Women's Basketball Heads To Fordham For The Holiday Classic On Thursday
12/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (9-0, 0-0 MAC) puts their unblemished record on the line on Thursday afternoon as they head to Fordham to take on the Rams in the opening round of the Fordham Holiday Classic. The Bulls will open up play against the hosts at noon on Thursday before playing again on Friday afternoon.
The winner of Thursday's game between the Bulls and the Rams will play the winner of the UNC Asheville vs. Harvard game on Friday at 2:30 pm at Rose Hill Gym. The losers of the two games will play at 12:00 pm on Friday.
BULLS SHOOT FOR 10 STRAIGHT AT FORDHAM
After heading into the Christmas break on a high note with a 9-0 start to the season, the UB women's basketball team will return to the court after an eight-day hiatus as they head to the Fordham Holiday Classic for a pair of games. The Bulls will take on the host Fordham Rams on Thursday at noon before playing either UNC Asheville or Harvard on Friday afternoon. The Bulls will be aiming for their first-ever unbeaten non-conference season in program history.
UB EARNS BIG 4 SWEEP WITH DOMINANT WIN OVER BONNIES
The Bulls were able to head into Christmas break with a win on Wednesday as they earned the Big 4 sweep with a 68-47 win over St. Bonaventure at Alumni Arena. Buffalo saw three players score in double figures as Cassie Oursler led the way with 12 points and five rebounds while JoAnna Smith finished with 11 points and five rebounds and Stephanie Reid had 10 points, eight assists, three rebounds and three steals. The Bulls had a huge advantage on the offensive glass as they snagged 13 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second chance points while the Bonnies had three offensive rebounds and zero second chance points.
BUFFALO SETS PROGRAM RECORD
With their win over St. Bonaventure last week, the UB women's basketball team set the program record for best start to a season as they improved to an impressive 9-0. The previous program record for best start to a season was in 2000-01 when UB started off 8-0 before their first loss. UB currently sits at #16 in the latest RPI polls while ranking a program record #12 earlier this season. RPI stands for Rating Percentage Index which is a quantity used to rank basketball teams based upon a team's wins, losses and strength of schedule.
IMPRESSIVE COMPANY
With a 9-0 record on the year, the UB women's basketball team is one of just eight teams in the nation with an unblemished record. The Bulls are the only mid-major program with a perfect record while also being the lone team in the state of New York without a loss. TDating back to last season, the Bulls own a 17-2 record over their last 19 games while only Uconn (19-0) and Maryland (18-1) have accumulated a better record over that stretch.
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 under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack as UB owns a 31-13 record against non-conference foes. The Bulls have been especially good against non-conference opponents over the past two seasons as they own a 17-4 mark. UB started off last season 6-0 before finishing 8-4 in non-conference play and have started off 9-0 this season. So far this season, the Bulls are outscoring their non-conference foes by an average of as they are winning by an average of 15.6 PPG.
SPREAD OFFENSE
One of the major strengths of the Bulls this season has been their depth at every position. The Bulls have played all 13 players in at least four games this season while 12 players have appeared in at least seven games. Buffalo has seen 11 players net at least seven points in a game this season and they have been led in scoring by five different players through seven games. UB has had at least eight players score in at least eight of nine games this season.
CLEANING THE GLASS
One of the keys to the Bulls success this season has been winning the battle on the boards and this continued to be important on Wednesday afternoon in the win over St. Bonaventure. Buffalo won the rebounding battle 45-33 as they improved to 9-0 on the year and 26-4 over the past two seasons when winning or tying the rebounding battle. The Bulls were able to grab 13 offensive rebounds which they turned into 19 second chance points, second highest total of the season. On the year, UB ranks 8th in the NCAA in rebounding margin (+13.2), 12th in rebounds (45.6/game) and 13th in offensive rebounds (17.0/game). UB is also averaging 15.6 second chance points/game so far this season while holding their opponents to an average of 7.8/game.
THE PINE IS FINE
The Buffalo bench continued to be very impactful on Wednesday in the win over St. Bonaventure as seven players combined to score 31 points off the pine. Leading the Buffalo bench was Brittany Morrison who lnetted a season-high nine points while Summer Hemphill went for eight points and six rebounds in 18 minutes of work. UB saw a total of 12 players score while going over 30 bench points for the fourth time this season. The Bulls held the 31-9 edge in bench scoring while improving to 8-0 on the year when their bench outscores their opponents bench. UB is getting an average of 27.8 PPG out of their bench players on the season.
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. The Bulls were able to do this once again on Wednesday as they shot 39.7% from the floor while holding the Bonnies to just 34.6% shooting. UB is now 7-0 this season and 24-1 over the past two seasons when shooting a higher percentage from the floor than their opponents.
SHARING MINUTES
The depth of the Bulls has been a strength all season long and it has helped UB produce nine straight wins to start the season. All 13 UB players are averaging at least 5.8 minutes of action a game while only two UB players are averaging at least 20 minutes/game. The Bulls have 12 players averaging at least 9.3 minutes/game while JoAnna Smith's playing time went from 34.4 minutes/game last season to 28.4 minutes/game this year, helping the senior stay fresh for another late season run.
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 9-0 on the year after holding St. Bonaventure to just 47 points, second lowest point total on the year for an UB opponent. The Bulls defense was outstanding on Wednesday as they held the Bonnies to just 34.6% shooting from the floor overall and just 13.3% from behind the arc. The UB defense has been especially stingy against the three point shot as they rank first in the MAC in three point defense, holding opponents to just 26.1% from behind the arc. The Bulls also lead the MAC in scoring defense as they are holding opponents to 54.1 points/game. Buffalo improved to 33-7 over the last two seasons when holding their opponents under 70 points and are 14-0 when holding their opponents to scoring 50 points or less over the past two seasons.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JO
Senior JoAnna Smith had her best game of the season against Canisius on Thursday night as she exploded for a season-best 23 points, including a season-best 19 in the opening half. Smith finished off her game going 7-for-22 from the floor while connecting on four three pointers and grabbing six rebounds, three offensive. The Southaven, MS native was able to go 1-for-3 from behind the arc as she has now connected on at least one three pointer in 43 of her last 45 games and at least three triples in 25 of her last 45 games. Smith currently sits in fifth place on the all-time three pointers list with 138 in her career, just two shy of fourth place. Buffalo improved to 8-0 this season and 27-11 over the past two seasons when Smith scores at least 10 points in a game. She has also netted 967 career points as she aims to become just the 23rd player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau. On the season, Smith is averaging a team-best 13.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals while leading UB in scoring four times.
REID ALL ABOUT IT
Junior point guard Stephanie Reid continued to produce on both ends of the court in the Bulls win on Wednesday. Reid was able to score in double figures for the fifth time in six games as she netted 10 points, eight assists, three rebounds and three steals. The Australia native controlled the tempo for the Bulls as she notched eight assists for the second straight game as she has averaged 6.8 helpers/game over her last four games. Reid continues to rise in the all-time assists charts as she currently sits in 10th place with 291 career assists, just 20 shy of ninth place and 25 shy of eight place on the list. Reid has also become a dominant on ball defender for the Bulls as she has notched three steals in three straight and four of her last five games. The crafty defender ranks sixth in the MAC averaging 2.1 SPG. Behind her recent strong play, Reid is averaging 8.6 points, 6.0 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals while ranking second in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (3.0) and third in assists (6.0 APG).
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Freshman forward Summer Hemphill has shown flashes of greatness through her first nine games at Buffalo and has now put together back-to-back strong games for the first time in her UB career. After gathering her first career double-double at Canisius, the local talent was able to score eight points, six rebounds, one block and one assist across 18 minutes against the Bonnies. Hemphill went 3-for-3 from the floor and now leads the MAC in field goal percentage (68.3%). The Buffalo native continues to cause problems for opposing teams with her length at the top of the Buffalo press while also settling in defensively as she has notched at least one block in six straight games and has recorded at least one steal in six of nine games. The freshman has notched two blocks in four of her last six games. Through nine career games, Hemphill is averaging 7.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. Her 2.8 offensive rebounds/game ranks eighth in the MAC so far this season as she has caused problems on the glass with her quick leaping ability.
OURSLER'S BLOCK PARTY
Junior center Cassie Oursler has started to play at a high level down low for the Bulls as of late and it continued on Wednesday. The junior finished led the Bulls in scoring for the second time this season as she netted 12 points and five rebounds, three offensive, in just 15 minutes of work. On the season, Oursler is averaging 19.6 minutes, 10.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 45.2% from the floor and 69.6% from the charity stripe. Dating back to last season, Oursler has scored in double figures in 10 of her last 16 games while recording at least one block in 16 of 19 as she has turned into a defensive stopper inside the paint for UB. Oursler has notched 13 multi-block games in her 33 career outings.
MORRISON GROWING INTO BENCH ROLE
After starting the first two games of the season at forward, Sophomore Brittany Morrison is expanding her game off the bench for the Bulls over the past seven wins. The undersized forward came off the bench in Wednesday's win and had a huge impact as she netted a season-high nine points, four rebounds and two steals across 18 minutes of work. Morrison was a beast on the glass as she grabbed three offensive rebounds that turned into six UB points. The North Ridgeville, OH native is averaging 3.6 points and 3.6 rebounds across 12.4 minutes/game so far this season.
SUCHAN MAKES SEVENTH STRAIGHT START
Entering the season as a reserve hasn't slowed down the development of junior Mariah Suchan as she was awarded her seventh straight start of the season at power forward on Wednesday vs. St. Bonaventure. Suchan didn't have a huge impact on the outcome of the game as she played 13 minutes and notched a steal and a rebound while playing strong defense. The Witchita, KS native is averaging a career-best 17.8 minutes, 4.3 points and 5.3 rebounds so far this season. Suchan has earned 10 career starts with the Bulls owning a 8-2 mark in those games.
SODADE'S PLAYING TIME INCREASING
After a strong finish to her freshman campaign, sophomore Ayoleka Sodade has continued to grow into a strong bench player for the Bulls this season. The Windsor, Ontario native was very sound defensively for the Bulls on Wednesday while netting four points, one rebound and one steal across 16 minutes against St. Bonaventure. Sodade has seen an increase in playing minutes over the last five games as she is averaging 11.4 minutes of action across the five wins. On the year, Sodade is averaging 9.6 minutes, 2.1 points and 1.9 rebounds while being a strong on ball defender.
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. The Milpitas, CA native continued to be a key player off the UB bench as she netted five points while snagging a season-best seven rebounds and two assists in the win. Bade is having a career year for UB as she is averaging 18.0 minutes, 6.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists while also netting a career-high 16 points earlier in the season. UB is 2-0 this season and 4-1 over the past two seasons when Bade nets at least 10 points.
UPS, UPS AND AWAY
Earning the starting nod for the second straight season at the small forward position, Katherine Ups has continued to grow into an important role player for the Bulls. The Wollongong, Australia native is a glue player for a very strong and deep Buffalo team and she continued to prosper in this role on Wednesday as she netted four points, one rebound and one assist in 17 minutes of action. Ups' impact usually isn't seen on a statsheet but she is one of the best defenders on the team and continuously locks down opposing teams best players. On the year, Ups has started all nine games and is averaging 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals across an average of 19.4 minutes of action per game. The junior has earned 26 straight starts for the Bulls and UB owns a 19-7 record in those starts.
ONWUKA CONTINUES STEADY PLAY
Freshman Theresa Onwuka has continued to improve and earn the trust of the UB coaching staff through nine games this season. The lengthy guard saw action in her ninth straight game on Wednesday as she played 10 minutes and finished with three points, three rebounds and an assist. Onwuka has now seen 10 minutes or more in four games. On the year, Onwuka is averaging 10.6 MPG, 3.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG and 0.8 SPG through nine career games.
TURNING THEM OVER
For the seventh time this season, the Bulls won the points off turnovers category in the win over St. Bonaventure. Buffalo was able to force 19 Bonnies turnovers and turned those into 20 points while UB only turned the ball over eight times for 10 SBU points. On the year, UB is forcing an average of 18.3 turnovers/game while turning those turnovers into an average of 20.9 PPG.
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. The Bulls held the dominant 9-2 edge in fast break points on Wednesday as they improved to 9-0 on the year when winning this category. Over their nine wins, UB owns a 83-18 edge in fast break scoring while scoring a season-high 22 vs. Sacred Heart.
