Sheedy's first season with Corsairs marked
by transition as Berger concludes career

(Dartmouth, MA) -- Lynn Sheedy's first season as head coach of the UMass Dartmouth women's basketball team was marked by transition on the Corsairs' roster.

As senior guard and co-captain Kelly Berger (Buzzards' Bay, MA) completed her four-year career with the Corsairs, two new players, sophomore forward Katie Douglas (Sharon, MA) and first-year forward Carla Ferreira (Marion, MA), established themselves as solid building blocks for future UMass Dartmouth women's basketball teams.

The Corsairs finished the 1998-99 season with a 4-19 overall record and a 2-12 mark in the Little East Conference, but the campaign was not without some individual high points.

Berger wrapped up her career in the Corsairs' backcourt by leading UMass Dartmouth in scoring with a 12.95 points per game average, sixth best overall in the LEC. During her four years at UMass Dartmouth, Berger scored a total of 1,081 points to become only the fifth player in the program's history to reach 1,000 points. Berger's 1,081 points lifted her to third on the career scoring list behind former Corsair player and coach Cathy Houtman, who tops the list with 1,325 points, followed by Sue Quinn in second place with 1,315 points.

Berger was also UMass Dartmouth's team leader this season and among the LEC leaders in assists (3.8 per game) and free throw percentage (64-99, .645). Berger also led the Corsairs in steals (31), three-point field goals (25) and minutes (771).

The other bright spots for Sheedy and the Corsairs were the development of Douglas and Ferreira throughout the season. Douglas was among the top rebounders in the LEC, leading her team and finishing fifth in the conference, pulling down 8.3 rebounds per game. Douglas was also the Corsairs' top free-throw shooter, connecting on 65-92 for 70.7%, third best in the LEC. Douglas finished second in UMass Dartmouth scoring with 10.64 points per game and contributed 37 assists and 31 steals.

In her first season with the Corsairs' women's basketball team after an impressive rookie season with the volleyball squad Ferreira teamed with Douglas to give UMass Dartmouth a strong rebounding combination. Ferreira pulled down 8.1 rebounds per game, ranking her in a tie for sixth in the LEC, on position behind Douglas, and tops among first-year players in the conference. Ferreira scored eight points per game and added 26 steals and 12 assists.

First-year guard Jess Cummings (Middleboro, MA), another newcomer to the Corsairs' team during 1998-99, took advantage of her playing time opportunities, finishing third in team scoring with 8.39 points per game. Cummings shot 69-197 from the floor and contributed 21 steals and 18 assists. Among the other players who the Corsairs' will hope to build with in the future were first-year players guard Melissa McCormick (Randolph, MA) (3.6 pts, 1.4 reb), center/forward Marissa Rand (Rochester, MA) (4.1 pts, 4.35 reb) and guard Becky Mackey (Quincy, MA) (1.9 pts, 21 assists).