as she is currently at 57 for her career. The next closest, Juanita Matthews scored 519 points in 56 games from 1984-86.
Currently at 325 points for the season, Danella has already passed her freshman year total of 279. She is the seventh Minutewoman in program history to reach 600 points in their first two seasons. The previous six UMass players to reach that mark have all gone on to score 1,400+ points in their careers.
33 From 3
At the 16:28 mark in the second half of UMass' win over Fordham on Feb. 6, sophomore Kristina Danella drained her 100th career three-pointer. She is the sixth player in program history to reach the milestone.
Danella already holds the single game record for three pointers made (seven) and the record for threes in a season (58). She ranks second in career three-point percentage (.395) and her name appears on the single season list twice.
In the Atlantic 10, Danella ranks 11th in three-point field goal percentage (.382, 47-123) and eighth in three-point field goals made (47, 1.7per-game).
Danella is shooting 44.7% from beyond the arc in conference play (21-for-47) to rank fifth in the A-10 and is tied for sixth in threes made.
Block Party
With eight blocks at Duquesne on Jan. 20, sophomore Nicole Jones tied a UMass single game record with eight against the Dukes to set a new career high.
The mark had been reached twice previously, by Kate Mills vs. George Washington (2/13/08) and by Helen Freeman vs. Rhode Island (3/3/88).
That performance helped vault Jones into fifth in the Atlantic 10 in blocks with an average of 1.3 per-game (37 in total), while freshman Jasmine Watson is fourth in the conference with an average of 1.4 blocks per game (38 total). Watson recently swatted a career-high six blocks against Dayton on Feb. 13.
Watson is one block shy of cracking the top-10 for a single season in the UMass record book, while Jones is two away. Jones is currently 11th all-time in career blocks with 52.
Jones is tied for the most blocks in a single game by any A-10 player this season as Sara Mostafa of George Washington had eight earlier this season at North Texas (11/17/09).
On Best Behavior
UMass is called for an average of 14.5 fouls per-game and is ranked 27th nationally in fouls per-game.
Foul trouble has been rare for the Minutewomen this season, having multiple players with four fouls only three times in 28 games (two vs. Boston University, three vs. Vermont, three at Rhode Island) and just one foul out.
Extra Minutes
The Minutewomen have played extra basketball three times this season and are 2-1 when going to overtime. Three overtime games is the most for the program since the 2002-03 season when the squad played extra basketball on three occasions. The most overtime games in a season for a UMass team came the year before, seven in 2001-02.
When the squad picked up an OT win over Saint Louis, 62-59, on Jan. 13, it marked the team's first overtime win on the road since claiming a 71-66 victory at St. Bonaventure on Feb. 21, 2002.
UMass' 79-73 overtime win 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.
The longest game in UMass history (three overtimes) was a 65-60 loss to Rice at home on Nov. 23, 2001
Doubling Up
Four UMass players have recorded a combined eight double-doubles this season, the most recent being Diatiema Hill's 20 points and 11 rebounds vs. Saint Joseph's on Feb. 25.
Three other Minutewomen, Jasmine Watson, Kristina Danella, and Nicole Jones have posted double-doubles this season.
Danella's 16 points and 11 rebounds against Rhode Island on Jan. 9 marked her third career double-double, all which have come in Atlantic 10 play, and second against URI.
Hill now has four on the year (21 pts., 14 reb. vs. Quinnipiac, 13 pts., 10 reb. vs. NJIT, 26 pts. and 10 reb. at Saint Louis, 20 pts., 11 a vs. Saint Joseph's).
Jones' came against Villanova (22 pts., 12 reb.) and Watson had 10 points and 13 rebounds vs. Harvard and totaled 16 points, 10 boards against George Washington.
Solid At The Stripe
Sophomore Kristina Danella and senior Diatiema Hill both rank in the top-four in the conference in free throw percentage as Danella is shooing a conference-leading 87.6% (106-for-121) and Hill is fourth at 85.3% (58-for-68). Danella's mark is currently 13th in the nation.
Danella is currently ranked first all-time in program history with an 82.3% (163-198) career free throw percentage (min. 150 made), while her percentage this season stands second. Hill's mark from this season is currently fourth on the program's single season list for free throw percentage.
Danella made 27 straight free throws in a streak that spanned four games (11/20 vs. New Hampshire-11/28 vs. Miami), the second longest by a Minutewoman in program history. Kathy Coyner made 31 consecutive free throws from Nov. 14, 1998 (St. John's) to Dec. 15, 1998 (Texas A&M).
Danella was a perfect 12-for-12 at the line against Rice, tying a school record for single game free throw percentage (minimum 10 attempts), last achieved 16 years ago by Melissa Gurile (15-for-15) on Dec. 11, 1993 vs. Providence. She has been perfect at the line in 11 games this season, most recently going 2-for-2 at Xavier.
Danella went 10-for-14 at the line in UMass' overtime win against Boston University in the season opener, including sinking three to tie the score at 67 with 17 seconds remaining in regulation. She then made five of her six free throws in the extra period, accounting for nearly half of the squad's points.
Just four games later, the individual free throw percentage single game mark was matched again as Diatiema Hill was flawless at the line against Quinnipiac on Dec. 6, making 11-of-11.
Another Minutewoman, Kim Benton, began the season a perfect 22-for-22.
UMass is currently second in the Atlantic 10 with a 74.9% team free throw percentage (390-521), good for 26th nationally.
20-20 Vision
For the first time since Jan. 2, 2008, two UMass players had 20-point games on the same night as Diatiema Hill and Megan Zullo poured in 21 and 20, respectively in the Minutewomen's 82-66 victory over Quinnipiac on Dec. 6.
The last two players to accomplish the feat were Pam Rosanio (21) and Kate Mills (20) against Longwood.
Zullo shot a remarkable 6-for-8 (.750) from three-point range against the Bobcats, accounting for 18 of her 20, and was 2-for-2 at the charity stripe.
Five different Minutewomen have logged at least one 20-point game this year, Nicole Jones, Hill, Zullo, Kristina Danella and Jasmine Watson. Danella, Jones and Watson have reached the 20-point mark twice on the year. Hill has recorded 20+ points three times.
Hill Reaching New Heights
Senior Diatiema Hill had a career game against Quinnipiac in the Brown Classic championship on Dec. 6 as she posted 21 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for her first career double-double, first career 20-point game and first career 10-rebound game. She also had a double-double on Dec. 20 with 13 points and 10 rebounds at NJIT and logged another with 20 points and 11 assists vs. Saint Joseph's on Feb. 25.
With her third double-double of the season, Hill surpassed her career high in points at Saint Louis, pouring in 26 (the highest total by a Minutewoman this season), on 10-for-20 shooting and a 5-for-6 clip at the free throw line to go along with 10 rebounds.
Hill played a career-high 43 minutes at Saint Louis, stayed on the floor for all 40 minutes against Richmond and played 40 in the squad's overtime game at Duquesne. She is currently third in the Atlantic 10 in average minutes played (34.0), the leader in conference games with an average of 36.2 minutes per-game.
Hill has been a big factor in the Minutewomen's success as she has averaged 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per-game in UMass victories and just 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in the squad's losses.
Set Up Stars
On Jan. 16, the Minutewomen totaled a season-high 22 assists vs. Saint Joseph's, 20 assists on 24 baskets against Richmond and had 19 assists on 20 baskets vs. Fordham on Feb. 6. The squad ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 with 13.7 assists per-game, third in conference play with an average of 15.2 per contest.
Four different Minutewomen (Diatiema Hill, Kim Benton, Megan Zullo and Stephanie Lawrence) have posted five-assist games this season. Hill has done it 13 times, Benton five times, Zullo four times and Lawrence once. Hill, Benton and Zullo had five assists apiece vs. Dayton on Feb. 13. Hill has logged five-plus assists nine times in the past 12 games. Hill ranks first in conference play with an average of 5.2 assists per-game.
With 117 on the year, Hill sits second in the Atlantic 10 with a 4.2 assists per-game average. She has already passed her previous career high for assists in a season, 87 set in 2008-09 (30 games).
Hill also ranks first in the conference with a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. The UMass record for assist to turnover ratio, 1.9, (149 assists to 78 turnovers) was set by Mary Hallaren during the 1978-79 season.
In conference play, three Minutewomen are ranked in the top-seven in assist to turnover ratio as Zullo is first (2.3), Hill second (2.2) and Benton ninth (1.7).
Hill Sets Mullins Record
With her 11 assists against Saint Joseph's, senior Diatiema Hill not only set a personal best, but also broke the record for the most assists by a Minutewoman at the Mullins Center. The previous mark, 10, was last set by Katie Nelson against Saint Joseph's on Feb. 5, 2006.
Hill's 11 helpers is tied for fourth-most by a UMass player in program history for a single game.
It is also the highest assists total by any Atlantic 10 player this season.
Meg Z. For Three
Redshirt junior Megan Zullo, along with Kristina Danella, had a team-high 14 points against New Hampshire, her first time scoring in double figures as a Minutewoman.
Zullo drained four three-pointers, all in the first half, against the Wildcats and shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc in the contest. As a team, UMass ended the evening shooting 11-for-24 (45.8%) from three-point range, including 8-for-14 (57.1%) in the first half.
Zullo also shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc at NJIT and at Delaware, finishing as the squad's leading scorer on both occasions with 17 and 15 points respectively.
She is tied for sixth in the Atlantic 10 in threes per-game with 1.8 and has 51 in total over 28 games. Zullo is tied for fourth on the UMass single season list, as well. The single season record of 58 was set by Kristina Danella in 2008-09 (30 games) and Katie Nelson in 2004-05 (29 games).
Zullo has drained five or more threes in a game three times this season. Twenty-one of her threes on the year came in the month of December as she averaged 12.0 points per-game over seven games in the final month of 2009.
Benton Reaches Century Mark
Senior Kim Benton played in her 100th career game on Dec. 11 vs. Providence, the 34th individual in program history to reach the milestone. She leads all active Minutewomen in games played with 117.
Benton is now tied for second in career games played and will match the program record on Sunday at Charlotte. The record of 118 was set by Sabriya Mitchell in a career that spanned 1994 to 1998.
Twice As Nice
For the second straight year, UMass captured the title at the Brown Bear Classic, posting wins over Brown (69-54) and Quinnipiac (82-66). Kristina Danella (14.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Diatiema Hill (11.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 3.0 apg) were named to the Brown Bear Classic All-Tournament Team.
Earlier this season, The Minutewomen took home the runner-up trophy at the Wyndham Miami Thanksgiving Tournament after defeating Rice, 71-57, to advance to the championship game where the squad was narrowly defeated by the host Hurricanes. Danella (17.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Nicole Jones (11.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.0 bpg) both represented UMass on the All-Tournament team.
Over the past two seasons, UMass holds a 6-2 record when playing at in-season tournaments.
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, including Kristina Danella and Cerie Mosgrove whose final 2008-09 totals rank tied for first (58) and fourth (51), respectively, on the UMass single season list.
Three current Minutewomen, Kim Benton (fourth, 125), Kristina Danella (fifth, 105) and Cerie Mosgrove (ninth, 90) are among the all-time leaders for career three-point field goals.
The Minutewomen set the program record for three-pointers in a game last season with 14 against Northeastern on Dec. 20, 2008.
UMass ranks second the Atlantic 10 in three-pointers per-game with an average of 6.4 (180 total).
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.
A different starting lineup (Danella, Jones, Benton and Megan Zullo) also came up big against NJIT with Zullo, Danella, Hill and Jones all reaching the 10-point plateau. The starting five accounted for 58 of 70 points and 28 of 37 rebounds against the Highlanders.
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. The Minutewomen are 6-1 over the past two seasons when four players score 10 or more. In UMass' wins this season (10 games), three players are averaging double figures (Danella 13.4, Hill 12.2 and Jasmine Watson, 10.9), while two more (Jones and Zullo) are just shy at 9.0 and 8.0, respectively.
In the win over Saint Louis on Jan. 13, UMass starters accounted for 54 of the 62 points and 33 of 45 rebounds.
Against Dayton on Feb. 13, the Minutewomen were one point shy of having five players in double figures for the first time since 2005 as four of five starters logged 10 or more points (Hill 15, Danella 12, Watson 12, Benton 10) and the fifth, Zullo, had nine. The starting five accounted for 58 of 60 points in that contest.
Jones Has Breakout Game Against Villanova
Sophomore Nicole Jones helped carry UMass to victory against Villanova, totaling 22 of the squad's 55 points and leading all rebounders with 12.
It marked career highs in both points and rebounds for the center, was her first career double-double, first career 20-point game, first career 10-rebound game and first time as UMass' top scorer.
Jones shot 9-for-11 (.818) in the contest, the best single-game shooting percentage for a Minutewoman since Pam Rosanio went 9-for-11 against Longwood on Jan. 3, 2008.
On Jan. 6 against Harvard, Jones posted her second 20-point game of the season, tying her career high with 22 to lead the squad. She has been the team's top scorer on three occasions this season.
Jones surpassed her freshman year scoring total (43 points in 23 games) just five games into her sophomore campaign.
Jones leads the Minutewomen with a .512 (84-164) field goal percentage and is fourth in the Atlantic 10.
First 10
Not only did freshman Dee Montgomery score her first collegiate points on Dec. 2 at Northeastern, but managed to reach double figures for the first time as well, pouring in 10 points in just 13 minutes on the floor.
At the 4:37 mark in the second half, Montgomery sunk a three and made a free throw to successfully complete a four-point play.
Montgomery saw the most time in her young career thus far against Vermont on Dec. 9, playing a career-high 16 minutes.
New Faces
Three of UMass' four newcomers saw action in the season opener against Boston University on Nov. 15, 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. The fourth newcomer, 
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