Turnovers are as costly as anything in the game of basketball, as they can completely swing the momentum at any given point in time.
For the Massachusetts women’s basketball team, it took only one weekend to see the results from both perspectives.
Despite 20 turnovers, UMass managed a 61-50 win over Utah State Saturday. However, the Minutewomen (3-5) lost possession a season-high 28 times in the Fiesta Bowl Classic championship game against Arizona Sunday, and fell to the Wildcats 74-42 at the McKale Center in Tuscon, Ariz.
The Wildcats (5-3) took advantage of the added chances, scoring 36 points off turnovers to UMass’ eight to cruise to a 74-42 victory.
All-American candidate Shawntinice Polk and the No. 25 Wildcats were a much larger challenge for UMass coach Marnie Dacko and her players.
The UMass defense had no answer for Polk, who was named tournament MVP. The 6-foot-5-inch center posted 18 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks Sunday. Junior guard Dee Dee Wheeler played a supporting role to Polk, finishing with 13 points, seven assists and three steals.
Arizona built a 14-point lead at 25-11 to open the game. At the 6:01 mark, the Minutewomen started their own run, scoring off two Zsedenyi 3-pointers and a Tatham free throw. The lead was cut to seven points with 4:38 left until the ‘Cats went on an 8-0 run, giving them a 33-18 at the break.
UMass was only able to hit 25 percent of its shots and committed 15 turnovers. ‘Zona came out hot in the second half, building a 20-point lead just over four minutes into the half.
Senior Glamora Maeweather led the way for UMass with a double-double on 13 points and 10 rebounds. Campbell, who was named to the all-tournament team, finished with nine points and nine boards.
Saturday, the Minutewomen won their third straight with the victory over the Aggies, who are playing their first season since 1987.
The 20 Maroon and White turnovers were only nullified by the Aggies’ 26. The difference was the same result as the ‘Zona game: The team who scored the most points off turnovers won the game. UMass scored 32 points off the extra possessions while USU (0-3) were only able to convert 12.
Along with the additional attempts, the Minutewomen were paced by junior Brooke Campbell’s post game and Judit Zsedenyi’s sharpshooting. Campbell scored a game-high 19 points adding six rebounds and four assists.
Zsedenyi was on fire from behind the arc, nailing four of five attempts. The senior forward/guard finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three rebounds.
In the first half, UMass set the tempo early, jumping out to 12-6 lead behind two Zsedenyi 3-balls. The Aggies answered back with a 6-0 run, tying the game at the 14:48 mark. The game remained a struggle until the Minutewomen closed out the half with an 18-5 run, gaining a 39-27 lead – their highest first-half output this season.
Zsedenyi had eight points in only six minutes due to foul trouble, while freshman center Tamara Tatham scored all 10 of her points by half. The Maroon and White shot .704 (17-24) in the first frame.
Neither team could get anything going early in the second half. Zsedenyi’s 3-pointer at the 12:38 mark was the first score by UMass in the second half. The extended delay was not a problem as Utah State only scored four points in the stretch. Campbell’s layup at the 5:59 mark gave the Maroon and White a 20-point lead.
After starting the game 1-10 from the free throw line, the Minutewomen hit their last seven of eight attempts from the charity stripe to seal the game.
