After getting a quick holiday break, both the UMass men’s and women’s basketball teams are back in action on Saturday.
The Minutemen return to the Mullins Center after a trip to Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic and will host Siena at 1 p.m. The Minutewomen are on the road to begin Atlantic 10 Conference play, heading to Richmond to take on VCU at 4:30 p.m.
The UMass men’s team is coming off a strong showing in Hawaii. Following an opening night, tightly-contested loss to Georgia Tech to begin the classic, the Minutemen responded with a 100-78 triumph over Portland. On Christmas Eve, UMass left Honolulu on a high note with an 87-65 victory over Old Dominion in the fifth-place game.
After struggling from the floor and at the free throw line against the Yellow Jackets the Minutemen turned things around on the offensive end against the Pilots and the Monarchs. UMass shot 59 percent from the floor and 36 percent from 3 to run away with the win over Portland and against Old Dominion, the Minutemen shot 54 percent from the field and 36 percent from 3-point land.
It was Josh Cohen who led that offensive charge for UMass in the two wins, scoring 28 points in each game. Matt Cross tossed in 19 points against the Pilots and 14 points against the Monarchs to help move the Minutemen to 8-3 on the season.
Saturday’s game against the Saints (2-10) will be UMass’ final non-conference tilt before the A-10 slate kicks off. The Minutemen open conference play on Wednesday, hosting Duquesne at 7 p.m. Siena comes to Amherst on a five-game losing skid.
The non-conference schedule hasn’t gone the way of the UMass women’s basketball team, which hopes it can have better luck in the A-10 where it reached the conference title game a season ago.
With a new coach and a nearly brand new roster, it was always going to be tough for the Minutewomen to hit the gates flying. After an opening night win over Saint Peter’s, UMass has won just one of its last 10 games. It hasn’t been the easiest of slates for the Minutewomen, having been tested against the likes of Harvard, Washington State, Maryland and Boston College.
Saturday’s game against VCU offers a chance for UMass to turn things around. The Minutewomen have been near dominant in the A-10 the last two seasons, going 11-4 in conference play and reaching the conference championship game, where it took home the title with a 62-56 win over Dayton.
Last year, UMass went 14-2 in the A-10 and once again reached the conference championship game, where it fell to Saint Louis.
It’s been Stephanie Kulesza and Kristin Williams who have led the Minutewomen offensively so far this season. Kulesza enters leading the team with 11.8 points per game while Williams isn’t far behind, scoring 11.1 points per game.
If UMass is to turn it around, it will have to do a better job from deep offensively, as the Minutewomen are shooting just 26 percent from 3 this season. For reference, their opponents are shooting 36 percent from 3 against them. VCU enters the game with a sterling 11-1 record and are winners of its last eight games.
UMass will return to the Mullins Center on Tuesday, where it will host Dayton at 5 p.m.