As an undersized unit, the Massachusetts women's basketball team employs a great deal of speed in its lineups. However, the team still relies on the few post players they have to carry the team inside.
And when that foundation fails, so do the Minutewomen.
In its 75-63 loss to Providence, UMass had its fair share of problems. However, much of the team's struggles came inside, where the Minutewomen's post play succumbed to that of a larger Friar team.
UMass, however, blamed their lack of success inside on its mental mistakes, not their physical stature.
"I don't think it was a matter of their size, I just think we weren't ready to play," said senior Stefanie Gerardot. "We played bigger and stronger in Colorado and Minnesota and we played - for the most part - pretty well against them. Size isn't the issue, it's our mentality that's the issue."
Size was discounted as a disadvantage for the Minutewomen when it became apparent that all of Providence's players, regardless of size, were making contributions inside. The Friars' Chelsea Marandola, a 5-foot-8 guard, had a game-high 10 rebounds, eight of which came in the first half.
Sophomore Teya Wright, the team's main inside presence, was limited to two points and only one offensive rebound as she was a non-factor offensively. Wright was 1-of-9 from the field and did not attempt a free throw.
Meanwhile, the team's other inside threats, sophomore Valerie Avebe and freshman Nicole Jones, failed to step up in Wright's wake. Avebe played only six minutes and recorded one rebound and didn't take a shot. Jones, meanwhile, put up similar numbers as Wright; six rebounds and two points.
"We didn't have any post presence at all," UMass coach Marnie Dacko said. "We've got to keep our posts in the game, we can't afford to have them get into foul trouble, and that hurt us."
Against a team that had them beat in size, the Minutewomen utilized the dribble-drive offense to blow past their opponents and drive straight to the hoop. The problem was, once they got there, they couldn't make the shots.
In the first half, the Minutewomen took advantage of a Friar team that failed to catch up to its opponents' offense. Fortunately for Providence, they didn't have to as UMass shot 22 percent from the field in the first half with most of the shots coming in the paint.
Although the Minutewomen shot 34 percent for the game, with their offense improving as part of the second-half comeback, the majority of the team's misses came inside on easy shots.
"We've got to be able to finish, we're going right by people," Dacko said. "That's why I told the kids to take a deep breath in the huddle. The hard part's getting by; the easy part's finishing. And we got by everybody, but we just missed layup after layup."
While the Minutewomen failed to execute on their play in the paint, their outside shots didn't fare any better. UMass went 3-of-18 from behind the 3-point line, failing to take the pressure away from the post play when it was struggling.
The majority of UMass' struggles came in the first half when Providence quickly erased a 7-6 deficit to the tune of a 21-2 run. The run was not a product of a lack of offense. Rather, the Minutewomen were able to get many of the shots they wanted in the first half by driving on the Friars defense.
But, as was the story of the game, UMass failed to finish.
Nick O'Malley can be reached at nomalley@student.umass.edu.
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