The north has not been that kind to the Massachusetts women’s basketball team.
With five of its first six contests taking place above the Mason-Dixon line, the Minutewomen have struggled to a 1-5 out-of-conference record, including a recent 69-51 blowout at the hands of Vermont.
Now, they will try and change their luck this upcoming weekend when they travel to the heart of the south in order to compete against Arkansas-Little Rock and Memphis.
Because of its early season struggles, these games have become all the more important, and could make or break the Maroon and White’s season. Two losses would be devastating to the team’s psyche and would kill basically any chance of an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, despite the fact that the season is so young.
Two wins, however, could go a long way toward turning UMass in a positive direction.
So far, the problems with the Minutewomen have all lain on the offensive end, as they have averaged a mere 51.3 points a contest. Turnovers and foul shooting have especially killed them, with a woeful 23.2 miscues a game to along with an absolutely atrocious .474 free throw percentage not doing much to help the cause.
Jen Butler has been the main catalyst for poor shooting from the line (29 percent) despite the fact that she leads the team in both scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (10.8 rpg).
In her team’s 56-49 loss to James Madison, the junior center’s foul shooting was especially hideous, firing seven bricks from the stripe without connecting on a single one.
Butler, however, is not the only one having offensive difficulties, and is in fact the only player wearing maroon and white that is averaging double digits.
As for the positives, freshman Katie Nelson has been a steady, if not spectacular, contributor at the point, and has generally been a calming influence on her team. She has even replaced a lot of what UMass lost with the graduation of Kathy Coyner, last season’s leader in points scored and assists.
“[Nelson] has done a great job of picking things up quickly,” Maroon and White Head Coach Joanie O’Brien said. “Her instinct for the game is probably even better than Kathy ever had.”
Nekole Smith, who missed all of last year to a knee injury, has also shown some signs of breaking out of her early season slump. The junior forward totaled 15 points in Sunday’s game against Vermont, and has picked her scoring average up to 7.7 ppg, good enough for third on the team.
“Nicole felt comfortable for the first time in a long time [against the Catamounts] and she finally let her competitiveness come out,” O’Brien said.
As for the competition, Arkansas-Little Rock (2-5) has also struggled in the 2001-02 campaign, despite the fact that it is coming off a recent 67-39 crushing of Mississippi Valley State. However, considering that the Trojans went 6-22 (0-16 in conference) a year ago, it is obvious that they have shown some signs of improvement.
Freshman guard Darci Cassidy has been the main reason for this, and has totaled 11.6 ppg, including a career-high 23 in her most recent outing. Much like the Minutewomen, though, Arkansas-Little Rock has had a tendency to turn the ball over, and has done so a miserable 25.6 times a contest.
For Memphis (3-4), Shannon Hamp is its leading scorer (16.2 ppg) and has also been a main contributor off the glass (6.2 rpg). Princess Swilley has also been explosive at times, totaling 10.2 points a game.
Tip off for the game against the Trojans is tonight at 7 p.m. while the contest with the Tigers takes place on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.
