University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Holds Midweek Meeting With Harvard Wednesday
December 01, 2014 | Women's Basketball
| University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes | |
| Game 7 | Massachusetts (3-3) vs. Harvard (3-3) |
| Date | Time | Wednesday, December 3, 2014 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | William D. Mullins Memorial Center (9,493) | Amherst, Mass. |
| Live Statistics | GameTracker |
| Live Video | Atlantic 10 Digital Network |
| Radio Broadcast | WMUA 91.1 FM |
| Series History | Massachusetts leads, 12-7. Last meeting: Harvard 85, Massachusetts 59; Jan. 2, 2013 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | Harvard |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Harvard |
| Social Media | @UMassAthletics  | @UMassWBB
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| Buy Tickets | Available through UMassAthletics.com or 866-862-7784 |
Scouting Harvard Women's Basketball
Harvard women's basketball won three of its opening six games and is situated at 3-3 overall entering the squad's game at the Mullins Center. The Crimson alternated wins and losses so far with victories over Colgate, Quinnipiac and Holy Cross and defeats to Boston University, No. 3 nationally ranked Notre Dame and Temple.
Temi Fagbenle leads the team in scoring with 16.0 points per game and averages a double-double as she also pulls down 13.2 rebounds in each contest. Two additional Crimson standouts pour in 13.3 points per game respectively in Annmarie Healy and Erin McDonnell; however, Harvard has been outscored on average, 75.5-to-68.0 through six contests.
A veteran in the women's basketball coaching realm and longtime leader of the Harvard Crimson, Kathy Delaney-Smith is in her 33rd year as the head coach of the program. Delaney-Smith is the winningest head coach in Ivy League history and holds a 521-350 overall record. She led Harvard to NCAA appearances in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2007 with NIT berths during five additional campaigns.
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.
Pierre-Louis' Steady Start
Kim Pierre-Louis has scored in double-figures in five of UMass' six games so far this year, with a season-best 22 versus Central Florida in the comeback win. She averages 15.2 scored per game to lead the Minutewomen and rank seventh in the A-10 through games on Sunday, Nov. 30.
Timbilla Among All-Time Rebounders
With an appearance vs. St. Bonaventure on Feb. 8, 2014, Rashida Timbilla played in her 50th game with at UMass, the minimum required to be eligible for the program's top-20 for rebounding average. Timbilla averages 7.9 boards per appearance (497), tied for the fourth-highest in program history with Octavia Thomas (7.9; 1992-96).
Timbilla led the Minutewomen in rebounding during both of her completed collegiate campaigns. She had 241 over 29 games as a freshman and provided 207 in 28 appearances during 2013-14.
The Ottawa, Ontario, native has 49 rebounds through six games as a junior for an average of 8.2 per contest.
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 follows with 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.
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 63 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 22 games with the Minutewomen.
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
In the three team wins this season, Kim Pierre-Louis leads UMass with 19.7 points over 29.0 minutes averaged per game. She is 24-for-43 from the floor (55.8 percent) with 18 rebounds, eight steals and four assists during those three victories.
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.
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.