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UMass Travels To In-State Rival Boston University
Dec. 4, 2012
The Last Meeting
November 13, 2011
Amherst, Mass.
Scouting Boston University Women's Basketball Chantell Alford paces the Terriers offense with 19.4 points per game courtesy of consistent shooting performances in each facet of the game. Alford has hit 56-of-119 field goals overall (47.1 percent), 29 of her 61 three-pointers (47.5 percent) and is 14-for-18 from the free throw line (77.8 percent). Mo Morgan follows with 11.0 pointer per contest and 4.1 boards while Rashidat Agboola has contributed 8.6 points and a team-best 9.1 rebounds over eight appearances. Overall, Boston University owns a +5.6 scoring margin, while leading opponents in field goal percentage, 39.7-to-35.3 and three-point field goal percentage, 38.9-to-36.1; however, the Terriers have struggled to produce from the free throw line, only hitting on 53 of their 107 attempts (49.5 percent). Last Time Out Against The Terriers Shakia Robinson led UMass with 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while shooting 8-for-16. Megan Zullo shot 5-for-7 from three-point range and finished with 17 points and three assists. Carolann Cloutier corralled a team-best 10 rebounds and handed out six helpers in her debut as a Minutewoman, while Emilie Teuscher chipped in six points and six boards. Jasmine Watson had six boards, as well, to go along with four blocks. UMass came out of the gates running and began the contest with a 9-0 lead, keeping Boston University off the scoreboard until the 14:30 mark. The Minutewomen then pushed the advantage to 10 at 12-2, its largest margin of the opening half, courtesy of a Robinson free throw at 13:16. The Terriers responded with eight straight points by Rashidat Agboola to cut the deficit to two at the 7:18 mark. Agboola posted a double-double by the intermission, with 12 points and 10 rebounds in the frame. BU eventually leveled the score at 15, courtesy of a 13-3 run that was capped off by seven consecutive points from Alex Young. Aided by a pair of threes from Zullo, the Minutewomen closed out the period with an 11-5 stretch over the final 4:34 of the frame to lead 26-20 at halftime. Zullo then continued to fuel the UMass offense coming out of the break by scoring eight points in the first 3:33 of the second half to push the margin to 12 once more, 36-24. The Terriers did not fade away, however, and surged back with eight straight points to make it a one-possession game at 43-40 with 7:42 remaining. A pair of free throws by Cloutier with 3:50 on the clock gave UMass a seven-point cushion, but BU managed to score the next three baskets and pulled within a point of the Minutewomen with a free throw by Caroline Stewart with 1:34 to go. Stewart missed the second attempt, though, and redshirt freshman Millie Niggeling hit a clutch basket at the other end to bring the score to 52-49 at the 1:16 mark. A pair of key rebounds and three free throws by Robinson in the final minute helped seal the victory for UMass. Agboola provided the bulk of the Terriers' offense, finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Young added 12 points and Stewart totaled eight boards. Last Time Out: UMass Falls In Defensive Battle With Miami (Ohio), 50-40 Senior guard Dee Montgomery tallied seen points while sophomore forward Aisha Rodney added eight boards, four points, a block and one steal in 28 minutes, making her second consecutive start of the season. Senior center Jasmine Watson, cleared to play following concussion symptoms, added five points, two blocks, a steal and an assist in 19 minutes on the floor. The RedHawks opened the contest hitting six of their first 10 field goal attempts to build a 14-2 lead with 13:18 to play as Kirsten Olowinski capped the run with a jumper. UMass cut into the early deficit with a three-pointer by Mital, a Rodney field goal from the right side and a Timbilla basket in the paint to pull within 14-9 with 9:59 to play in the first. The Minutewomen defense locked down to keep the contest close over the remainder of the half, holding Miami (Ohio) to just eight more points over the final 10 minutes. The RedHawks were only able to manage a 26.7 field goal percentage (4-for-15) while Miami (Ohio) missed each of its five three-pointers following Hannah Robertson's made trey to put the home side ahead, 5-0 with 18:33 remaining in the half. UMass continued its strong play on the defensive end during the final stanza, holding Miami (Ohio) without a point over the opening 7:29 of the half to allow the offense time to erase the gap. Trailing, 22-16 entering the final stanza, redshirt-junior forward Kiara Bomben notched the initial four points of the half on a pair of free throws and a running jumper in the lane to pull the Minutewomen within two of tying with 16:35 remaining. Watson knotted the contest at 22-22 with a turnaround shot in front of the basket before giving the Minutewomen the lead, 23-22, on the back end of a pair of free throws with 13:47 to play. After exchanging baskets until 8:25 remained, Miami (Ohio) pulled ahead with a 10-0 run fueled by eight free throws and a jumper by Erica Almady to go ahead, 40-30 with 4:41 left. After Montgomery keyed in on a pair at the charity stripe, Mital tallied an acrobatic layup in the lane and followed with a three-pointer on the next UMass possession to drop the deficit to three, 40-37 at the 2:20 mark. However, Miami (Ohio) answered with jumpers from Courtney Larson and Haley Robertson to extend the lead to seven with 1:20 remaining and UMass was unable to answer down the stretch as the RedHawks connected from the free throw line to reach the final, 50-40. UMass produced 24 points in the paint against 18 for Miami (Ohio). The Minutewomen trailed in points off of turnovers, 19-9 while fastbreak scoring was even at 2-2 and the UMass bench added 10 points to only three for the RedHawks reserves. Olowinski led Miami (Ohio) with 13 points and 13 rebounds while Larson followed with 12 points, including going 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Last Time Out: Timbilla's Double-Double Leads UMass To Victory At Ohio, 65-61 UMass women's basketball secured its first road victory of the season with a 65-61 win at Ohio University's Convocation Center on Thursday. Freshman guard Rashida Timbilla led the Minutewomen with her second career double-double, producing 16 points and 13 rebounds, including seven boards on the offensive glass, while adding four of UMass' 11 blocks on the day. 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.
Upcoming Promotion: Family Night Cleaning Glass Timbilla's ability to grab rebounds on the offensive glass leads her to own 36 offensive boards so far, the most among all A-10 women's basketball players while her 4.5 per game average stands second specifically on the offensive end of the court. Making That Last Pass Taking care of the ball is a trademark of Montgomery's game, as the senior owns 169 helpers over four seasons against only 140 turnovers while recording a positive assist-to-turnover margin in each of her three campaigns seeing considerable minutes for the Minutewomen. Mital's Emergence In her 11 games as a starter, Mital has made the most of her opportunities, averaging 10.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per-game while shooting 42-for-110 (38.9 percent) from the field, including 25-for-59 (42.4 percent) from behind the arc. On three occasions, Mital has reset her single-game career-high in points scored during the span of starts. The sophomore guard produced 11 points against Rhode Island on Feb. 22, 2012 as a freshman before notching another personal best with 16 against Kent State during UMass' 2012-13 season-opener on Nov. 10. Mital followed with a 22-point outburst at Central Connecticut on Nov. 13, shooting 8-for-13 from the floor, including 6-for-10 from behind the arc, to add her first 20-point performance with the Minutewomen. Mital's six three-pointers ties the sophomore for fifth-most in a single contest in program history, only one shy of equaling the program mark of seven most recently achieved by Megan Zullo against Duquesne on Jan. 25, 2012. All That Jas Watson played in and started all 29 UMass contests as a junior and paced the Minutewomen with 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds during the 2011-12 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. Eight games into her fourth season at UMass, Watson has totaled 1,080 career points (12.3 ppg), 607 rebounds (6.9 rpg) and 137 blocks (1.6 bpg). Watson, the 2009-10 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, is currently fifth on the program's all-time list for career stuffs and ranks third in blocked shots per game. Watson missed the most recent contest due to injury and is listed as day-to-day entering the game against Miami (Ohio). 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 1,000 Career Point Using her 10th collegiate game of 20 or more points, Watson became just the 18th member to the illustrious club and now stands 14 points from overtaking Beth Wilbor (1985-89) for 17th in career scoring. 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. Program Earns 500th Win At Siena
To secure the decision, four Minutewomen earned double-figures, including 14 points each from Emilie Teuscher and Megan Zullo. Now-senior Jasmine Watson contributed a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards while current-redshirt-junior Carolann Cloutier added 10 points and four assists.
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The UMass women's basketball team held Boston University scoreless for the opening 5:30 and never trailed in the contest on the way to a 55-49 season-opening win over the Terriers (1-1) at the Mullins Center on Sunday afternoon. Defensively the Minutewomen held three BU starters to a combined 5-for-34 (14.7%) from the floor on the afternoon and just three bench points.
