Mistakes send Minutewomen to loss
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AMHERST - Before the University of Massachusetts women's basketball team can become proficient with the dribble-drive motion offense, the Minutewomen need to master the art of dribbling.
Traveling violations and careless turnovers halted every UMass comeback attempt in a 56-42 loss to Delaware Wednesday night at the Mullins Center.
The Minutewomen (5-5) lost for the first time in three games, turning the ball over 24 times, while struggling from the field with 16-for-59 (27.1 percent) shooting. UMass leading scorer Stefanie Gerardot was held to just five points, missing all but two of her 12 shots.
"It's carelessness," UMass coach Marnie Dacko said, referring to the offensive inefficiency. "It's ball-handling. We're putting ourselves in a position to get picked off. We have to understand that we're not great ball-handlers and be able to pass."
UMass trailed 27-20 entering the second half, falling behind at the break after committing 11 turnovers and shooting just 8-of-30.
Dacko made some halftime adjustments in an effort to get the ball inside, primarily to sophomore forward Teya Wright. She finished with 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds # with 12 rebounds and eight points coming after halftime.
But the Minutewomen could not get enough help from Gerardot and Cerie Mosgrove (11 points on 4-of-12 shooting).
"If you look at it, we go as Stefanie goes," Dacko said. "Everything is dictated on whether or not Stefanie and Cerie are putting the ball in the basket and they got to give us more."
The Blue Hens (5-3) had many of the same problems turnovers (19) and missed shots (22-of-58 for 37.9), but they did a better job of converting off turnovers (19 points to 11) and on second-chance points (16 to 8).
Led by Wright, UMass had a 44-40 rebounding edge # including a 20 to 16 advantage on the offensive glass. But the Minutewomen turned those 20 offensive rebounds into just eight points.
"We had eight points to speak of for 20 offensive boards, I never would have guessed we would have struggled so much offensively," Dacko said. "I thought we had the open looks and understandably one or two (players) can't make it, but my goodness, all of them?"
Starting guards Sakera Young and Diatiema Hill contributed just six points, all by Young on 3-for-13 shooting. And the Minutewoman bench combined for five points on 1-for-8 shooting in 40 minutes. UMass finished 5-for-23 from 3-point range.
The Minutewomen are off until 2 p.m. Dec. 20 when they play Northeastern at the Mullins Center in the first game of a doubleheader. The men host Hofstra at 4 p.m.
