The Minutewomen (1-7) are coming off a tough road trip, dropping three games to Quinnipiac, George Mason and most recently Boston College.
UMass takes on the Friars (4-5) on Friday night at 7 p.m. The Friars have been cold as of late, losing their last two games – most recently a 69-42 loss to Villanova – fresh off its four-game winning streak.
The big scorer for the Friars is Teya Wright, who has been the team’s leading scorer in six of its nine games. The 6-foot-1-forward provides the inside presence that Providence relies on as the senior is a consistent double-double threat, averaging 15.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
Danielle Pearson controls the offense with a team-high 26 assists, while the Friars receive additional contributions from Rachel Barnes, Symone Roberts and Alicia Cropper, each averaging over eight points per game.
On Sunday, UMass takes on the Black Bears at 1 p.m. in the Mullins Center. Maine currently sits at 3-5 on the season and has struggled of late, losing its last two contests by double-digit margins to George Washington and Navy.
The Black Bears play a balanced offensive style with six players pitching in with at least five points per game.
Ashleigh Roberts leads the way with an average outpout of 9.1 points, followed closely by Brittany Williams and her 8.6 points a night.
Shareka Maner leads the squad on the glass, collecting five boards per game while Roberts has grabbed 4.2 a game. Maner has also provided opportunities in the turnover ratio, with 13 steals already this season.
Courtney Anderson is the outside threat, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc on 13-of-26 shooting.
Both Anderson and Williams are the distributors on the team, each dishing out just over two dimes per game.
One area where the Minutewomen will look to exploit the Black Bears is in the turnover ratio, as Maine commits just under 20 turnovers a night. Meanwhile UMass takes slightly better care of the ball, coughing up just 17.5 turnovers per game, but struggles in the turnover ratio, only forcing 11.9 miscues per contest.
The Minutewomen will look to improve on a couple areas, especially offensive rebounds, as UMass’ opposition has grabbed, on average, just short of five more offensive rebounds per game.
Guards Megan Zullo and Emilie Teuscher have provided the team’s only threat from outside with a combined 33 field goals from 3-point range.
However, it has been the post play of Shakia Robinson and Jasmine Watson that have been the workhorses for the Minutewomen throughout the season. Robinson leads the team with 12.9 points per game, while Watson is close behind with her 12.5 a night.
Carolann Cloutier has been a great addition to the roster, leading the squad with her 4.5 assists per contest.
The pair of home games will be the team’s last for a while as UMass follows with a four-game road stint. The Minutewomen’s next home affair is after the beginning of the new year with Harvard on Jan. 3.
Michael Counos can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at MDC_Counos.
