University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass To Begin The New Year At St. Bonaventure Saturday
December 31, 2014 | Women's Basketball
| University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes | |
| Game 13 | Massachusetts (6-6, 0-0) at St. Bonaventure (10-3, 0-0) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, January 3, 2015 | 1:00 p.m. |
| Location | Reilly Center (5,480) | St. Bonaventure, N.Y. |
| Live Statistics | Presto Sports (provided by St. Bonaventure) |
| Watch Live | Atlantic 10 Digital Network (provided by St. Bonaventure) |
| Radio Broadcast | WMUA 91.1 FM |
| Series History | St. Bonaventure leads, 30-23. Last meeting: St. Bonaventure 88, UMass 66; Feb. 8, 2014 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | St. Bonaventure |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | St. Bonaventure |
| Social Media | @UMassAthletics  | @UMassWBB
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| Buy Tickets | Available through St. Bonaventure Ticket Center or 716-375-2500 |
Scouting St. Bonaventure Women's Basketball
St. Bonaventure holds a 10-3 overall mark with wins in nine of its last 10 games entering play against UMass on Saturday, Jan. 3. It marks the first Atlantic 10 Conference game for both sides.
Katie Healy, who recorded her 1,000th career point against Georgetown on Dec. 22, 2014, paces the Bonnies with 13.7 points per game. She is shooting 45.0 percent from the floor (59-of-131) and is 60-of-83 at the foul line (72.3 percent). Nyla Reuter is the only additional St. Bonaventure competitor averaging at least 10 points per game. Reuter contributes 11.4 points on average and is a consistent threat from outside as she is 22-for-63 on three-point attempts (34.9 percent). Hannah Little leads the squad in rebounding with 7.1 boards per game and has the most blocks among Bonnies with 17. Healy follows closely with 6.1 rebounds and 16 stuffs.
Jim Crowley is in his 19th season coaching St. Bonaventure women's basketball overall and 15th year as the program leader. The Bonnies are 219-210 under his direction, including a 142-70 record (.670 win percentage) during the last seven seasons, including the current year. He was an assistant for the squad from 1993-96 and the associate head coach during the 1999-2000 season.
Last Meeting: St. Bonaventure 88, UMass 66; Feb. 8, 2014
After UMass trailed by just nine points at the half, St. Bonaventure grew its lead to 29 in the final frame and eventually defeated UMass, 88-66, at the Mullins Center on Feb. 8, 2014.
The UMass effort was highlighted by a career best fight in the paint from Kim Pierre-Louis recording 26 points and falling just a rebound shy of a double-double. Jasmine Harris was the only other Minutewoman to score in double digits for the Minutewomen as she recorded 10 points.
UMass would manage to keep the game close until a 6-0 run by St. Bonaventure extended the lead to 11 at the three-minute, 42-second mark. A combined nine points between Nyla Reuter and Hannah Little kept the Minutewomen at bay and gave the Bonnies their nine-point lead at the half.
Pierre-Louis pulled the Minutewomen within 48-41 with 17:13 left, but a 10-point St. Bonaventure run silenced the comeback effort and pushed the Bonnies in front, 58-41 less than three minutes later. UMass was unable to pulled with 14 points of the visitors the rest of the way.
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.
Quick Look: Massachusetts 78, Boston University 57
Kim Pierre-Louis scored a career-high 33 points and Kymber Hill added a personal-best-tying 14 more as UMass raced by Boston University, 78-57 on Sunday, Dec. 28.
Pierre-Louis' performance on offense ranks tied for fifth in most points scored in one game at UMass and it marks the most tallied since Melissa Gurile had 38 against Providence on Dec. 11, 1993. Pierre-Louis also put in the fifth-most free throws in one game (13) and had a double-double as she also led both sides with 14 rebounds, a season high. Rashida Timbilla provided 12 rebounds, five assists, four points and two steals while Hill added six rebounds and finished 6-for-8 on field goals and 2-of-2 at the foul line.
Massachusetts used its shooting performance to turn an early 11-6 hole into a 17-point lead with three minutes, 26 seconds to play in the first half, supported by Pierre-Louis' 15 points in only 10 minutes on the floor during the frame. The Ottawa, Ontario, native was 5-for-6 from the floor and 5-of-6 on free throws while the Minutewomen shot 58.6 percent on field goals as a team in the frame.
However, UMass did not score after Amber Dillon's layup with 3:26 left in the first. The Terriers used the drought to put up the final five points of the frame and closed within 44-27 at the break. Massachusetts responded with an 8-2 surge during the start of the second half and Boston University was unable to close the gap below 16 points during the rest of the game.
Pierre-Louis Pours In 33
Kim Pierre-Louis led UMass to its 78-57 victory at Boston University with a career-high 33 points. It marked the most scored by a Minutewoman in a single game since Melissa Gurile had 38 versus Providence on Dec. 11, 1993 and tied her for the fifth-highest total ever recorded by UMass.
Pierre-Louis scored her 33 via a 10-of-15 performance from the floor and 13-of-14 day at the foul line. Her made free throws total stands as the fifth-most in one game in program history. It was her first game with 30 or more points at the collegiate level.
Creating Extra Possessions
UMass forced opponents into 201 turnovers during the opening 12 games of the season for an average of 16.8 per game. The Minutewomen forced as many turnovers per game twice in recent program history when the team averaged 18.4 turnovers created in each contest during 2001-02 and also nearly averaged 17.0 per game during the 2003-04 campaign with 16.9 that year.
Pierre-Louis Picked For Atlantic 10 Player Of The Week
Kim Pierre-Louis earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors on Monday, as announced by the conference office. The award marks the first such for Pierre-Louis. She earned the laurel after the Ottawa, Ontario, native recorded a 33-point, 14-rebound performance in the 78-57 win at Boston University on Sunday, Dec. 28.
Pierre-Louis scored her 33 via a 10-for-15 day from the floor and 13-of-14 performance at the foul line. The points total is tied for fifth in program history for most in one game and went as the highest single-game total by a Minutewoman since Melissa Gurile had 38 versus Providence on Dec. 11, 1993.
The last Minutewoman to earn Atlantic 10 Player of the Week was Jasmine Watson on Nov. 12, 2012.
Keeping An Expanded Rotation
Sharon Dawley used all 12 players eligible to compete during 2014-15 in six of the 12 games played so far and 10 of the dozen in each contest.
Eight players average at least 10 minutes per game, led by Rashida Timbilla's 34.0 in each contest. Alyssa Lawrence is redshirting the 2014-15 as per NCAA transfer policy and is the only competitor on the 13-person roster not eligible to compete this year as a result.
Doubled Up On Points & Rebounds
Rashida Timbilla leads all active Minutewomen with 13 double-doubles, including three during the 2014-15 season. She also had seven as a freshman in 2012-13 and followed up with three more during her 2013-14 sophomore campaign.
Kim Pierre-Louis follows with eight earned during her career, including three on the current year. Kymber Hill joined the duo with her first double-double on 10 points and as many rebounds at North Texas on Nov. 21.
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 24 games with the Minutewomen.
The Same Starting Five
UMass used the same starting five in each of its 11 games so far in 2014-15. Leah McDerment serves as the point guard, Cierra Dillard is the shooting guard, Rashida Timbilla holds down the No. 3 spot as a combo guard/forward, Kim Pierre-Louis start at forward (No. 4) and Kymber Hill is the center.
UMass is the only Atlantic 10 Conference teams to use the same starting five in each game this season.
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.
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
In the six team wins this season, Kim Pierre-Louis leads UMass with 23.5 points over 27.7 minutes averaged per game. She is 55-for-95 from the floor (57.8 percent) with 53 rebounds (8.8 per game), 11 steals, 10 assists and seven blocks during those victories.
Finding Their Friends Is Key
In the six victories this season, UMass averages 16.3 assists per game on 25.0 made field goals in each contest. That gives the squad a dish on 65.2 percent of field goals made on average during each win. However, during the six losses, the Minutewomen only distribute 10.0 assists on 20.0 shots converted (50.0 percent).