University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutewomen End Hospitality Hill Challenge With Florida State
November 22, 2014 | Women's Basketball
| University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes | |
| Game 5 | Massachusetts (2-2) vs. [RV/RV] Florida State (3-0) |
| Date | Time | Sunday, November 23, 2014 | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | The Super Pit (10,500) | Denton, Texas |
| Live Statistics | GameTracker |
| Radio Broadcast | WMUA 91.1 FM |
| Series History | This is the first meeting in the series. |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | Florida State (available shortly) |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Florida State |
| Social Media | @UMassAthletics  | @UMassWBB
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| Buy Tickets | Available through UMassAthletics.com or 866-862-7784 |
Scouting Florida State Women's Basketball
Florida State, which is receiving votes in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches top-25 polls, started the year with three consecutive victories. The Seminoles defeated UAB, 92-62, Bethune-Cookman, 103-34 and Eastern Illinois, 91-55.
Four from Florida State score in double-figures, led by Adut Bulgak's 18.3 points per game. Maegan Conwright adds 17.0, Ivey Slaughter provides 12.0 a game and Shakayla Thomas rounds out the quarter with 10.7 points per appearance. As a team, the Seminoles average 95.3 points per game while they only allow 50.3 to the opposition.
Sue Semrau is in her 18th season as the Florida State head coach and is FSU's all-time winningest program leader with a 319-213 overall record. Semrau led the team to an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance in 2009-10 while the team has gone dancing 10 times during her tenure, including nine trips in the last decade.
Last season, Florida State finished 21-12 overall and earned a trip to the NCAA Second Round as a No. 10 seed. The Seminoles upset No. 7 Iowa State, 55-44 in their opening game before they dropped a 63-44 decision to No. 2 seed Stanford.
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.
Coming Home
Emily Mital makes her return to her home state of Texas during the Hospitality Hill Challenge, hosted at the University of North Texas. Mital hails from Frisco, Texas, which is approximately 26 miles West of UNT's campus in Denton, Texas.
Mital was a four-year starter at the point and shooting guard for Frisco Liberty High School. She led the team in scoring during each of her varsity seasons, was twice named all-Texas and set Frisco Liberty's career records for points, two-point field goals, three-point field goals, free throws and assists.
Hand It Over
Rashida Timbilla stole the ball from Central Michigan seven times in UMass' near-upset of the preseason Mid-American Conference favorites and reigning MAC regular season champions on Nov. 16. Her seven steals were two better than her previous best.
It tied Timbilla for the fifth-most on the single game record listing for steals in a contest. Jennifer Butler set the high mark with 10 against Charlotte on Nov. 17, 2000. Timbilla has 88 steals in 61 games (1.4 spg). At her current pace, Timbilla will join the top-20 all-time at UMass in the category late in the current season.
Freshmen Make Big Leap In Game Two
The four UMass freshmen, Cierra Dillard, Leah McDerment, Maggie Mulligan and Ciara Rosten, combined to score 30 points against the Central Michigan defense. This number came after Dillard's seven points at Western Michigan were the only ones scored by the newcomers.
Dillard also led the way at CMU with 16 while McDerment and Rosten followed with five and Mulligan added four points.
These four shot a respectable 41.7 percent from the floor (10-of-24) and went 8-for-11 from the foul line (72.7 percent) against the Chippewas.
Double Up On Points & Rebounds
Rashida Timbilla leads all active Minutewomen with 11 double-doubles, including a 14-point and 12-rebound performance at Central Michigan on Nov. 16, 2014.
She had seven as a freshman in 2012-13 and followed up with three during her 2013-14 sophomore campaign.
Kim Pierre-Louis is follows with earned five during her career, all when she was a junior in 2013-14. Kymber Hill joined the duo with her first double-double on 10 points and as many rebounds at North Texas on Nov. 21.
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
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 61 career games at UMass, including the start of the 2014-15 season, Timbilla has 48 blocks, the 14th-most in program history and only two from tying Yolanda Rayside (50; 1995-99) for 13th.
The Hometown Girl
Junior guard Victoria Stewart is a native of Amherst, Massachusetts, and played scholastically at nearby Amherst-Pelham High School.
Stewart, who walked on to the team as a freshman in 2012-13, earned a scholarship for her hard work, dedication and positive attitude before her sophomore year. For her career, she has appeared in 20 games with the Minutewomen.
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.
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.