Women's Hoops Aims For 3-0 Start As They Welcome Manhattan On Saturday Afternoon
11/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO GAME NOTES (.PDF)
MANHATTAN GAME NOTES (.PDF)
BUFFALO, NY - After starting out the season 2-0 for the second straight season, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team (2-0, 0-0 MAC) returns to Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon for their third straight home game as they welcome the Manhattan Jaspers. Both teams enter with a 2-0 record with the Bulls winning the last meeting against Manhattan on December 19, 2014 by the score of 68-58 in Riverdale, NY.
BULLS HOST MANHATTAN ON SATURDAY
Buffalo returns to Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon for their third straight home game as they welcome the Manhattan Jaspers. Manhattan comes to Buffalo after opening the season with two victories. The Bulls own the 2-0 all-time series record against the Jaspers with the last win coming in 2014 as UB won on the road 68-58.
BUFFALO NOTCHES 12TH STRAIGHT WIN VS. NIAGARA
The Bulls stayed hot on Wednesday night as they earned their 12th straight win over Niagara as they collected the 73-63 win. Buffalo trailed by as many as six points in the second half but fought back and picked up the 10-point win behind 35 bench points. Freshman Summer Hemphill netted 15 points and eight rebounds while Gabi Bade sank a career-best 16 points on 4-for-7 from deep to lift the Bulls. JoAnna Smith got back on track as she scored 20 in the win. The Bulls saw eight players notch at least 10 minutes of action on Wednesday.
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 28-13 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 has started off their 2016-17 campaign with two straight home wins. The Buffalo offense is averaging 60.7 PPG over the last three seasons while their defense is holding its opponents to 56.4 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 24-13 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 has opened the season with two straight non-conference wins, downing UMass and Niagara by an average of 12.0 PPG.
THE PINE IS FINE
The key to victory for the Bulls against Niagara on Wednesday night was the play of their bench. Buffalo saw their bench outscore the Purple Eagles bench 35-1 for the game. Gabi Bade led the way with a career-best 16 points while Summer Hemphill chipped in with a career-best 15 points and Mariah Suchan netted four points and grabbed 11 boards. UB improved to 2-0 this season when their bench outscores their opponents bench.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Freshman forward Summer Hemphill made her presence felt off the Buffalo bench on Wednesday night in front of her hometown fans as she scored a career-high 15 points. Hemphill was all over the court as she was able to grab eight rebounds, dish out three assists and notch two steals over 24 minutes of action. The Buffalo, NY native was a force running the floor as she scored three buckets in transition as she was able to beat her defender down the floor. The Bulls were able to run most of their plays through the freshman in the second half as she scored all 15 of her points in the second half after struggling in the first half. Through her first two career games, Hemphill is averaging 11.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JO
After a slow start to the season against UMass in which she netted only six points, senior captain JoAnna Smith got back to her normal ways against Niagara as she went 8-for-12 from the floor for 20 points. The senior also grabbed five rebounds and dished out a season-high three assists over 30 minutes, going over the 20-point plateau for the 17th time in her UB career. Smith went 3-for-5 from behind the arc and has now connected on at least one three pointer in 37 of her last 38 games and at least three triples in 23 of her last 38 games. The Southaven, MS native currently ranks seventh in program history in three-pointers made with 124 and sits just eight three's away from fifth place.
BAD(E) TO THE BONE
Sophomore Gabi Bade has proved to be a legitamate scoring threat off the Buffalo bench over her two-year career and she exploded for a career-high 16 points in the win over Niagara. The sharpshooter played 31 minutes and went 6-for-11 from the floor and 4-for-7 from behind the arc as she finished with 16 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals. The four three-pointers were a career-high as she played a lot of point guard and dished out a season-best three helpers as well. When Bade is hitting her shot early, she can be one of the best scorers in the conference as she netted six first quarter points and seven second quarter points for a career-best half of 13 points. UB improved to 3-1 when Bade nets over 10 points.
OURSLER CONTINUES STRONG PLAY
After a strong opener against UMass, junior center Cassie Oursler continued her steady play down low for the Bulls in Wednesday's win over Niagara as she netted 10 points and grabbed four rebounds across 20 minutes. The Grand Island, NY native did all of her work in the first half of play, scoring all 10 points in just 15 minutes of action. Dating back to last season, Oursler has scored in double figures in six of her last nine games while recording at least one block in 11 of 12 as she has turned into a defensive stopper inside the paint for UB.
REID ALL ABOUT IT
Junior point guard Stephanie Reid hasn't had the start to the season that she hoped for but the floor general has still led her team to a 2-0 start for the second straight season. The Melbourne, Australia native finished off the win over Niagara with four points, four rebounds, seven assists and a steal across 27 minutes of action. The seven assists were a season-high as she currently ranks 14th in program history in career assists (248). 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.
BULLS ARE BETTER WITH MORRISON 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 10-2 record over Morrison's last 12 starts. The North Ridgeville, OH native is averaging 19.5 minutes, 5.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over her 12 career starts after contributing two points, four rebounds and an assist over 10 minutes in the Bulls win over Niagara.
UPS, UPS AND AWAY
Earning the starting nod for the second straight season at the small forward position, Katherine Ups was very impressive in the season opening win over UMass as she netted a career-high 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Against Niagara, Ups got into some early foul trouble but was still able to play 20 minutes and finished with two points, three rebound and two assists in the win.
SUCHAN PUSHES FOR PLAYING TIME
Entering the season as a reserve hasn't slowed down the development of junior Mariah Suchan as she turned in another strong game against Niagara on Wednesday. The Witchita, KS native grabbed a team-high 11 rebound and scored four points over 21 minutes in the UB win over Big 4 foe Niagara. Suchan did most of her work in the second half as she was able to grab nine rebounds (four offensive) over 16 minutes of action in the second half. In the fourth quarter alone she grabbed six boards.
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 improved to 2-0 on the year and 19-4 over the past two seasons when winning the rebounding battle. Last time out, Buffalo completely dominated the glass as they held the 48-21 edge over Niagara while putting in 13 second chance points and earning the 10-point victory.
FOUR PLAYERS IN DOUBLE FIGURES
The depth of the 2016-17 Bulls can't be understated as they regularly will go to a 12-person rotation. The Bulls saw eight players see at least 14 minutes of action in the win over UMass and the fresh legs paid off as four UB players were able to score in double figures. This was the first time four UB players scored in double figures since February 28, 2015 when Kristen Sharkey, JoAnna Smith, Alexus Malone and Mackenzie Loesing all went over the 10-point plateau.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The strength of the Bulls over the past two seasons has been their defense and that has continued early on this season as UB improved to 2-0 on the year. The Bulls defense stepped up in the second half on Wednesday night as they held the Purple Eagles to 26 second half points while shooting just 29.6% from the floor over the final 20 minutes. Buffalo improved to 26-7 over the last two seasons when holding their opponents under 70 points and 11-0 when holding their opponents to scoring 50 points or less.
RUNNING WITH THE BULLS
The Bulls haven't been known to be a team that likes to get out on the fast break and run but that trend has begun to change early on this season with the addition of some athletic and talented freshman. IN the Bulls opener against UMass, they held the 6-0 edge in fast break points but on Wednesday vs. Niagara they dominated the Purple Eagles 12-4 on the fast break. Summer Hemphill led the way on the fast break as she scored three easy buckets because of her speed and quickness down the court after rebounds.
SHOOTING FOR THE STARS
One of the keys to success for the Bulls over the past couple of seasons under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has been shooting a better percentage from the floor than their opponents and this proved to be true on Wednesday night in the win over Niagara. The Bulls finished Wednesday's win shooting a blistering 51.9% from the floor while holding the Purple Eagles to just 38.2%. Buffalo is now 2-0 this season when outshooting their opponents after going 17-1 a season ago when shooting the higher percentage.
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 121-of-158 attempts (76.6%), ranking fifth 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.
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.
