The change of the calendar year has not been very kind to the Massachusetts women’s basketball up to this point. The New Year is supposed to bring a sense of optimism and hope for what’s to come, but for the Minutewomen that sense of optimism has quickly turned into doubt of where they’re headed.
UMass (6-12, 0-6 Atlantic 10) has now dropped its last six games and is winless in A-10 play.
Amidst all of the struggles the Minutewomen faced in the past month, a quiet force has remained as consistent as the day she first stepped on the Mullins Center court in 2012: Rashida Timbilla.
The senior forward continues to be a force for UMass on both ends and put’s up numbers that have been eerily similar over her time in Amherst.
Timbilla is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.2 points per game and leads the team with nine rebounds a game. Her 893 career rebounds trail only Jennifer Butler (1,328) and Octavia Thomas (903) on the all-time rebound list for the program. On top of this, she has 875 career points and could very well be in striking distance of 1,000 points for her career if she has a strong final 10 games to the season.
UMass coach Sharon Dawley had nothing but good things to say about her longest tenured player and her ability on the court.
“(Rashida) is a phenomenal player on both sides of the ball,” Dawley said. “She’s such a versatile defender. You can put her on a post player or a smaller guard and she will take that matchup and lock them down. It’s a testament to how hard she works on the court.”
In Wednesday’s matchup with Rhode Island (9-9, 3-3 A-10), Dawley has Timbilla slotted in to cover one of the Rams’ guards.
Dawley believes the leadership Timbilla brings is beneficial for the Minutewomen.
“(Rashida) is a quiet leader. She’s someone who leads by her actions,” Dawley said. “Being a senior on this team, the younger girls are looking to her guidance and the way she conducts herself both on and off the court sends the right message.”
Timbilla echoed similar points as Dawley on her leadership style.
“I try to lead not necessarily with my voice, but with my work ethic and how I play the game,” Timbilla said. “I try to go hard every day and help our team win and I feel like that’s most important. Being a senior, I try to give any advice to my teammates and do whatever I can to help.”
Rebounding has always been the calling card for Timbilla to make her biggest impact for UMass. In her four seasons with Minutewomen, she has led the team in rebounding every year.
Despite her successes on the boards, grabbing rebounds hasn’t been contagious for her teammates. UMass currently sits 10th in offensive rebounds and 12th in defensive rebounds in the A-10. The next best rebounder on the team is forward Alyssa Lawrence who averages 5.1 rebounds per game.
Timbilla understands the need for the Minutewomen to be strong on the boards.
“Defensively, being able to limit the other team to one shot and securing the rebound is huge,” Timbilla said. “It gets our transition game going and it really initiates our offense going the other way. Personally, I know I’m a good rebounder and I feel like for me that’s how I get going grabbing as many rebounds as possible.”
Looking towards Wednesday’s game against URI, both Timbilla and Dawley realize the need to come out strong to put an end to their losing streak.
“We just need to play our game,” Timbilla said. “Getting out on the break early and finishing our opportunities will be very big for us if we want to get the win on Wednesday.”
Dawley has three specific things she is looking to see from the team against the Rams: transition defense, boxing out, and balanced scoring.
Tipoff is set for noon at the Mullins Center.
Adam Aucoin can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @aaucoin34.
