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Minutewomen Host Dartmouth In Non-Conference Finale
Upcoming Promotion: Kid's Club Day vs. Dartmouth Scouting Dartmouth Women's Basketball Dartmouth is led by Faziah Steen's 11.2 points per game, the only Big Green student-athletes notching a double-digit scoring total through 13 contests. Abbey Schmitt follows at 9.2 points per game, while no other Dartmouth player chips in more than 6.5 points per game. Tia Dawson leads the team with 7.2 rebounds in each contest, also tallying 4.7 points and a team-high 12 blocks. As a result of their shooting struggles, Dartmouth has been outscored by 14.2 points per game (65.4-to-51.2) on the season. The Big Green have only hit 34.2 percent of their attempts from the field (238-of-696), including only 28.0 percent from behind the three-point arc (46-for-164). However, Dartmouth has found success at the foul line, hitting 143-of-198 (72.2 percent). The rebounding battle is nearly even between the Big Green and their opposition, with foes tallying a 37.5-to-36.9 lead, also taking advantages in blocks, 50-to-33 and steals, 152-to-83. Last Time Out Against The Big Green UMass, which held a 50-27 lead midway through the second half, was paced by senior Kathy Coyner who scored all 11 of her points in the first half and added four assists. Sophomore Siiri Liivandi also had 11 points to go along with three steals and classmate Jennifer Butler rounded out the double figure scorers for the Minutewomen as she had 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds. The Minutewomen finished 18-for-48 from the floor (37.5 percent) while keying in on 5-of-11 three-pointers (45.5 percent) and 13-of-19 foul shots (68.4 percent). UMass out-rebounded Dartmouth, 38-29, including a 23-16 lead over the Big Green on the defensive glass. Dartmouth was led by Katharine Hanks' 15 points while the remainder of the Big Green squad was only able to connect on 11-of-40 attempts from the floor (27.5 percent), including knocking down a mere 5-of-20 from behind the arc (25.0 percent). Last Time Out: Nola Henry Tallies Career-High 15 Points In Loss At Harvard Redshirt-junior forward Kiara Bomben added 11 points and a team-high three assists while redshirt-sophomore center Millie Niggeling tallied nine points on a trio of three-pointers. Freshman guard Rashida Timbilla contributed six points, five rebounds and two assists while redshirt-junior guard Carolann Cloutier totaled five points, a pair of helpers and a board in a season-high 27 minutes on the floor. Each team opened strong from the floor, with Bomen and Timbilla pacing the Minutewomen (2-12 overall) offense. The duo combined for UMass' first seven made field goals, going 7-for-7 in the process, while Bomben finished the half 5-for-5 from the floor for 11 points. After trading baskets in the early-going, Harvard (8-5) earned an 8-2 run to take a nine-point lead, 21-12 at the 10:14 mark in the first half. The Crimson added to their advantage over the remainder of the first stanza, entering the break with a 48-29 lead on the strength of a 20-for-34 shooting performance from the floor (58.8 percent). In the second half, senior center Jasmine Watson and Niggeling produced on the offensive end of the court for UMass during the opening minutes. After Henry knocked down a pair of foul shots to open scoring in the frame for the Minutewomen, Watson and Niggeling added the next 13 UMass points, with seven and six, respectively. Henry took control of the offense from there, tallying nine of her 11 second half points during a 4:42 span. The freshman began the run with her second trey of the contest with 8:43 to play and closed out the strong showing with a running jumper at the 4:01 mark. UMass went 22-for-54 from the floor (40.7 percent), hit 7-of-20 three-point attempts (35.0 percent) and finished 8-for-13 from the charity stripe (61.5 percent). Harvard answered with 33 made field goals in 64 tries (51.6 percent), including a 6-for-17 evening from behind the arc (35.3 percent), while the Crimson converted 13-of-16 free throws (81.3 percent). Harvard led the points in the paint battle, 38-22 while tallying advantages in scoring off of turnovers, 26-10 and on the fast break, 9-0. The Crimson also led in bench points, 30-20 and second chance scoring, 17-6. Christine Clark's 19 points led Harvard while Victoria Lippert tallied 17, Elise Gorden added 14 and Temi Fagbenle chipped in 12. Cleaning Glass Timbilla's ability to grab rebounds on offense leads her to own 58 offensive boards so far, the second-most in the conference, while her 4.1 per game average also stands second in the A-10. Far from being a one-dimensional player, Timbilla has also developed a knack for knocking down shots, owning the highest field goal percentage (53.2), and causing turnovers, earning the 12th-most steals in the conference at 1.9 per game (26). Talented Duo Signs NLI's To Join UMass Women's Basketball Family Making That Last Pass Taking care of the ball is a trademark of Montgomery's game, as the senior owns 174 helpers over four seasons against only 146 turnovers, while recording a positive assist-to-turnover margin in each of her three campaigns seeing considerable minutes for the Minutewomen. Providing The Helping Hand All That Jas Fourteen games into the 2012-13 season, Watson has totaled 1,156 career points (12.3 ppg), 636 rebounds (6.8 rpg) and 143 blocks (1.5 bpg). Watson, the 2009-10 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, is currently tied for third on the program's all-time list for career stuffs and ranks third in blocked shots per game. Watson played in and started all 29 UMass contests in 2011-12 and paced the Minutewomen with 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds during the campaign. Watson recorded a team-best 48 blocks, hit 49.0 percent of her field goal attempts (141-of-288) and averaged 28.7 minutes played per game. Watson scored double-digits in points in 21 games in 2011-12, including reaching double-double status in four contests. The South Bend, Ind., native also led UMass in rebounding on 15 occasions. Timbilla's Double-Double Leads UMass To Victory At Ohio, 65-61 Sophomore guard Emily Mital totaled 13 points, four rebounds and three assists while freshman guard Jasmine Harris added nine points and three boards. The UMass team total for blocks fell one shy of tying the program mark for most in a single game, tied most recently against St. Bonaventure on Feb. 27, 2008. UMass (2-5 overall) held a slim lead throughout the majority of the first half, taking a 31-27 advantage into the break. After Ohio secured a 4-3 lead on a pair of Tina Fisher free throws with 17:00 to play in the first, the Minutewomen answered with a Kim Pierre-Louis layup to take the lead for good in the half at the 15:57 mark. The Minutewomen earned their largest advantage of the opening stanza at seven points, 26-19 on a three-pointer by Harris, one of two the freshman produced during the half. Pierre-Louis finished the first with six points on 3-for-6 shooting from the field while Mital and Harris each produced eight points during the first half. UMass tallied the initial seven points of the second to grow its lead to 38-27 with 18:45 remaining. Bomben opened scoring in the 7-0 run with a three-pointer before Timbilla and Rodney produced a layup each to force Ohio to call a timeout. The Bobcats (1-4) answered with a 15-4 run of their own to pull even at 42-42 with 13:09 to play, equalizing the score with a Kiyanna Black layup. Black led all scorers in the contest with 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field and a 3-for-4 performance from the free throw line. The contest featured back-and-forth play until the final buzzer as UMass did not relinquish its lead again, but was unable to build an advantage larger than eight over the remainder of the game. After Ohio pulled within one of tying, 51-50 with 6:41 to play, the Minutewomen went on a 9-2 run to pull ahead, 60-52 with 3:23 remaining. Four different UMass players recorded a bucket during the span, with Mital pushing the lead to eight on a three-pointer, one of a trio the sophomore hit against the Bobcats defense. Erin Bailes connected on a shot from behind the arc to drop the UMass advantage to 62-59 with 1:16 remaining. After Timbilla missed a shot with 58 seconds to play, the Bobcats had one last attempt to rally taken away by Mital. The Frisco, Texas, native poked the ball away from Ashley Fowler and knocked down a pair of free throws after taking a foul, extending the UMass lead to 64-59. UMass shot 38.7 percent from the field (24-for-62) and hit 6-of-14 three-point attempts (42.9 percent) while finishing 11-for-16 at the line (68.8 percent). Ohio went 22-for-65 on field goal attempts (33.8 percent) while the Minutewomen defense held the Bobcats to only three made three-pointers in 12 attempts (25.0 percent). Ohio kept the game close with a strong performance at the free throw line, knocking down 14-of-15 attempts (93.3 percent). Redshirt-sophomore forward Millie Niggeling added six points, four rebounds and a pair of blocks over 16 minutes. Forward Aisha Rodney added four points on 2-for-4 shooting from the field to go with a steal in 14 minutes during the sophomore's first start of the season and fifth of her career. UMass was without the help of senior center Jasmine Watson, who is currently listed as day-to-day as she recovers from concussion-related symptoms. UMass Routs Kent State, 83-53 In Season-Opener Watson, who went 8-for-11 from the floor in her 10th career 20-point game, also chipped in with eight rebounds, four blocks, four steals and three assists in 31 minutes on the floor. Sophomore Emily Mital followed with a career-best 16 points and was aided by a 4-for-6 afternoon from beyond the arc. In their debuts as Minutewomen, redshirt junior Kiara Bomben and freshman Rashida Timbilla both reached double figures with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Timbilla also hauled in 10 boards to complete her double-double, including five on the offensive glass. Bomben snagged four steals and senior Dee Montgomery dished a career-best 11 assists, her second with 10 or more helpers. All 14 UMass players who dressed for the contest saw action with 11 draining buckets in the Minutewomen's highest scoring output since Nov. 28, 2010 at East Carolina. Redshirt sophomore Millie Niggeling paced the UMass bench with seven points, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 on the day. Kent State (0-1) scored on its opening possession to lead 2-0 before the Minutewomen strung together a 13-2 run. Then the Golden Flashes answered with an 11-3 spurt to make it a one possession game at 16-13, with 11:12 to go in the first half. However, UMass drained four of its seven first-half treys in the final eight minutes of the period to help extend the lead to 15 at the break, 39-24. The Minutewomen maintained the double-digit cushion following the intermission as Kent State could draw no closer than 13 the rest of the way. UMass led by 32 with 2:05 remaining, it's largest advantage of the day. Finishing the contest a blistering 33-for-54 from the floor, the Minutewomen shot 61.1% overall, the squad's best performance since facing Yale on Jan. 22, 2008 (33-for-52, 63.5%). UMass made 10-of-18 (55.6%) from long range, while converting 7-of-12 at the charity stripe. The Minutewomen nearly doubled up the Golden Flashes on the boards, out-rebounding Kent State, 41-23. The Golden Flashes shot 39.3% (22-for-56) overall in the contest and had two scorers in double figures, Diamon Beckford with 15 points and Trisha Krewson with 11. Tamzin Barroilhet hauled in a team-high eight rebounds and dished three assists. Watson Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week Watson finished the contest against the Golden Flashes with a team-high 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the floor and a 5-for-8 day at the free throw line. Watson also tallied eight rebounds while adding four blocks and four steals to the winning effort. Watson Tallies 1,000th Career Point Timbilla Nets Double-Double In First Collegiate Game Timbilla provided clutch outputs in both categories, hitting on 5-of-7 field goals (.714 pct.) to go with a free throw while tally five of her 10 boards on the offensive end of the court. Bomben, Montgomery and Watson Named 2012-13 Team Captains Watson enters her senior season looking to become the 18th member of the Minutewomen's 1,000-points club, starting the year just 20 points shy of the 1,000-mark. Montgomery is also set to use her experience to guide the Minutewomen as a senior, beginning the campaign with 72 appearances and 22 starts. Bomben will be seeing her first minutes at UMass as a redshirt-junior after spending the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons at Florida Gulf Coast University. Coming From Near And Far Jasmine Harris, Adriana Jordan and Aisha Rodney represent Michigan while two players are from within the Massachusetts borders in Amber Dillon and Victoria Stewart. UMass also has one student-athlete each from Indiana (Jasmine Watson), New Jersey (Nola Henry), Ohio (Ronni Grandison), Tennessee (Dee Montgomery) and Texas (Emily Mital). Women's Basketball Radio Show On WMUA New Minutewomen Faces Bomben transferred to UMass prior to the 2011-12 season and was required to sit out the campaign as per NCAA policy. The Australia native spent her first two seasons with Florida Gulf Coast before transferring and will be looked upon as a leader on an off the floor in 2012-13 as Bomben was named a captain with seniors Dee Montgomery and Jasmine Watson. The five 2012-13 true-freshman are Nola Henry, Jasmine Harris, Adriana Jordan, Victoria Stewart and Rashida Timbilla. Henry started at point guard for Trenton Catholic (N.J.) during the squad's run to the NJSIAA Non-Public 8 Championship in 2010-11 while Harris averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds for North Farmington (Mich.) as a senior in 2011-12. Jordan was twice named an all-state recipient at Port Huron (Mich.) and won the Nike National Championship with the U-15 Motor City Suns. Stewart is a local product, hailing from Amherst, and was named a Franklin-Hampshire County All-Star and Daily Hampshire Gazette First Team honor at Amherst-Pelham Regional. Timbilla played one year for prep school Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) after attending John McCrae Secondary in Ontario, where she average more than 20 points and 14 rebounds per game in 2010-11. Octavia Thomas Selected To UMass Hall Of Fame The No. 2 scorer in program history, Thomas was a major force in the program's resurgence in the mid-1990's. During her career from 1993-1996, Thomas helped turn a program that had won nine total games in the previous three seasons into one that made the WNIT and the NCAA tournaments during her junior and senior campaigns.
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