Dec. 6, 2004

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Minutewomen Look For Three In A Row Against Toledo

• Massachusetts returns to the friendly confines of the Mullins Center to host Toledo tonight at 7:00.

• This will be the last home game for the Minutewomen until they host La Salle on Jan. 7, as they begin a five-game road trip Thursday at Hofstra. UMass will have a 17-day break later this month for final exams and the holidays.

• A win tonight against the Rockets would give the Minutewomen their first three-game winning streak since Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 2003.

• Massachusetts is 1-0 all-time against Toledo. The Minutewomen took a 73-61 win in Ohio on Dec. 1, 2002.

• UMass is coming off a stretch where it went 2-1 against Big East teams. After losing to No. 20/20 Boston College Nov. 27, the Minutewomen reeled off consecutive victories over Providence and Syracuse.

• The Minutewomen will hit the road for a 7:00 p.m. game at Hofstra Thursday.

Scouting The University of Toledo

• The University of Toledo makes its first trip to Amherst with a 1-4 overall record. It has not played since losing at Youngstown State, 53-42, on Dec. 2. The Rockets began the season by knocking off Cincinnati at home, but since then they have lost four in a row to Marquette, Dayton, Loyola (Ill.) and Youngstown State.

• The Rockets are averaging 49.8 ppg and allowing 62.0 ppg. They are shooting .330 from the field, .259 from three-point range and .577 at the free throw line. Toledo is being out-rebounded, 43.0 to 33.0, and are committing 16.8 turnovers a game.

• Karin Hogendam leads the team scoring 11.0 ppg. She is also grabbing a team-high 6.8 rpg and has five blocked shots. Danielle Bishop is second on the squad in both scoring (10.8 ppg) and rebounding (4.4 rpg).

Syracuse University Wrap-Up

• Tamara Tatham hit two free throws with 11 seconds left in regulation to give UMass a 52-51 win over Syracuse Dec. 4 before 1,402 fans at the Curry Hicks Cage.

•Brooke Campbell finished with a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. It was her first double-double since Nov. 30, 2003, against Brown. It was also the second straight game that a UMass player has recorded a double-double.

• Syracuse led 43-40 with 6:08 left, but Katie Nelson nailed a three-pointer to tie the game. As the Orange took the ball back down the floor, Joyce Massey came up with a steal and led Pam Rosanio for a fast-break layup which gave UMass its first lead since early in the half.

• Lauren Kohn came down the other end following a Syracuse timeout and drilled a three-pointer to put Syracuse back on top. The teams then went a possession each without scoring and then Nelson hit another trifecta with 2:19 left to put UMass back up two points, 48-46. On the other end of the floor, Chineze Nwagbo went 1-for-2 from the line for the Orange and a lay-up by Tatham with 1:22 left gave UMass a three-point lead, 50-47.

• Syracuse came back down the floor and as the shot clock was winding down, Rochelle Coleman nailed the tying three-pointer from the left corner. UMass got the ball back but was unable to score. The Orange then took the ball down the floor with 31 seconds left in the game looking for the game-winning shot. The UMass defense held tough as Nwagbo missed a shot from close range. Tamara Tatham grabbed the rebound in traffic and was fouled in the process.

• The teams then went down to the other end as Tatham was shooting a one-and-one. She drilled the first one to put the Minutewomen up a point and after a Syracuse timeout, she nailed the second one to go up 52-50. Syracuse took the ball down the floor and Nwagbo put up a shot with two seconds left. It missed and she got her own rebound. She missed the put-back as the buzzer sounded, but the officials called a foul on Tamara Tatham and Nwagbo went to the line with 0.4 seconds left. After hitting the first one, UMass called two straight timeouts to try and ice Nwagbo. It worked as she missed the second one and the Minutewomen won, 52-51.

• There were five ties and 12 lead changes in the game. The Minutewomen forced 20 turnovers and converted those into 20 points.

• Campbell has 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting as well as 10 rebounds. Edris Bailey chipped in with eight points and five rebounds off the bench, while Tamara Tatham had six points and eight boards. Nwagbo led all scorers with 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Stepping Up The D

• On December 1, the Minutewomen held Providence to 39 points in a 53-39 win. It was the fewest points that a UMass team has allowed since beating New Hampshire 56-39 on Dec 13, 2000.

• The Minutewomen currently rank first in the Atlantic 10 allowing a mere 53.7 ppg.

• The Minutewomen have held each of their opponents this season to 62 or less points and all well below their season averages.

Trying To Change It On The Road

• Prior to its win at Fordham on Feb. 13, 2004, the Minutewomen had gone 19 consecutive road games without a win, the longest streak in school history. Massachusetts lost its final two road games last year and took a streak into this year where it had lost 22 of 23 games on the road.

• UMass has turned that around this year, however, and are 2-0 on the road. The last time the Minutewomen won two straight games on the road was almost two years ago.

• UMass defeated New Hampshire, 70-50, on Dec 7, 2002, and Rhode Island, 59-45, on Dec. 9, 2002.

• The last three-game winning streak on the road was also in that 2002-03 season. Before knocking off UNH and URI, UMass handed Toledo a 73-61 defeat on the road.

• This is also the first time that the Minutewomen have started off the season winning its first two road games since 1997-98. That was also the last time the Minutewomen advanced to the NCAA Tournament. UMass defeated Hartford, 65-33, on Nov. 25, 1997, and Kent, 67-65, on Nov. 28, 1997. The Minutewomen lost their next game to Ohio State, 59-56. The last time a UMass team won its first three road games was in the 1980-81 season.

103 And Counting

• That 66-64 win at Fordham on Feb. 13, 2004, meant more than just snapping the longest road losing streak in school history. It marked career win number 100 for Marnie Dacko. Dacko became just the second coach in school history to reach this milestone. Joanie O'Brien went 159-159 in 11 seasons at the helm of Massachusetts from 1991-2002.

• Dacko had to wait nine more games for number 101 however. UMass' 61-60 win at Holy Cross on Nov. 23 was career win number 101 for Dacko.

• Dacko is now 23-39 (.371) overall in two seasons since coming to UMass from Cornell. She is 103-143 (.419) overall when you factor in her seven seasons with the Big Red.

Up ANd Down At The Line

• Sophomore Tamara Tatham has certainly had a roller coaster ride at the free throw line the past three games.

• Tatham began the stretch by going 6-for-6 at the charity stripe against 20th-ranked Boston College on Nov. 27. She then came back the next game and went just 2-for-10 from the free throw line in a win at Providence Dec. 1.

• Tatham had just two freebies Dec. 4 against Syracuse, but they could not have come at a bigger time. The Brampton, Ontario, native had a one-and-one opportunity with just 11 seconds left in regulation and the game tied at 50.

• She calmly drilled the first one to put the Minutewomen up a point. Following a Syracuse timeout, she nailed the second one which turned out to be the game-winner and the Minutewomen got the W.

It's Been A While

• With the Minutewomen's 52-51 win Dec. 4 at the Cage, it marked the first time in almost a year that they had won two games in a row. UMass strung together three straight wins Nov. 30-Dec. 6, 2003 against Brown, Vermont and Utah State.

• UMass' last four-game winning streak was part of a six-game run from Dec. 1-Dec. 14, 2002. The Minutewomen knocked off Toledo, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Villanova and Northeastern.

Big Night For the Freshman

• Freshman Pam Rosanio had a career night Nov. 23 at Holy Cross, but saved her best shot for last. After UMass had blown an eight-point lead with under five minutes left, the Southampton, Pa., native hit a shot with seven seconds remaining in regulation to give UMass its first win of the season.

• The basket by Rosanio capped a career-high 16-point night. She was 7-for-14 from the field, 1-for-2 from three-point range and also added two rebounds and two assists.

• Rosanio leads the team in scoring at 10.0 ppg and has tallied double figures in four of the Minutewomen's first six games. She was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week and Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week on Nov. 29. She averaged 14.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.0 apg the previous week to earn the honor.

Freshman Comes Through In The Clutch ... Again

• Against PC, Rosanio was held scoreless for the first 34:31 and spent much of the second half on the bench. She then broke a 39-39 tie with a three-pointer and ended up scoring 10 of the Minutewomen's final 14 points to close out the game. UMass did not allow a point in the final 6:43 for the win.

• Rosanio hit two three-pointers in the final 6:29 of the game and is currently tied for 10th in the A-10 averaging 1.40 trifectas a game.

Bombs Away From Three

• UMass is on pace to shatter the school record for three-point field goals attempted in a season. The Minutewomen have taken 100 trifectas this year, an average of 16.7 per game. If they were to continue this pace, they would take 450 three-pointers during the regular season.

• The school record for three-pointer taken in a season is 413 in 2002-03. Katie Nelson leads the way with 45 three-pointers attempted this year. She has now taken 341 in her career which ranks third in school history.

• Nelson is also ranked sixth in the A-10 making 1.83 three-pointers a game. Pam Rosanio is tied for 11th averaging 1.33 trifectas a game.

• As a team, Massachusetts is ranked fourth in the league making 4.16 three-pointers a contest. Other than Saint Joseph's who has played three more games, UMass has taken the most three-pointers in the league. They rank last in the league with a .250 (25-100) percentage, however.

Solid Off The Bench

• With 6-4 center Patrycja Gulak in foul trouble all game against No. 20 Boston College Nov. 27, freshman Kate Mills was called upon and kept the Minutewomen in the game.

• Mills played a career-high 13 minutes off the bench and scored a career-high seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field. She also grabbed three rebounds.

• For the season, Mills is averaging 2.5 ppg and 2.2 rpg. She is averaging 8.2 minutes a game and has seen action in every contest.

Nelson's Back

• Redshirt junior point guard Katie Nelson returns to the back court after sitting out last year following knee surgery. She came back in style averaging 8.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 rebound in two games at the Moran Realty Classic (Nov. 19-20) en route to All-Tournament team honors.

• Prior to injuring her knee Jan. 26, 2003 at Dayton, Nelson had started in each of her 48 career games since arriving in Amherst. She averaged 37.1 minutes as a sophomore in 2002-03 and was the only member of either team to play in all 50 minutes of the Minutewomen's, 78-70, double-overtime loss to Florida in the State Farm Classic Dec. 28, 2002. Nelson red-shirted the 2003-04 season.

• Nelson, whose father William is the head men's basketball coach at Johns Hopkins (Md.) University, has already cracked the top five in three-point field goals made and attempted. Nelson currently ranks third all-time in school history with 341 attempts and 102 three-point field goals made. Nelson also ranks 10th with a .299 percentage from behind the arc.

Solid Debut

• Freshman Pam Rosanio had one of the better debuts in a UMass uniform. The Southampton, Pa., native had a game-high 11 points in the Minutewomen's 54-49 opening night loss to Southern California. This was the third-highest point total of any freshman playing in their first game the past 15 seasons.

Top Five Freshman Debuts (Last 15 Years)

Rk. Player Pts. Opponent Date

1. Kelly Van Huisen 14 Ohio State 11/24/96

2 .Paige Harris 13 Charlotte 11/20/00

3. Pam Rosanio 11 Southern California 11/19/04

4. Tamara Tatham 10 Sacred Heart 11/21/03

5. Jennifer Butler 9 Clemson 11/19/99

Home Cookin'

• While it has won just two road games in nearly 23 months, the Maroon & White have won 16 of the last 27 games on its home floor including eight of the past 10 non-conference tilts.

Grabbing Those Boards

• Massachusetts has used a balanced effort on the glass to rank third in the A-10 in rebounding with 41.3 boards a game. The Minutewomen's +8.2 rebounding margin is first in the league by more than two boards.

• UMass has held the edge on the glass in five of its first six games thus far. Seven players are currently averaging at least 3.0 rebounds a game led by Brooke Campbell who has pulled down 7.0 boards a game.

Block Party

• Through the first six games this season, redshirt junior center Patrycja Gulak is second in the league with 1.50 blocks per game. Her nine blocks are tied for first-most in the league.

• The Poland native swatted a career-high three shots in the season opener against USC.

• Edris Bailey then turned in a career-high, four-block performance against Syracuse, Dec. 4.

• As a team, Massachusetts has 23 (3.83 bpg) blocks which is third in the league.

No Sophomore Jinx

• Through six games, Sophomore Tamara Tatham is out to prove that there is no such thing as a sophomore jinx. After a very solid freshman year, Tatham is second on the team in both scoring (8.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg) this season.

• Tatham, the older sister of freshman Alisha Tatham, posted her first career double-double at Providence Dec. 1 with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

• Tatham is also second on the team with 10 steals and has eight assists and three blocked shots. After committing 21 turnovers in her first four games, she has none in the past two.