Nov. 13, 2008

FRIDAY: GameTracker | Watch Live | Listen Live
SUNDAY: GameTracker | Watch Live

AMHERST, Mass. -
The UMass women's basketball team will begin its 41st season on Friday night when the team heads to Burlington, Vt., to play Vermont at 6:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, the Minutewomen will return to Amherst for their home opener against Manhattan at 2 p.m. in the Mullins Center. The games will be carried on WMUA 91.1 FM and live stats will available via Gametracker at UMassAthletics.com on both days. Live video for Friday's contest will be offered through B2 Networks, courtesy of the University of Vermont, for a pay-per-view fee of $7. Streaming video of Sunday's home game against Manhattan will be on UMass All-Access.

Friday marks the third straight year that UMass has opened its schedule against UVM. The Minutewomen posted wins over the Catamounts in both 2006 and 2007. The Minutewomen are 22-5 all-time against Vermont and have won the last four games in a row and six out of seven. UMass is 10-3 all-time on the road in this series. Head Coach Marnie Dacko holds a 4-1 all-time record against the Catamounts and is 4-0 during her tenure at UMass. Sunday will be the first meeting between UMass and Manhattan.

Minutewomen Tidbits
• The 2008-09 Minutewomen are a young group with only two seniors and one junior on the 13-player roster.
• UMass returns eight letterwinners, losing five. Senior Stefanie Gerardot and junior Kim Benton are the lone returning starters from the 2007-08 squad.
• Among the squad's losses are two 1,000-point scorers, All-Atlantic 10 performers Kate Mills and Pam Rosanio. Mills finished her career fourth all-time in scoring with 1,525 points, while Rosanio ranks seventh with 1,466.
• The Minutewomen were selected 12th in Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll.

Last Time Against Vermont
• In their last meeting, the 2007-08 season opener, UMass defeated Vermont, 69-68 at the Mullins Center.
• Current senior Sakera Young drilled pair of free throws with four seconds to play to ice season-opening win.
• 2008 graduate Pam Rosanio scored her 1,000th career point versus the Catamounts, becoming the 17th player in UMass history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
• Current senior Stefanie Gerardot had her first of 10 games scoring in double figures on the year with 10 against the Catamounts.

Opening Up
• The Minutewomen are 18-22 overall in season-openers, including an 8-11 mark on the road.
• Head Coach Marnie Dacko is 3-3 in season openers at UMass. She won her UMass debut against Scared Heart at the Mullins Center and has picked up wins over Vermont in each of the past two seasons.

About Vermont
• The Catamounts are coming off a 2007-08 season that saw the squad post a 24-9 record and advance to the second round of the WNIT.
• UVM was picked first in the America East Preseason Poll with 61 points and five first-place votes.
• Courtnay Pilypaitis, the 2007-08 America East Player of the Yea,r returns for the Catamounts. She has also picked up preseason honors this fall, being named a Mid-Major Preseason All-American and was selected to the America East Preseason All-Conference Team. Pilypaitis averaged 16.8 points per-game last season.
• In its exhibition contest, Vermont defeated McGill University, 90-44.

About Manhattan
• Manhattan was picked 10th in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Preseason Poll after posting a 15-15 record in 2007-08 (10-8 MAAC, fourth).
• Like the Mintuewomen, the Lady Jaspers are a young squad, graduating four starters from last season, including two All-MAAC performers. The team features nine underclassmen, including five true freshmen.
• Manhattan defeated Saint Rose, 75-48, in its exhibition game on Nov. 8.
• Before travelling to Amherst, the Lady Jaspers will kick off their 2008-09 campaign at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Friday at 6 p.m.

Home Sweet Home
• Sunday's contest against Manhattan will mark the first of eight non-conference home games for the Minutewomen this season. The squad went 7-0 in its non-conference home games last season and 11-3 at home overall.
• In the past two seasons, UMass is 11-1 against non-conference foes in the Mullins Center.

Mosgrove's Offense Shines in Exhibition
• After closing out her freshman campaign with a season-high 11 points against Dayton, Cerie Mosgrove has carried her offensive success into her sophomore campaign.
• As a starter in the Minutewomen's exhibition win over Bishop's, Mosgrove totaled 20 points and five rebounds in 23 minutes on the floor, shooting 7-for-13 (54%) overall and 6-12 from three-point range (50%).
• Mosgrove's highest totals for minutes and rebounds in 2007-08 were 21 and four, respectively.

Minutewomen Add Zullo, Transfer From N.C. State, During Offseason
• Megan Zullo has transferred to UMass from North Carolina State to play basketball for the Minutewomen and, per NCAA rules, will be eligible to play starting in 2009-10.
• A 5-8 point guard from Greenville, N.C., Zullo started in 21 games for the Wolfpack last season, averaging 5.4 points and 2.2 assists in 22.6 minutes per game. She made 43 3-pointers and shot at a .352 clip from behind the arc.
• Zullo is the niece of former UMass player Christel Zullo, a guard who starred for the Minutewomen from 1985-1989 and scored 784 points in her career. Sadly, Christel lost her life to cancer in February 2007. Last season UMass coaches, along with alumnae, created the Christel Zullo Spirit Award to be given each year to the Minutewoman that best exemplifies the energy, enthusiasm, and dedication to the team that Christel was known for.

Schedule Updates
• Since the Minutewomen's schedule was first released, there have been several updates. The biggest change: UMass' game at Rhode Island on Feb. 4, 2009, has been moved to Tuesday, Feb. 3, with the game time remaining at 7 PM
• Other items of note include Field Trip Day on Feb. 11 at 11:45 a.m. against Temple and a televised game on CBS College Sports at home against Rhode Island on Feb. 22 at 1 PM

Exhibition Recap: Hot Start Helps UMass Defeat Bishops, 75-44
• After scoring 21 points in the first six minutes of play, the UMass women's basketball team rolled to a 75-44 win over Bishop's on Friday evening in its exhibition contest at Mullins Center. Three Minutewomen reached double figures behind 40 percent shooting by the squad, including 20-point games by senior Stefanie Gerardot and sophomore Cerie Mosgrove, and a double-double by sophomore Teya Wright.
• UMass bolted to a 7-0 lead from the outset, after two turnovers by the Gaiters on their opening two possessions, and stretched it to 21-2 with 13:55 left in the opening half, capped off by a layup by senior Sakera Young.
• Mosgrove and Gerardot needed only the first half to reach double figures in points, with 14 and 11, respectively, at the intermission, while Wright was just shy of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds.
• The Minutewomen led by as many as 23 in the first and took their largest lead of the night (32) with 2:43 left in the contest on a layup by freshman Nicole Jones. Jones finished with six points and played 11 minutes in her collegiate debut.
• Mosgrove and Gerardot were the game's high scorers with 20 points apiece, and chipped in on the boards with five and seven rebounds, respectively. Wright recorded 13 points and 12 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive glass, as UMass totaled 18 offensive boards to Bishop's five. The Minutewomen out-rebounded the Gaiters, overall, by a 51 to 31 margin.
• In her return to the court after missing last season due to injury, redshirt sophomore Diatiema Hill contributed six points and four steals in 21 minutes. Junior Kim Benton was UMass' top distributor with a game-high seven assists on the night.
• For the Gaiters, Melanie Ouellet-Godcharles was the team's high scorer, collecting 12 points. Amanda Piribauer was the only other member of Bishop's squad to reach double figures with 10 and also added a team-high six rebounds and three blocks.