University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
4-4
American
3-4
Dillard, Pierre-Louis Guide UMass Past American, 71-61
December 06, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2014
AMHERST, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team topped American University, 71-61 during a Saturday matinee at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. Kim Pierre-Louis paced the Minutewomen with 22 points in 23 minutes as the senior forward went 10-for-17 from the floor and 2-2 at the line. Pierre-Louis also led all players with 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season and helped Massachusetts own a 40-23 advantage on the boards.
Freshman Cierra Dillard added a career-best 18 points. She was 6-of-12 on field goals with a 5-for-6 afternoon at the charity stripe. Rashida Timbilla just missed a triple-double with nine rebounds, eight points and a personal-best eight assists.
Jen Dumiak played all 40 minutes for American and paced the Eagles with 24 points. Michelle Holmes chipped in 12 points.
"The defensive intensity was so high today and the game was played at such a pace that we were winded even with the team being in good shape," said head coach Sharon Dawley of UMass' performance against American three days after the team faced Harvard on Wednesday evening. "Players had to come off of the bench and step up because we were not going to be American without their fresh legs."
With the clock ticking down toward halftime, Dillard fired in her first made field goal of the game. Her three-pointer with two seconds on the clock pushed UMass ahead, 26-24 heading into the break and the Minutewomen would not trail the remainder of the game.
"There is a big different in the game from the high school to the college level," Dillard said. "But I have great teammates on this team and they have made this adjustment better for me. They help give me the confidence on the floor to be successful."
Massachusetts (4-4 overall) pushed its advantage as large as 16 during the final frame as the Minutewomen shot 16-of-30 from the floor (53.3 percent) and made 11-of-15 free throws (73.3 percent). The Minutewomen also kept up their tenacious defense in the second half and forced three shot-clock violations in the opening ten minutes as a result, while the squad forced 14 American turnovers, including three on steals by Timbilla.
"When I am aggressive all other parts of my game come naturally," said Timbilla. "Today I was able to get to the basket, complete a nice pass or get into a good position to grab a rebound. Being aggressive was the key."
After the lead dipped to one point following a Dumiak layup with 16 minutes, 13 second left to play, Massachusetts put together a 9-0 run to earn its first double-digit advantage, 43-33. Dillard spearheaded the stretch with seven of the points, including an and-one play to cap the streak.
Dumiak ended the UMass run with another layup, but the Minutewomen responded with a Pierre-Louis bucket and Alyx Stiff three-pointer from the left wing to push the advantage to 50-35 at the 10:22 mark. Massachusetts did not see its lead slip below nine points during the remainder of the play.
After falling behind quickly, 6-0, due to a pair of American three-pointers, Mital made a triple of her own while Pierre-Louis and Timbilla scored a basket each in the paint to bring the score to within one, 8-7. Pierre-Louis added two more quick layups to give the Minutewomen their first lead midway through the half.
The game swayed back and forth throughout the remainder of the half as neither team built a lead larger than five points. Pierre-Louis put UMass up 15-10 on a layup with 9:06 left in the stanza, but an 8-1 run by American erased the advantage and swayed the game in favor of the visitors briefly.
American shot 41.5 percent overall (22-of-53), but the Minutewomen answered with a 26-of-56 day from the floor (46.4 percent). The Maroon and White hit five of their 10 three-pointers and limited the Eagles to a 4-for-20 performance from afar. American was perfect at the free throw line as they hit all 13 attempts. UMass was 14-for-24 (58.3 percent) at the charity stripe.
The Minutewomen will close out their homestand on Sunday, Dec. 14 when they take on the Holy Cross Crusaders at 2 p.m. Tickets are available via UMassAthletics.com/tickets or 866-862-7784.
