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University of Massachusets Athletics
A-10 Tournament Gets Underway Wednesday Night Versus La Salle
March 01, 2016 | Women's Basketball
It’s the rubber match between the UMass women’s basketball team and the La Salle Explorers as the two teams meet Wednesday night (7 p.m.) in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at the Richmond Coliseum. The game will be streamed live online via the A-10 Digital Network and carried locally on the airwaves thanks to 91.1 FM WMUA.
The Minutewomen enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the league having won five straight games to close the regular season. Despite starting league play with an 0-11 record, seven of those loses were decided by six points or fewer.
Between the Minutewomen and the Explorers, UMass won the most recent match-up, 80-57, which was last Saturday at the Mullins Center. The Explorers won the first meeting in Philadelphia 66-57.
In Saturday’s meeting, UMass saw a balanced scoring attack with five players reaching double figures on the day. Alyssa Lawarence led all players with 19 points, while Cierra Dillard added 17 points. Rashida Timbilla posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Bria Stallworth and Maggie Mulligan each chipped in 11 points in the win.
Dillard has been playing particularly well of late scoring 20-or-more points in four of the last five games. Her backcourt mate of Stallworth finished the regular season as the top scoring freshman in the league.
Timbilla enters the A-10 Championship Tournament on the verge of reaching 1,000 career rebounds. She currently has 998 through 115 career games. She is trying to become just the second player in program history to reach the milestone. On top of that, the senior also ranks 14th nationally in terms of career rebounds among active players.
La Salle closed the season with three straight losses and four of its last five to finish with a 5-24 overall record. The Explorers are led by Amy Griffin’s 17.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Michaya Owens adds 12.9 points, while Adreana Miller is third on the team with a 9.2 point per game average.
The Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament will run March 2-6 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va.
Tickets can be purchased at the Richmond Coliseum sweetFrog box office at 601 E. Leigh Street or online at richmondcoliseum.net. The Atlantic 10 returns to the Richmond Coliseum for the third consecutive year and 2016 marks the fifth time in league history the Championship will be decided on a neutral floor.
First and second round games will be streamed live on the A-10 Network through Atlantic10.com and the A-10 mobile app. Friday’s quarterfinals will be televised on the American Sports Network (ASN) as well as online on the A-10 Network. Saturday’s semifinals will air live at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, while Sunday’s championship finale will be on ESPNU and streamed on WatchESPN at Noon.
