Over the course of their last three games, the Minutewomen have been increasingly precise. They shot 50.8 percent, 51 percent and 54.7 percent from the floor in their most recent game against Boston College.
UMass coach Sharon Dawley is thrilled with the results.
“We are so far ahead of what we were at the beginning,” Dawley said. “I thought that coming in with a new system that no one would be familiar with, it would take a while to click. But even against BC this past weekend, I saw the high-low offense beginning to click, and our team is now running the floor better.”
A contributing factor to the success is the improved offense from players inside the paint.
Earlier on in the season, the 3-point game was the backbone of the Maroon and White offense.
As the season has progressed, improved pressure within the paint has led to more scoring, smoother flow and a more confident team that can execute more plays every game.
“We have inside players that can execute,” Dawley said. “It’s just about getting them the ball down there. Early on, we had to rely a lot on our perimeter shooting, but now, our guards are looking at the high-low offense and working it in the paint more and more.”
One of those heavy-hitting inside players also happens to be one of the biggest players early on in the season.
Shakia Robinson has been impressive for UMass this season, adding strength inside. Her shooting efficiency of 58 percent leads the team. Her 110 points have been keeping the Minutewomen in games this season.
The team also has strength from beyond the arc to fall back on when the going gets tough.
A big piece to the offensive puzzle that has been keeping the team competitive is their strength from 3-point range. Megan Zullo, Cerie Mosgrove and Emilie Teuscher have all been 40 percent from downtown With a large pressure now being reduced by the continued improvement of success from the inside game, the team’s shooters will now be free to attack more efficiently and with more skill.
Luckily, the shot proficiency extends to the charity stripe.
The UMass abilities from the free-throw line have also been strong throughout the season. The girls have gone a combined 67 percent in their trips to the line, including an impressive 24-for-30 showing from Mosgrove. Opponents are shooting a near-similar 64 percent compared to the Minutewomen in their charity point efforts.
David Martin can be reached at [email protected].
