Rich Lombard/Collegian

As Dayton went through pregame warmups at the Mullins Center on Saturday afternoon, it looked like a team with a 21-6 record. The players were laughing and looked like they expected to secure a win against a Massachusetts women’s basketball team that had lost four consecutive Atlantic 10 games. However, the Flyers (21-7, 7-5 A-10) came up 20 points short of their season average, due largely in part to the rebounding disparity in a 56-46 Minutewomen victory. Along with turnovers, UMass has been plagued by rebounding struggles this season – the Minutewomen average 35.1 rebounds per game, which is 10th in the conference. Dayton is third in the A-10 with 39.1 rebounds per game but relied mainly on jump shots and couldn’t match their season average. By the time the final horn sounded, the Flyers had been outrebounded, 45-32, including 14-6 on the offensive end. “Teams that beat Dayton on the boards won ballgames,” UMass coach Marnie Dacko said. “So if we could go out and control the boards, we’d have an opportunity to beat them.” Dacko has stressed rebounding over the entire season but admitted that it’s been difficult, as the team is routinely outworked on the glass. In losses to Rhode Island and George Washington, UMass was outrebounded by a 72-49 margin. The Colonials grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, and this helped them to score 18 second-chance points and 40 points in the paint. In the two most recent Minutewoman losses, against Saint Louis and Duquesne, the team did a better job of crashing the boards. They outrebounded the Billikens, 31-26, and were outrebounded, 39-37, against the Dukes. In Saturday’s victory, UMass built on these improved performances and put together a total team rebounding effort. In addition to her game-high 23 points and five blocks, senior forward Kate Mills led the Minutewomen with 10 rebounds. Fellow senior Alisha Tatham recorded nine rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. The captain provides the Minutewomen with their quickest perimeter defender, and with her athleticism, she grabbed a fifth of the team’s rebounds.

Teya Wright also contributed to the solid team rebounding effort, grabbing seven rebounds. “I think [Teya’s] staying in games because she’s moving her feet defensively, she got some rebounds, she had a lot of open looks inside,” Dacko said. “Again, we’ve got to keep working with her on her pivot feet and making better power moves to the basket.

“She’s going to grow as she matures and as she ages but she gave us some quality minutes defensively and she’s got to keep that going.”

When she stays out of foul trouble, Wright is the team’s most effective rebounder. She averages 13.3 rebounds per 40 minutes, and has been doing a better job recently of remaining on the floor.

Currently tied for 12th place in the A-10, the Minutewomen will look to continue their rebounding success against a St. Bonaventure team that has also struggled with rebounding this season.

The Bonnies are one spot behind UMass on the boards, averaging 34.6 rebounds per game. Since the Minutewomen lead the conference in field-goal percentage (43.9 percent), they’ll greatly improve their chances of beating St. Bonaventure and getting one step closer to the A-10 Tournament if they replicate their rebounding performance against Dayton. Mike Connors can be reached at [email protected].