University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Hoops Closes Midwestern Tour At Central Michigan
November 15, 2014 | Women's Basketball
| University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes | |
| Game 2 | Massachusetts (0-1) at Central Michigan (0-0) |
| Date | Time | Sunday, November 16, 2014 | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | McGuirk Arena (5,300) | Mt. Pleasant, Mich. |
| Live Statistics | GameTracker |
| Live Video | CBS College Sports Live (subscription required) |
| Radio Broadcast | WMUA 91.1 FM (Cody Chrusciel & Marc Jean-Louis) |
| Series History | Central Michigan leads, 1-0. Last meeting: Central Michigan 105, UMass 61; Nov. 10, 2013 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | Central Michigan (available shortly) |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Central Michigan |
| Social Media | @UMassAthletics  | @UMassWBB
|
| Buy Tickets | Available through CMUChippewas.com |
Last Meeting: Central Michigan 105, UMass 61; Nov. 10, 2013
Nola Henry scored 16 points and Kymber Hill added 13 points in only her second college game, but UMass fell, 105-61 to Central Michigan on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Henry earned her 16 points on a 3-for-8 day from the floor and 9-of-10 performance at the free throw line. Hill followed with a 7-for-8 finish at the charity stripe while knocking down 3-of-6 field goals. She shared the team lead in rebounds (5) with Paula Tarnachowicz, who also recorded five points and a steal in her first game at UMass.
The Chippewas started strong from the floor to record the initial nine points of the game before building their lead as large as 21 with 12 minutes, seven seconds remaining in the opening half.
Central Michigan expanded upon its lead in the second half as the visitors were 18-of-43 from the floor (41.9 percent), including six three-pointers, and 18-of-20 at the free throw line (90.0 percent).
Scouting Central Michigan Women's Basketball
Coming off of a 20-win season, Central Michigan women's basketball begins its 2014-15 campaign with a Sunday, Nov. 16 contest against UMass. The Chippewas finished last season 20-12 overall, which included a 16-2 mark in Mid-American Conference games. Central Michigan advanced to the WNIT after it dropped a MAC Tournament semifinal result to Akron. The squad returns four of their five starters from a year ago and welcome six newcomers to the team.
Crystal Bradford is back for her senior season with the Chippewas. She led the team in scoring and rebounding last season with 20.3 points and 12.2 boards per game. For her efforts, Bradford was named the MAC Player of the Year, MAC Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference.
Central Michigan had a potent offense in 2013-14 as the squad scored 82.1 points per game, but opponents scored 77.3 on average in each game. The Chippewas controlled the boards for a 45.4-to-42.7 margin in the category on the strength of Bradford and Jas'Mine Bracey's numbers (10.6 rpg) on the glass.
Sue Guevara enters her eighth year at the helm of Chippewa women's basketball in 2014-15. She is 117-105 with the program and 240-187 as a head coach overall including seven seasons spent guiding the Michigan Wolverines.
Home, Conference Contests Available On A-10 Digital Network
UMass women's basketball will have 12 of its 13 home games broadcast online through the Atlantic 10 Digital Network, with Cody Chrusciel providing play-by-play commentary. A link will be accessible in each game preview to direct fans or other interest parties to the subscription page, where the viewer can purchase the plan he or she believes to be appropriate. The lone game that will not be broadcast on the A-10 platform will be available on TV through the CBS Sports Network as CBSSN will air the UMass-George Washington tilt on Jan. 18, 2015.
WMUA 91.1 FM To Broadcast Women's Basketball
Each Massachusetts women's basketball contest during the 2014-15 campaign will be broadcast live on WMUA 91.1 FM. Fans can listen in through the FM radio station locally or catch the game via the online live streaming app, which is free of charge and linked in each game preview as well as on the interactive team schedule.
On Top Of The Tweet Game
Instant information about the University of Massachusetts women's basketball program, including an inside look at key possessions and statistics in each game as well as updates from practice and other team events can be found through the Twitter handle @UMassWBB. Follow the Minutewomen there and catch information about each UMass Athletic Department program through @UMassAthletics.
Mital Good From Afar
One game into her fourth year as a Minutewoman Emily Mital has hit 108 career three-pointers for the Maroon and White, the seventh-most in the history of the program. She needs to make 21 more to pass Kim Benton (2006-10) for sixth all-time.
Her junior season success earned her the spot on UMass' all-time leaderboard for made three-pointers as she went 52-for-142 (36.6 percent) during the campaign. As a sophomore in 2012-13, Mital hit 48 of her 151 tries from long distance (31.8 percent) after she finished 8-of-39 in the category as a freshman (20.5 percent). She is also seventh all-time in three-point field goal attempts (334) while her 52 threes made over the course of the 2013-14 season put her ninth in the single-season rankings.
Griffith Joins Coaching Staff
Yolanda Griffith, a two-time Olympic gold medal-winning member of the U.S. National Team and WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, joined the UMass coaching staff on Sept. 5.
Griffith, a 2014 first ballot inductee into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, played 11 seasons in the WNBA and was the 2005 finals MVP when Sacramento won the WNBA Championship. Most recently, Griffith assisted at Lafayette in 2013-14 after she spent two seasons as a coach on the Dartmouth staff in 2011-13.
Wielgus Named Assistant Coach
Chris Wielgus was elevated from director of operations to assistant coach ahead of the 2014-15 season. Wielgus served as the director of operations during 2013-14 and has 30 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level.
Wielgus was the women's basketball coach at Dartmouth for 28 years (1976-84; 1993-2013), where she led the Big Green to seven NCAA Tournament appearances and two WNIT berths. She also coached the Fordham Rams to 37 victories over a two-season span from 1991-93 and has 436 victories as a collegiate head coach in total.
Olson To Fill Operations Role
Kellie Olson took over as the women's basketball director of operations Sept. 4, 2014. Olson brought a wealth of experience within the corporate realm to the position as she has worked for UPS as an accounts executive and UMass Athletics with the Learfield Sports Marketing team.
Olson competed for the Stetson women's basketball program from 2006-08 after two seasons at Mesa Junior College. Following completion of her competitive career, Olson stayed involved in basketball as an official. She has refereed games since 2010, including ECAC Division III (2012) and Northeast-10 Division II (2013) contests.
She is the granddaughter of legendary Arizona men's basketball head coach and NCAA Champion Lute Olson.
Turning Them Aside
Now-junior guard and forward Rashida Timbilla ranked among the conference leaders in blocked shots per game in 2013-14. Timbilla accumulated a team-leading 25 stuffs over 28 appearances for an average of 0.9 per game, the 12th-most in the Atlantic 10.
Through 58 career games played with the Minutewomen, Timbilla has 47 blocks, the 14th-most in program history and only three from tying Yolanda Rayside (1995-99) for 13th.
Mital, The Scholar
Senior guard Emily Mital received a pair of Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll awards during 2013-14. Mital, a kinesiology major and a member of the University of Massachusetts Dean's List, was also chosen for the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll following the Spring 2013 semester to give her three nods to the two-per-year academic listing in four semesters eligible for it.
Dialed In From Distance
Emily Mital provided a consistent presence from beyond the arc as a junior in 2013-14 as she hit 36.6 percent of her attempts from long distance (52-of-142), the ninth-highest percentage in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
She was one of only 11 league competitors to make at least 36.0 percent of her attempts and qualify for the top-15 in three-point field goal percentage. Mital was also 12th in the Atlantic 10 for made three-point field goals per game (1.7).
Improving Accuracy
Emily Mital has improved her three-point conversion rate over each of her three seasons at UMass. She connected on 20.5 percent as a freshman (8-of-39), was 48-for-151 as a sophomore (31.8 percent) and hit 36.6 percent of her treys (52-of-142) in 2013-14.
Including the start of her senior year, Mital is 106-of-334 on treys as a Minutewoman (31.7 percent). It is the seventh-most made threes in program history and 20 shy of tying Kim Benton (2006-10) for sixth-most.
The Canadian Connection
UMass women's basketball has had eight Canadian players compete for the program in the history of the squad including Kim Pierre-Louis and Rashida Timbilla.
The list also included sisters Alisha Tatham (2004-08) and Tamara Tatham (2004-07), Cleo Foster (2001-04), Carolann Cloutier (2011-13), JoAnn Dupuis (1985-87) and Stephanie Lawrence (2007-11). The Minutewomen have had at least one Canadian-born player on their roster for each of the previous 13 seasons dating back to Foster's arrival in Amherst ahead of the 2001 campaign.