UMassHoops.com

^ All D1 schools though this year. Last year, they got 14 wins including NAIA opponents Maine Fort-Kent and Fisher College. I was talking to staff earlier this season and I hear that we are going to be playing a tougher OOC in the next couple of years with possible home and home series with St. Johns, Providence College, and Boston College. Maybe with Leidel's senior year, Verdi could get a Michigan swing with either Michigan or Michigan State. If we went .500 with that tough of a schedule, I'd take that in a heartbeat.

A win next Tuesday guarantees a .500 season. We play AT George Mason at noon. We lost pretty handily when they came to Mullins for Field Trip Day. I remember UMass as having little/no energy and being unable to control someone expected to be all A-10 first team (Cardano-Hillary).

Hope we can make it to Pittsburgh!

Here's our RPI vs a 4 year moving average of the RPI. Verdi's first two years were a bit of a disappointment. This year was a bit better. While Verdi's teams have been better each year, they're not really all that different from the years prior to his tenure.

I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it plays into his culture and recruiting strategy. "If we can't actually be better this year, then maybe we need to go out and win some 'cheap' games so that we have something we can sell players and recruits."

Ie. if you schedule soft, even if you play at the same level, the likely handful of extra wins might help players and recruits to "buy-in". Just a shot in the dark.

Now I'd like to think there are ways to significantly elevate our level of play by developing our current players/recruits.

If "cheap wins" are really their strategy, I think that's a bit unfair to the young women currently on the roster. Again, pure speculation.

Women are playing George Mason in the opening round of the A 10 tournament and lead them 31 - 27 at the half.

Lost the lead but only trail by 1 at 48 -47.

Going into OT tied at 58. We played most of the 4th quarter with 4 of our players with 4 fouls and will do so in OT.

Headed to double OT.

We had a chance to score but missed.

UMass wins!!! Final 86-80.

GM controlled the start of the 2nd OT, but fell apart due to some strong UMass D and some missed shots. UMass really took over and milked it away with FTs and a flagrant foul call on GM. Congrats gals (ladies)!

Lidel made 20 /20 free throws to lead the way with around 28 points.

^ Memo to the file: Don't file Hailey Leidel down the stretch.
Nice job on D in the overtimes, with several players having three or four fouls after regulation.

Leidel wound up with 31 points, Philoxy had 19 and Rivera had 15. We made 25 out of 29 free throws. They really held in for this win. Now they get to play # 2 Fordham in Pittsburgh on Friday at 4 or 4:30.

Really happy for the Minutewomen. Looks like it was a crazy game. An upset of Fordham would be awesome.

(double post)

What a game. We gave up 5 Free Throws with under 5 seconds left in the quarters (I think 1st and 2nd). Luckily, that didn't come back to hurt us.

Really impressed with the good defense with 4 fouls by everyone. Only Hampton-Bey fouled out. Was surprised that McCormick or McCoy didn't go in with that foul trouble, but Tory obviously has a ton of trust in that core group. Such mental toughness to grind this one out that seems to be squarely a result of this coaching staff -- I remember a play-in game (like 12 vs 13 seed) against Mason under Sharon Dawley. We went up like 17-0 and ended up losing that one in regulation.

I know we won a play-in game under Dawley, but this is the first "actual" A-10 playoff win in such a long time. Looking ahead, I was at the game AT Fordham. They got out to a 12-0 start by the 7 min mark in 1st quarter and there was extra energy because it was Senior Day. Contain that and we should have a game on Friday. Can't wait.

Congrats to the ladies. Personally, I was getting tired of losing to GMU.

I just saw the box score. We only had 9 turnovers in a double overtime game. That's impressive.