The UMass women's basketball team put forth a strong effort, but a late St. Bonaventure run helped the nationally-ranked #25 Bonnies hold off the Minutewomen, 69-54 at the Mullins Center on Wednesday.
After breaking between semesters, the UMass Women's basketball radio show returns this evening at 5:00 on WMUA 91.1 FM. Be sure to listen to hear the latest on the Minutewomen from head coach Sharon Dawley.
Coming off a bye weekend, UMass is back in action this Wednesday, Jan. 25, at Duquesne. Tip-off in Pittsburgh will be at 7 p.m.
In today's Republican, Dick Baker has a midseason review of the UMass women's basketball team's progress in the squad's second season under head coach Sharon Dawley.
The Minutewomen, who are in action this afternoon at the UVA Cavalier Classic facing Elon at 4:30 p.m., are currently on a three-game winning streak and sit at 4-8 on the year.
"While the program progress may not appear rapid under Dawley, it's been clearly identifiable. She already has four new recruits for next season, and improving on last year's 3-11 conference mark this season seems quite likely.
Her knowledge of the game cannot be questioned, and it's clear the former outstanding Vermont coach has a plan. The elevator may be going up at a filled-hotel- elevator speed, but it's going up while making the necessary stop at each floor."
With the women's basketball team in action on the road tonight at Boston College at 7 p.m., Eric Mansfield has this sidebar in today's Daily Collegian:
The Massachusetts women's basketball team, while on a six-game slide, has been keeping the early season non-conference games relatively close, losing four of its six games by five points or less.
Other than a blowout loss on the road to Miami (Ohio), UMass has been within striking distance of all of its opponents, the closest of which was a three-point loss to Central Connecticut at home in overtime on Nov. 16.
Minutewomen coach Sharon Dawley, while disappointed that the team hasn't come away with one of these close games, made it clear that she has been encouraged by her team's performance.
Michael Counos and David Martin preview tonight's women's basketball game against CCSU. UMass is coming off a season opening, 55-49, victory over Boston University last Sunday.
"The Massachusetts women's basketball team will look to win its second straight game at home when it takes on Central Connecticut State on Wednesday night at the Mullins Center," writes Counos.
"More impressive, however, is how well the two maintained their team's sense of confidence and determination to win, as the Terriers came back from several double-digit deficits to pull within striking distance late in the second half," writes Martin.
Tonight's game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center.
Congratulations to head coach Sharon Dawley and the women's basketball team on the squad's season opening victory over Boston University on Sunday, 55-49 at the Mullins Center. Be sure to check out the weekly radio show tonight, which airs on WMUA, 91.1 FM at 5 p.m. and can also be heard online.
As the 2010-11 school year wound down, Carolann Cloutier faced a difficult decision as she plotted her upcoming summer.
After sitting out the season at the University of Massachusetts under NCAA transfer rules, Cloutier could return home to Montreal and compete in the Canada Basketball Women's Elite Performance Program to further her hopes of someday being an Olympian, or stay in Amherst and try to help the Minutewomen get better.
Cloutier chose to stay. Projected as the Minutewomen's starting point guard, the sophomore wanted to work with her UMass teammates in hopes of being ready to take on the leadership role required of the position.
"I think I made the right decision," Cloutier said. "I got to know them and definitely got the trust from them. ... You want to be a leader, but you don't want to force it. You have to get to know the girls first and get chemistry before you can lead."
Read more of Matt Vautour's feature on Cloutier here.
This past weekend, the UMass women's basketball was out and about in the community, participating in the Walk To End Alzheimer's at Holyoke Community College.
The news of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt's recent diagnosis of early onset dementia shocked and saddened the sports world, including UMass women's coach Sharon Dawley. Dawley, who considers Summitt a role model, gave her reaction to Tricia Taskey of ABC 40:
The UMass women's basketball team recently made a trip off campus to take part in a ropes course here in Amherst. Check out the video of the experience:
Over the weekend, Dick Baker led off his Local College notebook with a piece on the newest addition to the UMass women's basketball team, Kiara Bomben.
"University of Massachusetts women's basketball head coach Sharon Dawley took over last year, promising to build the program for the future.

And she's already starting on the 2012-13 season.
Dawley has signed an interesting recruit in 5-11 forward Kiara Bomben from Australia, who is transferring in from Florida Gulf Coast University, a team which boasted a 28-4 record last season."
Installment No. 4 of the Daily Hampshire Gazette's summer series "Where Are They Now" is standout women's basketball point guard Kathy Coyner.
Anyone that saw her play knew Kathy Coyner had a high hoop IQ. But she's put her brain to even better use off the court. UMass' former standout point guard is now a surgeon and the latest addition to the summer's "Where Are They No?" feature on this blog.
Lots of UMass birthdays from the weekend and today! Jasmine Watson of the women's basketball team celebrated on Saturday, while Erika Unger of the track team enjoyed her day yesterday.
On Monday, make sure to say happy birthday to Mike Lee of the football team, Ryan Hollenbaugh of the men's lacrosse team and Christine Cutry of the field hockey team.
It's not an automatic, but in rare cases the NCAA will grant
a sixth year of eligibility to a student-athlete, and that was the desired
decision this week for University
of Massachusetts women's
basketball guard Megan Zullo.
Zullo, who averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 assists last season while setting a
team record with 1,136 minutes played, will return to the Minutewomen for the
2011-12 campaign.
Normally a student's athletic eligibility is four seasons, but sometimes the
student is offered the opportunity to redshirt for a year to spread that
eligibility over five years. But the NCAA may also grant a sixth year of
eligibility, only if a player has missed two seasons because of an injury or
circumstances beyond a player's control.
UMass Winter Scholar-Athlete Luncheon - Cerie Mosgrove, Sean Busch. Speeches by Female honoree Cerie Mosgrove (women's basketball), Associate Head Coach Steve Lanpher, Professor Glenn Wong and Track & Field Coach Ken O'Brien. Busch was unable to attend.
Senior Cerie Mosgrove of the women's basketball team and senior Sean Busch of the men's track & field squad have been named the 2011 UMass Winter Scholar-Athletes. The duo will be honored at the UMass Sports Luncheon today, Apr. 6, at Room 1009 of the Campus Center at 12:15 p.m.
Also, the UMass Athletes of the Week will be recognized: Sara Plourde of the softball team, who was also named the National Player of the Week and Katie Ferris of the women's lacrosse squad, who tallied 12 points in two wins for No. 11 UMass.
It was between games Saturday at the men's Final Four, the lights were no longer shining in her eyes, and the basketball court was at a safe distance. She was a relaxed spectator, not a pins-and-needles participant.
Only 48 hours earlier, senior Cerie Mosgrove of the University of Massachusetts women's basketball team was the center of attention, the camera cords dragging along the floor in front of her shooting stations with the camera lens seemingly staring a nose-length from her outstretched shooting arms - kind of like Hal the computer in "2001: A Space Odyssey."
Read more of Dick Baker's feature on MassLive.com.
Massachusetts Minutewomen basketball star Cerie Mosgrove just gave fans of
UMass basketball a reason to celebrate. I'll admit at the outset, pinning the
emotions of UMass students and alumni frustrated with the state of the school's
basketball program all on one player might be a bit much. Nevertheless, any
cause for celebration is precious indeed considering the last few losing
seasons.
Stubbornly loyal alumni like me need any silver lining we can find when it
comes to redeeming the Massachusetts Minutemen and Minutewomen. At the very
least, Cerie Mosgrove's recent win at the National 3-point Championship amounts
to the single best bit of news to come out of UMass basketball in recent memory.
The full rosters for the 23rd annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships have been announced
UMass' Cerie Mosgrove will be competing against Kelsey Bolte of Iowa State, Brittany Johnson of Ohio State; Tatiyiana McMorris of Marquette, Sam Quigley of DePaul, Jaleesa Ross of Fresno State, Brittney Scott of University of Houston and Courtney Ward of Florida State tonight on ESPN2 at 9 p.m.
The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team may not be playing in the NCAA tournament, but one of its players is headed to the Final Four.
Senior Cerie Mosgrove is one of only eight women's basketball players nationally to be selected to participate in the Women's 3-point Shooting Championship, which will be held March 31 at the University of Houston's Hofheinz Pavillion. She is part of a men's and women's total roster of 24 players who will compete in this year's State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-point championships, which is annually held in the Final Four city of the men's tournament. There are eight women three-point shooters, eight men three-point shooters, and eight dunkers. The event will be televised across the country on ESPN2 from 9 - 11 p.m.
Mosgrove, nicknamed the Sniper, was an astounding 78 for 157 from three-point range this season for a .497 percentage. She currently leads the nation in that category.
The collegiate careers of Megan Zullo, Cerie Mosgrove and
Stephanie Lawrence came to a close Thursday when the University
of Massachusetts women's basketball
team lost 77-66 to Charlotte in the first round
of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at the Tsongas
Center.
"It's pretty weird" that this is the end, said
Mosgrove. "It's a little bittersweet but mostly not ready for it. It's
sad. We wish we could have gone longer, it's been a fun year."
For University of Massachusetts women's basketball coach Sharon
Dawley, this weekend's Atlantic 10 Tournament represents an opportunity.
"We have a weekend where we have a chance to end on a better note,"
said Dawley, who is wrapping up her first year leading the Minutewomen.
"Let's end on a note that we can look back on when we're running hills
and lifting weights. You always want to look back on a positive memory.
I want the last thing we look back on is playing well in the
tournament."
The No. 12-seeded Minutewomen (7-22, 3-13) play No. 5 Charlotte
(21-8) at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, which is hosting
the event. Charlotte was one of five teams that finished 9-5 in A-10
play.
The father of UMass women's basketball coach Sharon Dawley passed away on Monday, Feb. 7. Here is the obituary with service information.
David "Gramps" Dawley of Revere on February 7th. Beloved husband of Ginger (Murphy). Devoted father of Kathleen Dawley and her husband Peter Smokowski of Sudbury, Brian and his wife Mary Ellen of Revere and Sharon Dawley of Amherst. Loving grandfather of David, Patrick and Daniel Dawley all of Revere. Dear brother of James Dawley of Revere and Peter Dawley of Saugus. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Funeral from the Paul Buonfiglio & Sons-Bruno Funeral Home 128 Revere St Revere on Friday February 11th at 9:30 am. Funeral Mass in the Immaculate Conception Church at 10:30 am. Relatives and friends are kindly invited. Visiting hours will be Thursday 4-8 pm. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Friends of Camp Fatima Trust Fund PO Box 206 Gilmanton Iron Works NH 03837. Late member Knights of Columbus Council 179. David was an avid fan of sports particularly women's collegiate Basket Ball. Interment Woodlawn Cemetery.
Check out the preview of Saturday's game vs. Charlotte by Michael Counos of the Daily Collegian. The contest is set of 2 p.m. in the Mullins Center and will feature the program's annual Pink Zone Day event, which helps raise breast cancer awareness.
Also in today's Collegian, David Martin has this nice sidebar on Cerie Mosgrove's contributions to the Minutewomen squad this season.
The UMass campus is closed, but the women's basketball game slated for tonight at 7 p.m. against Duquesne is still slated to be played as scheduled. Doors will be open for free admission for all of those who brave the weather to come cheer on the Minutewomen.
If there is one thing Kate Mills has learned from playing professional basketball overseas, it's how to adjust.
On Jan. 10, Mills was traded from a Portuguese team to one in Madrid. The deal had little to do with Mills' performance. She had been averaging 15 points and seven rebounds per game.
"During the Christmas break, the team hired a Portuguese point guard, who played in the WNBA," said Mills. "The coaching staff felt that with this new addition the team needed to make some changes with personnel. When I came back from Christmas break I was still able to practice with the team every day, but no longer participated in games. [They] found me a new team to play for and will still be honoring my contract while I play with the new team."
The Massachusetts women's basketball team took on Temple on Wednesday at the Mullins Center in an Atlantic 10 conference battle.
While tip off was moved up to 5:00 p.m. due to inclement weather,
the University of Massachusetts was unable to advance in the A-10
standings. The Owls remained undefeated in A-10 play with a 76-48
victory.
To read more of the Daily Collegian's recap, click here.
On Sunday, the UMass women's basketball team will face its highest ranked opponent at home since 1998. Matt Vautour has a preview of the matchup in the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
UMass sophomore center Jasmine Watson was expecting quite the challenge.
"They're the biggest team we have in our conference," said Watson, who leads UMass with 14.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. "They're two of the greatest players in the country right now. It's definitely a challenge for us. We're willing to step up and take it."
"We hope they take us lightly. There's nothing wrong with being an underdog," Watson said. "Underdogs win games too."
For the first time since December 4, 2004, the UMass women's basketball team played a game at the Curry Hicks Cage on Wednesday night and trounced Holy Cross, 75-50.
Women's basketball senior Cerie Mosgrove is featured in Marvin Pave's Globe West Sports Notebook on Boston.com today.
Normally a shooting guard, the 6-foot Mosgrove has seen time in the post
because of injuries to the team's front court, and has responded by
leading the Minutewomen in scoring and rebounding in four games while
averaging 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds, and chipping in with 4 blocks
and 6 steals.
Our last UMass student-athlete birthdays for the year come on Dec. 30. Wishing Happy Birthdays to women's basketball freshman Millie Niggeling and men's lacrosse junior Greg Rushing.
The Minutewomen erased a 17 point deficit for a second consecutive game, en route to a win over Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday evening at the Mullins Center, a team that went into the contest riding a six-game winning streak and ranked No. 55 in RPI.
Check out the photo gallery on MassLive.com from the women's basketball team's thrilling come-from-behind victory over Wagner at the Mullins Center on Sunday afternoon.
Overcoming a 17-point second half deficit, the Minutewomen defeated Wagner, 72-69.
Congratulations to former UMass women's basketball head coach Barbara Stevens of Division II Bentley University, who became the fifth coach in NCAA women's basketball to reach 800 victories yesterday.
The Falcons beat C.W. Post 93-60 on Sunday, putting Stevens in exclusive
company. The only other coaches to reach 800 wins are Tennessee's Pat
Summitt, former Texas coach Jody Conradt, Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer
and Sylvia Hatchell of North Carolina.
If you're a fan of UMass hoops & hockey, then today's UMass Sports Luncheon will be the place for you as we have all three head coaches as guest speakers today. Men's basketball head coach Derek Kellogg, women's basketball coach Sharon Dawley and hockey head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon will each update you on their respective teams starting at 12:15 in Room 1009 of the Campus Center. The luncheon offers a full salad-to-dessert buffet for just $11.
"Shaq" is on the run, and the University of Massachusetts women's
basketball program is on the rise under new head coach Sharon Dawley.
Disregard the 1-7 record, which includes Sunday's
much-better-than-expected showing in a 93-80 defeat against unbeaten
and Top 25-bound Boston College (8-0) at the Mullins Center, as there
are too many positives to allow for negativity. Click here to read more of Dick Baker's great piece on MassLive.com, covering Sunday's game against the Eagles and focusing on the emergence of sophomore Shakia Robinson.
The Daily Collegian ran two stories on the UMass women's basketball team on Friday as the Minutewomen prepare for a matchup with Boston College on Sunday at 2 PM at the Mullins Center. Michael Wood has a preview of the tilt with the Eagles with UMass fresh off its first win of the season earlier this week.
Also in the Collegian today, David Martin ran a feature of Cerie Mosgrove and Shakia Robinson's impact both on the court and in the locker room.
"They are a huge part in the team's progress," Head Coach Sharon Dawley said. "They are the core of our offense. Shakia's been having great performances game after game, and Cerie's been doing absolutely phenomenal. When they are having great days on the offensive end, then the rest of our offense really clicks into place."
The UMass women's basketball team celebrated its return to the Mullins Center on Wednesday night with a 78-55 win over Brown, the first of the season and first of head coach Sharon Dawley's tenure at UMass.
Coach Sharon Dawley will lead her team to only the squad's second home game of the season, as the Minutewomen search for the season's first victory.
"We need to do a better job of making our easy shots. We are getting great opportunities; we just need to finish them" said Dawley of her team's performance early on.
The Daily Collegian's Michael Counous and David Martin discuss the adaptation to Dawley's new offensive strategy, as well as the highs and lows of 2010 thus far.
Local media caught up with UMass senior guard, Greenville, N.C., native Megan Zullo in her return to her hometown as the Minutewomen played at the ECU Thanksgiving tournament this weekend in Greenville.
Zullo scored in double figures in both of UMass' contests and was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 12.0 points per-game on the weekend.
Michael Wood has an article in today's Daily Collegian on women's basketball head coach Sharon Dawley's pair of signees, Emily Mital and Ronni Grandison.
Mital is a 5-8 point guard/shooting guard out of Frisco Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas and Grandison is a 5-10 forward out of
Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio.
The UMass women's basketball team opened its 2010-11 season last night in the Mullins Center, falling 60-55 to George Mason in Sharon Dawley's debut as the Minutewomen's head coach.
The Daily Collegian's Michael Counos previews the debut of head coach Sharon Dawley and her 2010-11 Minutewomen squad.
"Against George Mason, our goal is to slow them up, keep them guessing with multiple looks defensively and only give them one opportunity on offense," Dawley said.
Check out the season preview as the Women's Basketball squad faces off against George Mason at 5 pm tonight.
The new banners for the 2010-11 seasons have been hung outside the Mullins Center. Come check out images of men's basketball, hockey and women's basketball players.
Among the items Matt Vautour touches on are the Hall of Fame Tip-Off schedule, MISSION 1000, an update on Daryl Traynham, Maxie Esho and the women's basketball schedule.
Check out a photo gallery of Sam The Minuteman and the UMass basketball teams at Six Flags on Saturday for the Sports Spectacular. Check the Gallery here.
Both the UMass men's and women's basketball teams along with Sam The Minuteman will be at Six Flags New England on Saturday as part of the park's Sports Spectacular. The teams and Sam will be on hand between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to meet and greet fans, sign autographs and take pictures. Its sure to be a fun time for one and all. Come out and join us!
The UMass basketball teams and coaches will be at the Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday as part of "UMass Day." The women's team will make and appearance to hold a clinic and meet-and-greet session at 11 a.m. The men's team will do the same at 1 p.m.
Come on out and meet your favorite Minutemen and Minutewomen on Wednesday.
The UMass
Women's Basketball Record Book has been updated and completed. It
features all the info you could ever need including lifetime stats for
every player in program history.
