It has been more than a month and a half since the Massachusetts women’s basketball team won its last game.
During that stretch the Minutewomen have been outscored by 275 points, with eight of the 12 losses by double digits.
Although UMass has struggled tremendously during that stretch, both coach Sharon Dawley and the rest of the Minutewomen believe they are improving and are ready to put their poor play behind them.
“Honestly to stay positive, we just have to think about the positives,” captain Emily Mital said. “If we think about the negatives, you’re going to see that on the court. We just have to keep each other up, keep the mood light, have fun, and just do the best we can.”
Despite struggling through a major portion of the season, guard Jasmine Harris has emerged onto the scene as of late. The sophomore has scored in double digits in the past four games, averaging 12.8 points per game during that stretch along with just under five rebounds per game.
“Instead of worrying about her shot she’s just been attacking,” Dawley said. “She’s been going to the foul line more, and more importantly she’s emerged as a leader. Although she was before, when you struggle on the floor you stop leading and you start getting quiet. Now she’s learned to lead regardless of how she thinks she’s playing.”
Harris hopes she has the support of her teammates as they try to gather some momentum.
“I just have to continue to stay positive and be a leader for this team,” Harris said. “Hopefully my teammates continue to rally behind me and I can keep doing that the rest of the way.”
Guard Amber Dillon is also expected to play a major role for the Minutewomen moving forward. She scored a career-high 11 points in her last game against George Washington in a season-high 28 minutes played. Her quickness and ability to push the ball in transition will help UMass expose the 3-2 zone of Rhode Island, which often allows open shots in the corners and the wings.
“We have to be able to score against that 3-2 zone,” Dawley said. “Zone defenses have shut us down all year.”
The Minutewomen aren’t the only team going into Wednesday’s game hungry for a win. The Rams are in the midst of a five-game losing streak themselves and would love nothing more than to beat UMass on their annual field trip game, the same promotion the Mullins Center hosted just one week ago.
During the five-game skid for URI, the Rams have allowed just 54.2 points per game.
Andrew Cyr can be reached at [email protected], and can be followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr.
