Dec. 8, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. -
The UMass women's basketball team will play its final two home games of the 2011 calendar year this weekend, beginning on Friday night, Dec. 9, when the Minutewomen will play host to Providence at 7 p.m. in the Mullins Center. UMass is currently 1-7 on the season, while the Friars are 4-5. Watch Friday's game on UMass All-Access or CBS 3 Now or listen on WMUA 91.1 FM. Cody Chrusciel and Ryan X. Murray will call the action.
Scouting Providence
Providence enters Friday's game against the Minutewomen with a record of 4-5 overall and 0-1 in the BIG EAST.
In their most recent contest on Wednesday night, the Friars fell to Villanova, 69-42, at home in their conference opener. In the loss, former Minutewoman Teya Wright contributed her seventh double-double of the season, chipping in 17 points and 14 rebounds while matching a career high with four steals.
The Friars have been a team of streaks this season. After dropping their first three contests of the season, they won four straight. The Friars enter Friday's game at UMass having lost back-to-back games.
Wright, a redshirt senior, leads the Friars in both scoring (15.6 ppg) and rebounding (11.2 rebounds per game). Fellow senior Rachel Barnes ranks second on the team in scoring (10.6 ppg)
UMass Against Current BIG EAST Teams (39-88)
Cincinnati (0-0)
UConn (14-9)
DePaul (0-0)
Georgetown (0-0
Louisville (0-0)
Marquette (0-0)
Notre Dame (0-1)
Pittsburgh (0-1)
Providence (7-11)
Rutgers (2-25)
St. John's (3-9)
Seton Hall (1-3)
South Florida (0-1)
Syracuse (2-6)
Villanova (2-3)
West Virginia (8-19)
Series History
Friday's game will be the 19th meeting all-time between UMass and Providence, a series that began on Jan. 29, 1977 with an 84-56 victory by the Minutewomen. The Friars have taken four straight against UMass, with the Minutewomen's last win in the series coming on Dec. 1, 2004 in Providence.
Last Time Against Providence
The UMass women's basketball team was unable to overcome cold shooting in the first half in a 71-48 setback at Providence on Nov. 14, 2010.
The UMass freshmen combined for half of the team's point total on the afternoon, paced by Talen Watson's squad-best 11, which included a perfect 3-for-3 performance from beyond the arc. Abbey Lalime had six points in her collegiate debut, while Sara English chipped in five points and five rebounds. Kelly Robinson saw her first action in a Minutewoman uniform, as well.
Senior Cerie Mosgrove scored in double figures for a second straight game with 10 and corralled a team-high six rebounds. Sophomore Shakia Robinson had six points and five rebounds.
Providence never trailed in the contest as Lola Wells hit a layup at 18:45 to begin the scoring. Shakia Robinson's basket at the 13:36 mark brought UMass within two at 7-5, but the team hit just two more shots from the field in the half, going 4-for-28 (14.3%). A three from Miranda Tate at 9:48 put the Friars up by double figures for the first time and the squad took a 29-14 lead into the locker room at the intermission.
The Minutewomen could draw no closer in the second half, despite shooting 39.3% (11-for-28) in the period. UMass finished the contest 15-for-56 (26.8%) overall, 5-for-18 (27.8%) from three and 13-for-21 (61.9%) at the free throw line. The Friars shot 23-for-61 (37.7%) from the floor, were 9-for-21 (42.9%) from beyond the arc and 16-for-28 (57.1%) at the charity stripe.
Last Time: Second Half Surge Lifts BC Over Minutewomen, 80-64
The UMass women's basketball team had its fewest turnovers since 2007, but Boston College's control of the glass carried the Eagles past the Minutewomen, 80-64 on Wednesday evening at Conte Forum.
Junior Jasmine Watson scored in double figures for a seventh straight game, pacing UMass with 15 points, while also grabbing five rebounds. It was her 38th time in double figures in her career and fourth time leading the Minutewomen in scoring this season. Watson and/or Shakia Robinson have led UMass in scoring in all but one game this season.
Robinson followed with 14 points and dished four assists, scoring in double figures for a second straight game. She leads the Minutewomen in scoring on the year with 12.9 points per-game.
Senior Emilie Teuscher chipped in 12 points and a team-high seven boards, sinking 4-of-8 from beyond the arc to match a career high in threes made. She finished one shy of her career high in points and led the Minutewomen in rebounding for the second time this season.
Senior Megan Zullo had 11 points and three assists, scoring in double figures for a second consecutive game It was her 27th time in double figures. She now has 300 assists for her career (combined N.C. State and UMass) and is 15th in UMass history with 235 helpers in her time as a Minutewoman.
Redshirt sophomore Carolann Cloutier had five assists against the Eagles, her fifth five or more assists game of the year. She is tied for third in the Atlantic 10 with an average of 4.5 assists per-game.
UMass had less than 10 turnovers for the first time since Jan. 22, 2007 vs. La Salle. The team had nine against the Eagles, the same total as against the Explorers nearly five years ago.
The Minutewomen tied a season high with seven three-point field goals made at Boston College, (7-for-18, 38.9%)
Four UMass players scored in double figures for the third time this season (previously at Holy Cross & Quinnipiac).
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 598 career points, 232 assists and is 139-for-368 (.378) beyond the arc. She is currently ranked fourth on the UMass career list in three-point field goals made (139), fifth in three-point percentage and assist average (3.5), and sixth 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 709 career points (12.0 ppg), 403 rebounds (6.8 rpg) and 88 blocks. At Rhode Island this past January, Watson scored a career-best 27 points.
Watson, the 2009-10 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, begins her junior season 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 guard Emily Mital, freshman forwards Ronni Grandison, 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.
Pair Of Telecasts 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 matchups against Maine on Dec. 11 and 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. 
