Women's Hoops Prepares For A Big 4 Clash At St. Bonaventure On Wednesday
12/8/2015 12:00:00β―AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York women's basketball team (6-2, 0-0 MAC) returns to the court on Wednesday night as the Bulls travel to take on Big 4 foe St. Bonaventure. Tip is set for 7:00 pm at the Reilly Center.
After going 3-0 against the other regional Division I basketball programs -- Niagara, Canisius and St. Bonaventure -- in the 2014-15 season, the Bulls will look to continue their streak on the road where SBU owns a 4-0 record.
The Bonnies will be the Bulls' third Atlantic-10 conference foe this season. They're 1-1 with a road win over UMass on Nov. 21 and, most recently, a 79-62 loss to Duquesne, who was picked to finish third in the preseason coaches' poll.
UB dropped its second game in a row Sunday to the Dukes after a 6-0 start to the season. The Bulls led by four at the half after shooting 6-for-10 from beyond the arc, but Duquesne outscored them 29-10 in the third quarter to take a permanent lead.
Freshman Gabi Bade had a career game, finishing with a team-high 16 points. She came off the bench in the first half to hit three straight threes. Stephanie Reid (14 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals) and Katherine Ups (10 points) also reached double figures for the Bulls.
Despite allowing 79 points in back-to-back games, the Bulls' defense is still allowing just 54.5 opponent points per game this season which ranks 31st in the nation and leads the Mid-American Conference.
Last Time Out in the Big 4
The Bulls' notched a milestone victory when the two teams last met at Alumni Arena on Dec. 15. The 51-44 decision ended Bona's 22-game Big 4 win streak and was the first UB win over St. Bonaventure since the 2006-07 season.
UB trailed 13-0 early in the first half, but responded with an 18-5 run. In the second, the Bulls' defense clamped down, holding SBU without a field goal for the final seven minutes of the game and forcing 27 turnovers to earn the win.
Fast forward to this season when the Bulls defeated crosstown rival Canisius, 54-40, to start out the 2015-16 Big 4 schedule with a win. It was an example of the Bulls' defense at its finest as they held the Griffins to 31.9 percent shooting and 19 turnovers while stealing the ball 13 times. Point guard Stephanie Reid scored a team-high 12 points to go along with seven rebounds, six assists and three steals.
UB defeated Big 4 opponents last season by an average of 14 points.
Road Stretch
The Bulls are 3-1 at home this year with one of the wins coming against Big 4 opponent, Canisius.
