Rich Lombardi, Collegian

When the Massachusetts women’s basketball team faces Saint Louis on Saturday, it won’t be playing one of the best teams in the Atlantic 10.

The Billikens (9-15, 4-5 A-10) struggle to stop teams from scoring, as evidenced by the 68 points they allow per game. They also have trouble shooting from 3-point range – they average slightly over three successful 3-pointers per game at a 28.4 percent rate. Since UMass (11-13, 3-6 A-10) often has trouble guarding the perimeter, this works in its favor.

However, the Minutewomen will have to focus on rebounding – an area that’s crippled them throughout the season.

St. Louis averages almost 40 rebounds per game, including 14.88 on the offensive glass, which is good for second in the conference.

In the Minutewomen’s 69-45 loss to No. 14 George Washington on Wednesday, the Colonials’ Whitney Allen led the way with 13 points and 11 rebounds, as UMass was outrebounded, 43-26.

UMass coach Marnie Dacko has stressed all year that the team needs to focus on rebounding, but for the most part, the results have been lacking.

“They outwork people, they outwork teams,” Dacko said of St. Louis. “They’re not the most talented, but they work extremely hard, and that’s something we’ve got to be ready for.”

Against GW there were few bright spots, but freshman Teya Wright gave UMass the tough rebounding they needed to succeed in the conference. She scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss. She also played 25 minutes without fouling out.

Foul trouble has plagued Wright this season, and Dacko has been trying to teach the young forward how to keep her balance and move her feet so she can remain on the floor. Per 40 minutes, Wright is averaging 13.8 rebounds – over five more than leading-rebounder Kate Mills averages in those same minutes.

Six-foot-four sophomore center Amanda Kemezys leads the Billikens with 8.1 rebounds per game, and averages 10.8 points per game.

Though St. Louis rebounds well, Dacko believes Mills will effectively use her low-post moves to score inside against the Billikens. The senior forward was 3-of-3 from beyond the arc against GW, but Dacko was displeased that Mills didn’t call for the ball more often inside the paint in order to draw fouls on the Colonials’ post defenders.

“Kate’s got to get the ball and shoot,” Dacko said. “She can’t get the ball and dribble because [the St. Louis defenders] are like flies on tar paper. The ball’s going to go inside and they’re going to be all over it like gnats. They’re small and they’re all over you.”

While UMass looks for Mills to lead on the offensive end, the Billikens’ Theresa Lisch serves the same purpose for her team.

The sophomore guard averages a team-high 17.1 points per game and is a good rebounding guard (4.5 per game).

Dacko says St. Louis penetrates to the hoop well, and one thing the Minutewomen don’t want to do is allow Lisch to shoot free throws – she’s shooting 91 percent from the line.

Lisch isn’t the only one who shoots free throws well for the Billikens – the team leads the conference in free-throw percentage (75.6) and free-throws attempts (537).

Senior Alicia Tatham will be responsible for covering Lisch, while the rest of the team plays a “sagging man-to-man” to prevent dribble penetration to the basket.

If UMass can stop the dribble penetration, Dacko hopes the Billikens are forced into taking tough shots from the perimeter.

Though the Minutewomen rank in the middle of the A-10 in scoring, they’ve encountered difficulties in finding multiple players to score points.

Pam Rosanio averages 15.5 points per game, but is the only other player besides Mills to average double-digits.

Junior guard Stefanie Gerardot provides a three-point shooting threat and can also drive to the basket. She’s established herself as the team’s third most reliable scorer, but when she’s not scoring, the rest of the players rarely reach double-figures in points.

The team had a light practice yesterday to recover from the GW game, but Dacko believes the team can reel off a string of wins before heading into the conference tournament.

Mike Connors can be reached at [email protected].