Dec. 16, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. -
Coming off a win over Maine last Sunday, the UMass women's basketball team will be hitting the road for a pair of games before breaking for the holidays, beginning with a contest at Binghamton on Monday, Dec. 19, at 6 p.m. The Minutewomen are 2-8 on the year and will be looking to secure their second straight win against an opponent from the America East.
Scouting Binghamton
Binghamton, who will play Rider at home on Saturday before the Minutewomen come to town on Monday, currently sits at 5-4 with a 1-2 mark at home. The Bearcats have dropped two of their last three games, including a 64-53 loss at Niagara and a setback to another Atlantic 10 team, St. Bonaventure, 49-34, on Dec. 3.
Viive Rebane, Andrea Holmes and Orla O'Reilly lead a balanced offensive attack for Binghamton, averaging 12.7, 12.6 and 12.6 points per-game, respectively. Rebane is also the team's top rebounder with 8.9 boards per-game.
Head coach Sharon Dawley carries a 9-7 record coaching against the Bearcats into Monday's matchup, which includes a 9-6 mark at Vermont.
UMass Against Current America East Teams (68-54)
Albany (0-0)
Binghamton (0-1)
Boston University (12-12)
Hartford (6-5)
Maine (8-13)
UMBC (0-0)
New Hampshire (20-16)
Stony Brook (0-0)
Vermont (22-7)
Last Time Against Binghamton
In a game came that down to the wire, the UMass women's basketball team was unable to pull off the comeback, falling to Binghamton 58-52 on Dec. 11, 2010 at the Mullins Center.
Senior Megan Zullo led all scorers with her seventh game in double figures, totaling 17 points and a career-high eight rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals for UMass. Also flirting with a double-double, senior Cerie Mosgrove added 13 points and a career-best nine boards. Sophomores Shakia Robinson and Jasmine Watson were just shy of double figures with eight and seven points, respectively. Junior Emilie Teuscher helped out on the defensive end with six rebounds.
In a closely-contested first half, Binghamton managed to post the first four points of the game, but a pair of threes by Zullo put UMass in front, 6-4, with 16:02 to play in the period. The Minutewomen went up by five, their largest advantage of the half, on a Shakia Robinson layup at the 10:57 mark. However, the Bearcats went on to outscore the Minutewomen 2-to-1 in the final 6:36 of the period and went into the locker room with a 28-23 lead.
Zullo drained a three 10 seconds in to the second half, to pull UMass to within two, the Bearcats had the next two baskets to move their advantage back out to six. Despite hitting a 5:16 scoring drought, the Minutewomen remained within a possession of Binghamton as Zullo hit another trey at the 10:50 mark and followed with a steal and pull-up three at 9:36 that closed the gap to 38-37. Two straight layups by Robinson at 7:19 and 6:47 eventually tied the score at 43, but that was as close as UMass would get to overtaking the Bearcats. A pair of free throws by Sinead O'Reilly at 6:03 gave Binghamton back the lead for good, the first two of seven she converted in the remainder of the contest.
UMass finished shooting 19-for-51 (37.3%), 6-for-20 (30.0%) from three and 8-for-13 (61.5%) at the free throw line. The Bearcats made 20-for-57 (35.1%) from the field, were 4-for-18 (22.2%) from three and 14-for-22 (63.6%) at the charity stripe.
O'Reilly paced Binghamton with 16 points and added six rebounds three assists and four steals. Andrea Holmes followed with 12 points, while dishing six assists and logging four steals to contribute to the Bearcats' 24 points off 25 Minutewomen turnovers. Viive Rebane and Kara Elofson each grabbed seven boards and chipped in seven and six points, respectively. Jasbriell Swain contributed six rebounds and four assists.
Last Time: Career Days For Teuscher, Robinson Help UMass Past Maine, 63-54
Behind a career-high 18 points from Emilie Teuscher and a career-best 16 rebounds from Shakia Robinson, the UMass women's basketball team rolled to a 63-54 victory over Maine at the Mullins Center last Sunday afternoon.
Teuscher's 18 surpassed her previous career high of 13 points, set against Boston College on Dec. 5 2010. She is the fourth different leading scorer for the Minutewomen this season.
Robinson completed her first double-double of the season and third of her career with 10 points and became the first UMass player since 2008 to grab 15 or more boards in a game. The last 15-plus rebound game by a Minutewoman was Teya Wright's 16 against Delaware on Dec. 10, 2008. Robinson's last double-double came on Dec. 19, 2010 vs. Wagner.
The contest marked Robinson's fourth straight game in double figures. She is currently eighth in the Atlantic 10 with a team-leading 12.8 points per-game on the season.
Redshirt sophomore Carolann Cloutier chipped in with 11 points and matched a personal best by handing out six assists, her sixth game of the year with five-plus helpers. She is currently second in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 4.6 assists per-game.
Senior Megan Zullo added 10 points and a game-best four steals, while junior Jasmine Watson was just shy of a double-double with eight points and seven rebounds.
Four UMass players scored in double figures for the fourth time this season (previously at Holy Cross, Quinnipiac, and Boston College).
As a team, the Minutewomen posted season highs in made threes (8), assists (18) and steals (13) against the Black Bears.
Twice The Production For #2
Senior Emilie Teuscher has nearly doubled her scoring and rebounding output from last season , going from 5.2 points per-game as a junior to a 9.1 average this season. On the boards she averaged 2.6 last year and is now up to 4.1 per-game this season. Teuscher had 157 points in 30 games last year and already has 91 in 10 games in 2011-12. She totaled 79 rebounds last season and has 41 thus far this year.
Aiding to her point production, Teuscher has been hot from beyond the arc as of late. In the past three consecutive games, she has tied her career high for made threes with four each against Boston College, Providence and Maine.
In her last five games, Teuscher is shooting a blistering 53.1% (17-for-32) from beyond the arc, making more than have the squad's treys in that span.
Teuscher is currently fourth in the conference in three point percentage for the year (.426) and third in three-pointers per-game (2.3). Just behind her in both categories is Megan Zullo in fifth with .417 shooting and 2.0 threes per-game.
In the UMass record book, Teuscher now ranks seventh in career three-point percentage at .351, having made 66-for-188 in her four years with the Minutewomen.
Many Happy Returns
The Minutewomen have just five members of their 12-player squad that saw action at UMass in 2010-11. However, four out of the five (Dee Montgomery, Emilie Teuscher, Jasmine Watson and Megan Zullo) were starters for the Minutewomen last season.
UMass brings back five of its top-six returning scorers or 65% of the team's point production from a year ago. Those five were also five of the top-six rebounders, accounting for 594 of the team's 1091 boards in 2010-11 or 54%.
Zullo Back For More
Guard Megan Zullo returns for the Minutewomen in 2011-12 after being granted a sixth year by the NCAA. Zullo was awarded the additional year of eligibility due to the injuries she sustained as a freshman at North Carolina State and as a junior.
Zullo played all 30 games last season and averaged 10.5 points per-game, good for fourth on the squad and was third in the Atlantic 10 win an average of 4.5 assists per-game. Her total of 135 helpers was the ninth-best single season total of all time in program history, while her tally of 70 three-pointers is second-most on the single season list. She set UMass records for minutes played in a season in 2010-11 with 1,136 and minutes average (37.9).
Through two seasons and counting with the Minutewomen after coming from N.C. State, Zullo has totaled 609 career points, 235 assists and is 144-for-383 (.376) beyond the arc. She is currently ranked fourth on the UMass career list in three-point field goals made (144), fifth in three-point percentage and sixth assist average (3.4) and in minutes average (32.0).
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, 2010 vs. George Mason, last year's season opener.
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.
Earlier this fall, Zullo was named to the College Sports Madness Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference second team.
All That Jas
Junior Jasmine Watson, UMass' top returning scorer, has been named to the preseason Atlantic 10 third team for a second straight year.
After missing the first eight games of 2010-11, Watson came back from injury to lead the team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 14.4 and 7.6, respectively, while also contributing 1.7 blocks per-game.
She posted seven double-doubles on the year and was the team's top scorer in seven games. In conference play, Watson averaged 14.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest, good for 12th and sixth in the league, respectively.
Through two seasons and counting at UMass, Watson has totaled 743 career points (12.0 ppg), 418 rebounds (6.7 rpg) and 91 blocks. At Rhode Island this past January, Watson scored a career-best 27 points.
Watson, the 2009-10 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, is currently seventh on the program's all-time list for career blocks and ranks third in blocked shots average.
From Near And Far
UMass' 12-player roster is comprised of individuals from 11 different states and provinces, including three international players.
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 six new players that will see the floor for the first time this season: freshman guards Emily Mital and Ronni Grandison and freshman forwards Kim Pierre-Louis and Aisha Rodney and two players who sat out as redshirts in 2010-11, center Millie Niggeling and guard Carolann Cloutier.
Among the high school accomplishments of the freshman group, Rodney was a four-time all-state selection at Grosse Pointe South High School in Michigan and Mital was an all-state honoree as a senior and as a junior out of Frisco Liberty High School in Texas.
Cloutier, a transfer from Old Dominion, played with Team Canada at the World University games before college. Niggeling was a four-time all-state selection at Bishop Heelan and helped the team to two Iowa state titles.
St. Joseph's Game To Air Live in Boston
Nelligan Sports Marketing has reached an agreement with WBIN-TV that will allow UMass fans in the greater Boston area to watch approximately a dozen live broadcasts of UMass games, including two women's basketball games. The contests will be produced by the UMass Sports Network.
In addition to every home game airing locally on CBS 3 Now, the Minutewomen's matchup against Saint Joseph's on Jan. 7 will air on WBIN-TV.
WBIN-TV, the only locally owned and operated TV station in the Boston/Manchester market, reaches 2.4 million households and over 5 million people in 500 towns in eastern and central Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is available on Comcast channel 18 (811 in HD), FiOS channel 6 (506 in HD), DirecTV channel 50/950 and Dish Network channel 50/8777.
UMass Women's Basketball Radio Show On WMUA
Throughout the 2011-12 season, catch up on what's going on with the Minutewomen as WMUA broadcasters Ryan X. Murray and Pat O'Neil 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.
Mosgrove Playing Overseas
Recent graduate Cerie Mosgrove is continuing her basketball career overseas. The 6-0 guard, who completed her fourth year with the Minutewomen in 2010-11, signed with T71 Dudelange of the Luxembourg-Diekirch League this past summer.
Mosgrove led the nation in three-point percentage in 2010-11, finishing her senior campaign 78-of-157 from beyond the arc for a 49.7% clip, and won the National Women's 3-Point Shooting Championship in Houston, Texas.
She set UMass records for threes made, three-point percentage and free throw percentage (.864) in 2010-2011 and ranks third all-time for career three-point field goals made (171) and career three-point percentage (.390).
The guard set career highs in every statistical category in her final campaign with the Minutewomen, including points (408) and rebounds (195). She finished second on the squad in scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding average (6.5 rpg). In her four-year career at UMass, Mosgrove totaled 758 points and 336 rebounds.
Tatham Sisters Help Canada To Bronze At FIBA Americas
UMass women's basketball alums Tamara and Alisha Tatham recently helped Team Canada to a bronze medal at the FIBA Americas Tournamen this fall. Canada will now move on to the World Olympic Qualifier in June for a chance to secure a position in the 2012 Olympics.
Canada defeated Cuba, 59-46, in the bronze medal game, aided by six rebounds from Tamara Tatham. She also contributed five points, while Alisha Tatham played five minutes and recorded one blocked shot.
Alisha Tatham has been a member of the Canadian National Team for eight years and has played in 64 international contests. Tamara Tatham has been with Team Canada for six years, appearing in 59 games.
A 2007 graduate, Tamara Tatham plays professionally with the Halle Lions in Halle, Germany. The 6-1 forward finished her career with the Minutewomen 10th all-time in scoring (1,186 points) and ranks in the top-10 for career steals (4th, 190), rebounds (5th, 755), blocks (8th, 115) and free throws (8th, 282), as well.
Tamara's younger sister, Alisha, graduated from UMass in 2008 and appeared in 116 career games with the Minutewomen. She totaled 524 points with 281 rebounds and 147 assists. She currently plays for Point Chaud Sprimont in Belgium. 
