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University of Massachusets Athletics
CBS Sports Network To Broadcast UMass-GW Sunday
January 16, 2015 | Women's Basketball
| University of Massachusetts Women's Basketball Game Notes | |
| Game 17 | Massachusetts (8-8 Overall, 2-2 Atlantic 10) vs. [RV/RV] George Washington (15-2, 4-0) |
| Date | Time | Sunday, January 18, 2015 | 2:00 p.m. |
| Location | Mullins Center (9,493) | Amherst, Mass. |
| Live Statistics | GameTracker |
| Television | CBS Sports Network (Ed Cohen & Julianne Viani); check local listings for availability |
| Radio Broadcast | WMUA 91.1 FM |
| Series History | George Washington leads, 38-10. Last meeting: GW 78, Massachusetts 54; Feb. 15, 2014 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | George Washington |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | George Washington |
| Social Media | @UMassAthletics  | @UMassWBB
|
| Buy Tickets | Available through UMass Ticket Central or 866-862-7784 |
Scouting George Washington Women's Basketball
Winner of 13 consecutive games, George Washington brings a 15-2 overall record and 4-0 mark in Atlantic 10 games to the Mullins Center. The Colonials are receiving votes for the USA Today media poll and Associated Press coaches top-20 and they have defeated nine of the 13 foes bested during their current winning streak by at least 10 points.
Jonathan Tsipis is in his third season as the head coach of the program and is one year removed from a 23-11 overall finish and appearance in the WNIT Sweet Sixteen. Tsipis brought experience as an assistant or associate head coach at Cornell (1996-99), Le Moyne College (1999-2000), Elon (2000-02) and Notre Dame (2003-12) to GW.
Jonquel Jones averages a double-double via 15.9 points and 11.7 rebounds per game, both team highs. Caira Washington trails Jones with 12.8 points and 7.9 boards while Kelli Prange scored 10.1 with 6.5 rebounds on average. Overall, the Colonials outscore foes, 73.7-to-59.1 and hold the largest rebounding margin in the conference (+14.6) with 47.4 grabbed per game against only 32.8 boards allowed to the opposition.
Last Meeting: George Washington 78, UMass 54; Feb. 15, 2014
Kim Pierre-Louis and Kiara Bomben scored in double-figures for UMass, but a second half scoring drought and George Washington's success rebounding the ball led to a 78-54 loss. Pierre-Louis netted a team-high 14 points, followed by Bomben's 13. Combined, the duo finished 11-for-20 from the floor.
Trailing 14-11, UMass used three consecutive baskets to earn the three-point advantage. Jasmine Harris drained a jumper before Bomben and Emily Mital hit back-to-back layups to create the 6-0 run. However, spurred on by a 22-15 edge in rebounding, George Washington responded with a 13-2 run to take a 27-19 lead. The Colonials padded their advantage to 34-22 at the break on the strength of their rebounding prowess, as GW held a 26-18 margin on the boards in the first half, including a 9-3 gap on the offensive glass.
The home side opened the second stanza on a 10-0 run to silence any rally attempt for the Minutewomen as UMass did not hit its first field goal of the frame until Bomben's layup at the 17:26 mark.
CBS Sports Network To Show UMass-George Washington Tilt
UMass will host a televised game when George Washington stops by the Mullins Center for a Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015 contest. The game will be shown live on CBS Sports Network with tipoff scheduled for 2 p.m. Since it is on television the game will not be available online through the Atlantic 10 Digital Network.
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 71, La Salle 68; Jan. 15, 2015
UMass improved to 8-8 overall and 2-2 in Atlantic 10 Conference games with a 71-68 victory over La Salle at the Mullins Center on Thursday, Jan. 15. The Minutewomen led by as much as 14 points, but had to stave off a rally by the Explorers for the win.
Kim Pierre-Louis dropped in a game-high 24 points and earned her 10th double-double with 13 rebounds. Cierra Dillard scored 13 points while Rashida Timbilla had a single-game career-high 17 rebounds.
Amber Dillon's final point provided the Minutewomen with the 71-68 margin after she absorbed a foul on the defensive side and hit the second of two free throws with six seconds to play. Micahya Owens hoisted up a desperation three-pointer from well beyond the arc looking to tie, but the shot fell short and clanked harmlessly off the right side of the rim as time expired.
La Salle (10-7, 1-3) put together an 11-point run spanning the halves to cut a 35-21 UMass lead down to 35-32 with 18:19 left in the game. UMass immediately rallied when the game was back within one possession and used a 7-0 streak that put the lead back into double-digits at 42-32.
The comfortable gap was short-lived as the Explorers scored nine of the next 11 points to get back within three, 46-43 after a jumper by Cropper, but Ciara Rosten used one of her four made field goals to extend the gap back to five with 10:47 to go. However, the Minutewomen never let La Salle even the contest despite the lead dropping to one point on two occasions.
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.
She received Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for her record-setting performance.
Rarities In The UMass-Saint Joseph's Series
The 65-47 win at Saint Joseph's marked a few rarities in the series between the sides, including the fewest points allowed to the Hawks (47) since a 42-33 win for the Minutewomen on Jan. 13, 2005, which was 11 games prior in the series.
The victory in Hagan Arena was also the first for the Minutewomen since Jan. 13, 2005, and only the third in the history of the series, which includes 25 games played on Saint Joseph's campus. The other road victory was on Feb. 14, 1998 when UMass won on the road, 55-46 en route to an NCAA Tournament berth.
The 18-point margin of victory also marked the largest winning gap for the Minutewomen against Saint Joseph's overall.
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.
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner
In the eight team wins this season, Kim Pierre-Louis leads UMass with 22.6 points over 28.6 minutes averaged per game. She is 71-for-117 from the floor (60.7 percent) with 76 rebounds (9.5 per game), 12 steals, 11 assists and 10 blocks during those victories.
Scoring Like She Isn't A Freshman
Cierra Dillard is one of three Atlantic 10 freshmen currently ranked among the top-25 scorers across the conference. Rhode Island's Charise Wilson leads the trio with 16.5 points per game. Mackenzie Latt (Davidson) is second at 11.8 scored on average while Dillard ranks third with 11.3 points per game.
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 26 games with the Minutewomen.
The Same Starting Five
UMass used the same starting five in each of its 16 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 team to use the same starting five in each game this season. Through 16 games last season, UMass used 10 different starting lineups with all but the No. 2 spot filled by at least two different 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.
The Buddy System Works
In the eight victories this season, UMass averages 15.4 assists per game on 24.6 made field goals in each contest. That gives the squad a dish on 62.6 percent of field goals made on average during each win. However, during the eight losses, the Minutewomen only distribute 10.9 assists on 20.8 shots converted (52.4 percent).
If You Build It, You Will Win
The Minutewomen won each of the six games they built a lead early and held onto it into the halftime break. Those six games, in order of occurrence, include Maine (halftime: 32-25; final: 68-60), Central Florida (37-36; 30-26), American (26-24; 45-37), Boston University (44-32; 78-57), Saint Joseph's (30-20; 65-47) and La Salle (35-25; 71-68).
