Bulls Welcome Niagara On Wednesday Night For Big 4 Clash
11/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO GAME NOTES (.PDF)
NIAGARA GAME NOTES (.PDF)
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (1-0, 0-0 MAC) will welcome Big 4 rival Niagara University to Alumni Arena on Wednesday night for a non-conference game at 7:00 pm. The Bulls will be looking to extend their 11-game winning streak against the Purple Eagles on Wednesday after opening the season on Friday night with a 61-47 win over UMass.
UB WELCOMES BIG 4 FOE NIAGARA ON WEDNESDAY
Buffalo returns to Alumni Arena on Wednesday night for their second straight home game as they welcome Big 4 foe Niagara. The Bulls are coming off of a season opening win over UMass while the Purple Eagles enter with a 1-1 record after a win over St. Bonaventure and a loss at Michigan on Sunday. Wednesday night's game will start at 7:00 pm as the Bulls look to open the season 2-0 for the second straight season.
BULLS RACE PAST MINUTEWOMEN IN OPENER
The Bulls are coming off of an impressive opening night win over the UMass Minutewomen on Friday night at Alumni Arena as they raised their MAC Championship banner prior to the game. The Bulls started off quick as they opened the game on a 14-0 run, powered by a pair of three-pointers from JoAnna Smith and Katherine Ups. Buffalo led wire-to-wire as they led by as many as 15 points and earned the 61-47 win in front of their home fans. Katherine Ups led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds while the Bulls defense forced 24 turnovers that they turned into 25 points and the bench chipped in with 20 points of their own.
OWNING THE PURPLE EAGLES
The Bulls have completely dominated the Niagara Purple Eagles in recent meetings as the Bulls have won 11 straight against their Big 4 foes. The Bulls are averaging 69.9 points/game while allowing just 56.0 points/game over the 11-game winning streak against the Purple Eagles. Buffalo won last seasons meeting in Niagara by the score of 57-48. The last Niagara win in the series came in 2004-05 as they picked up the 68-65 overtime victory in Buffalo.
HOME COOKIN'
The Bulls have been a great home team over the last 3+ seasons under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack as they own a 27-13 record at Alumni Arena. UB hasn't lost more than five games at home in a season in the past three seasons as they finished 2015-16 with a 9-5 record on their home court. UB started off their 2016-17 campaign with another home win as they downed UMass on Friday 61-47. The Buffalo offense is averaging 63.0 PPG over the last three seasons while their defense is holding its opponents to 58.9 PPG.
NON-CONFERENCE STRENGTH
The Bulls have begun to have success in the non-conference portion of their schedule recently as over the past 3+ seasons, UB owns a 23-13 record against non-conference foes. The Bulls were especially good against non-conference opponents last season as they owned a 8-4 record after starting the season off at 6-0. UB opened the 2016-17 season with another non-conference win vs. UMass as they downed the Minutewomen 61-47 in front of their home fans at Alumni Arena.
UPS, UPS AND AWAY
Earning the starting nod for the second straight season at the small forward position, Katherine Ups had the best game of her UB career in the Bulls season opening win on Friday. The Wollongong, Australia native was unstoppable in the first half as she was able to net 11 of her career-high 16 points. She finished off her strong game with a career-best 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Ups went 6-for-10 from the floor and a career-best 4-for-7 from behind the arc while seeing just 23 minutes of action. Twin sister Liisa Ups had a nice game off the bench as well as she finished with two points, five rebounds and two assists across 15 minutes of action.
HEMPHILL PUSHING FOR MORE PLAYING TIME
Freshman Summer Hemphill made her presence felt off the Buffalo bench in her debut in front of her hometown fans on Friday night against UMass. The Buffalo native finished off her first collegiate game with eight points, a game-high nine rebounds and two steals over 18 minutes of action. The freshman phenom was all over the glass as she ripped down four offensive rebounds and went 4-for-6 from the charity stripe. Hemphill also made her existance felt on the defensive end of the court as she was able to record two steals as her length and athleticism were a problem for the Minutewomen guards at the top of the Bulls press.
OURSLER'S PRESENCE MAKES IMPACT VS. UMASS
After a slow first half on Friday night, Cassie Oursler picked up her game in the second half against UMass as she netted nine points and three rebounds in 15 minutes of action. The Grand Island native finished off her night with 13 points, four rebounds and two rejections over 27 minutes of action. The 6-3 center did most of her work in the fourth quarter when the Bulls needed her the most as she scored seven points and grabbed three rebounds in six minutes. Dating back to last season, Oursler has scored in double figures in five of her last eight games while recording at least one block in 11 straight as she has turned into a defensive stopper inside the paint for UB.
MORRISON SHINES IN STARTING LINEUP
Sophomore forward Brittany Morrison has been a force for the Bulls since being inserted into the starting lineup late last season. The undersized forward has injected a spark into the Bulls lineup as UB has earned a 9-2 record over Morrison's last 11 starts. The North Ridgeville, OH native is averaging 20.5 minutes, 5.3 points and 7.5 rebounds over her 11 career starts after contributing four points and six rebounds (three offensive) in the Bulls season opening win vs. UMass on Friday.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JO
Heading into her senior season, JoAnna Smith was one of the favorites for MAC Player of the Year but she struggled in the Bulls season opener against UMass. Smith finished with six points on 2-for-10 from the floor with an assist and steal in the win. Smith hit back-to-back three's to start the game before going cold from the field. Last season, the Southaven, MS native exploded onto the scene as she became the go-to player and averaged a team-best 18.3 PPG. Ranking fourth in the MAC in scoring, Smith proved to be one of the most dangerous three-point shooters in the nation as she was able to make a program-record 100 three's as a junior. The Southaven, MS native earned first team All-MAC honors after breaking the 20-point plateau 16 times and making at least one three pointer in 33 of 34 games and three or more three's in 20 of 34 games. Smith picked up her play in the MAC Tournament as she averaged a team-best 19.0 PPG and 7.8 RPG over the four-game span, earning All-Tournament team honors.
REID ALL ABOUT IT
Junior point guard Stephanie Reid didn't have the type of opener that she would have hoped to but the Bulls were still able to earn a win. The Melbourne, Australia native finished the game against UMass with just two points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals over 27 minutes of action. Reid saw all four of her team-high assists come in the first quarter as she struggled down the stretch to produce. Despite the poor showing, Reid is one of the best point guards in the conference as she capped her fantastic sophomore season with the game-winning shot at the buzzer in the MAC Championship game to give UB their first ever MAC title. Last season, Reid ranked second on the team in scoring (10.3 PPG) while ranking third in the MAC in assists (5.1 APG) and fourth in the MAC in steals (1.9 SPG). The Australia Native finished off the season earning third team All-MAC honors, All-Defensive team honors and MAC Tournament MVP honors while leading UB to their first NCAA Tournament game in program history.
CLEANING THE GLASS
One of the keys to the Bulls success last season was winning the battle of the boards and this continued to be true in the Bulls season opening win against UMass. The Bulls held the dominant 46-34 edge in rebounds as they improved to 18-4 over the last two seasons when winning the rebounding battle. Buffalo was especially strong on the offensive glass as they snagged 20 offensive rebounds that led to 17 second chance points.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The moto for the Bulls over the past two seasons has been defense and that continued on Friday in the Bulls 2016-17 season opening 61-47 win over UMass. The Bulls harassed an outmanned UMass squad as they held the Minutewomen to shooting 31.5% from the floor and 31.3% from behind the arc. The Bulls length on defense also caused a problem for UMass as they committed 24 turnovers that the Bulls turned into 25 points. Buffalo improved to 18-1 over the last two seasons when outshooting their opponents from the floor and 11-0 when holding their opponents to scoring 50 points or less.
REPEAT AFTER ME
The UB women's basketball team is coming off of their first 20-win season since 1996-97 and their first-ever MAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015-16. The Bulls have steadily improved over their four seasons under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack as they went 12-20 in 2012-13; 17-13 in 2013-14; 19-13 in 2014-15 and 20-14 last season. The Bulls are looking to become the third team to win back-to-back MAC Championships and the first to do so since Bowling Green in 2010 and 2011. Buffalo is looking to become just the third program in MAC history to earn back-to-back championships, joining Bowiling Green and Toledo.
MOST IMPROVED SCORER IN THE NCAA
Buffalo senior shooting guard JoAnna Smith flourished into a star last season as she was awarded the starting spot and was the vocal point of the UB offense. As a junior, Smith turned into one of the best players in the MAC and she was the most improved scorer in the nation as she went from 5.6 points/game as a sophomore to 18.3 points/game as a junior. The 12.7 points/game improvement was the best of any player in the NCAA last year. The scoring increase had a lot to do with Smith's ability to hit the outside shot as she set a program record for three-pointers in a season with 100.
CHARITY STRIPE PROWESS
Having a point guard who can shoot free throws at a high percentage is a major plus for teams hoping to compete for championships and Buffalo has just that in junior Stephanie Reid. The Melbourne, Australia native has been great at the charity stripe for the Bulls over her career as she has made 117-of-150 attempts (78%), ranking third in program history for free throw percentage. Reid saw a steady improvement last season as she went 82-for-101 (81.2%) on the year, ranking seventh in the MAC.
SOPHOMORE CLASS PUSHING FOR PLAYING TIME
The Buffalo sophomore class consists of three players, all of which are making great cases for extended playing time this season under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. Brittany Morrison earned a starting role while Gabi Bade and Ayoleka Sodade earned minutes off the Buffalo bench. Bade played a lot of point guard in the opener against UMass as she finished with 14 minutes, six points, two rebounds and an assist while Sodade saw five minutes of action and finished with two points and a steal. Bade and Sodade are building off of strong finishes to last season and if they continue to progress at this rate, they will be seeing a lot more action this season.
EXPERIENCED SQUAD
The Bulls return 10 letterwinners to a MAC Championship squad from a season ago. Buffalo returns all five starters to the lineup as Stephanie Reid, JoAnna Smith, Katherine Ups, Brittany Morrison and Cassie Oursler are all back for the Bulls. UB lost only one senior, Karin Moss, to graduation and three other bench players left the program. Buffalo is returning 90 percent of their scoring and 84 percent of their minutes played from a season ago as they look to regain their form that they showed late last season.
SMITH & REID NAMED PRESEASON ALL-MAC EAST
After very successful seasons in 2015-16, senior JoAnna Smith and junior Stephanie Reid were named to the preseason All-MAC East division team. Smith and Reid are the only set of teammates on the MAC east squad. Smith finished off her impressive junior campaign ranking fourth in the MAC in scoring (18.3 PPG) while Reid was one of the elite point guards in the conference as she ranked third in assists (5.1 APG) while also scoring a career-best 10.3 PPG.
PRESEASON PRAISE
The defending Mid-American Conference champions were selected to finish second in the MAC east in the preseason MAC Coaches Poll that was released last week. The Bulls received three first-place votes and 60 points, trailing just Ohio who had nine first-place votes and 69 points. Buffalo also earned one vote to win the regular season MAC Championship and one vote to win the MAC Tournament Championship.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
The Bulls are welcoming four new players to the team for the 2016-17 campaign as Cierra Dillard joins the Bulls after transferring from UMass while Summer Hemphill, Theresa Onwuka and Lawrencia Moten are freshman. Dillard comes to Buffalo after two successful seasons at UMass, leading the Minutewomen in scoring last season (15.5 PPG) while starting 21 games. Hemphill is a highly-touted athletic forward out of Cardinal O'Hara high school in Buffalo. The athletic player was a first team All-WNY performer last season after averaging 16 PPG, 10 RPG and 3.1 SPG. Onwuka comes to Buffalo from Illinois where she was a standout at Lake Forest Academy as she led her team in every statistical category. Onwuka is a very gifted athlete with a high motor and upside. Moten, daughter of NBA veteran Lawrence Moten, sat out her senior season at Bullis School after averaging 11.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks/game as a junior. Moten is a very talented and long post player with an improving offensive game.
