WORCESTER – Barring overtime, a college basketball game is 40 minutes long.
But this one was over in just 16.
With 3:40 left in the first half, Holy Cross’ Mary Campbell sunk her first of a pair of free throws. The basket made the score 31-12 and marked the end of a 19-0 run that all but clinched the game for the Crusaders, who won the contest easily, 68-42.
The run, which spanned nearly 10 minutes between a Jen Butler layup and a Nekole Smith basket, broke up the fourth and final tie score of the contest, one in which the Massachusetts women’s basketball team led just once – on the first basket of the game, a layup by junior forward Siiri Liivandi that came right off the tip-off.
The Holy Cross pressing defense had the Minutewomen looking like deer in headlights. Coach Joanie O’Brien’s premier ball handlers -sophomore Cleo Foster, and freshman classmates Katie Nelson and Monique Govan – showed their collective lack of experience by committing 13 turnovers as a unit, while only dishing out two assists (both credited to Nelson).
The young trio couldn’t find a way to break the press, continually working the ball to the right side where the Crusaders were waiting to trap, using the sideline as an extra teammate. Govan was able to break the press a few times in her 13 minutes of play with some spectacular dribbling moves, but little came from the effort.
When UMass was able to get the ball past the press, the collapsing defense run by HC put tremendous pressure on the post players, keeping the ball out of the hands of Liivandi, Smith, and Butler and double and triple teaming Butler every time she touched the ball.
Butler’s presence in the middle (10 points, 13 rebounds) could be considered a bright spot to the opener, but not according to O’Brien.
“There are no positives you can take from a game like this,” the eleventh year coach said after the contest.
The Minutewoman defense had trouble finding favorable matchups in the first half. Facing a starting lineup that consisted of 5-foot-10-inch senior Jeannette Paukert as its shortest player – UMass trotted out a backcourt consisting of two players listed at 5-foot-8-inches (Nelson and Foster) – the Crusaders were able to shoot over the Maroon and White defenders to the tune of 5-for-12 in the first half. No matter what style of defense they were playing, the Minutewomen were unable to get a hand in the face of the opposing shooters.
The UMass defense played with pride in the second half, allowing just six points in the first 10 minutes of the second frame and the team was outscored by just five points (29-24) while the Crusaders were more than happy to use the clock to their advantage.
In her first regular season game, HC freshman guard Maggie Fontana put on a show for the 1,600 in attendance at the Hart Center. The 5-foot-11-inch guard didn’t force any shots and was solid from the charity stripe (5-for-6), leading to a game-high 17-point performance on 5-for-7 from the field.
UMass forward Amber Sneed scored seven points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out five assists on the night.
The Minutewomen shot 17-52 from the field. They scored less than 42 points just twice last year.
The loss drops O’Brien’s record against Holy Cross to 4-2. UMass has beaten HC just once on the road (December 9, 1996).
UMass is now 15-19 in season openers. The Crusaders are 17-11 in season opener, 19-9 in home openers.
The Maroon and White will play its first home game tomorrow when it hosts St. Peter’s at the Mullins Center at 7:00 p.m.
