Bulls Host Maine On Friday Night To Close Out 2016
12/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Buffalo (5-7, 0-0 MAC) vs. Maine (4-9, 0-0 America East)
December 30, 2016
Alumni Arena - 7:00 pm
Radio - ESPN 1520-AM WWKB
Television - ESPN3
The Opening Tip...
• The Bulls conclude their 13-game non-conference schedule on Friday night when UB hosts Maine at Alumni Arena. It will mark just the fifth ever meeting between the two schools and the first since 1993. The Black Bears have won all four matchups in the all-time series, including twice during the 1992-93 season. Friday night's game will mark just the third non-conference game played at Alumni Arena for UB, its fewest since the 2004-05 season.
• The Bulls have won four straight games against schools from the America East Conference, including two last season with victories over Binghamton and Vermont. In fact, three of the last four wins against the America East have come against Binghamton. UB's last loss to an America East school was Vermont in 2009-10.
• Buffalo will begin Mid-American Conference play following Friday night's game with a two-game road trip to Toledo and Eastern Michigan. After a stretch of playing just three of their first 15 games at Alumni Arena, the Bulls will play nine of their final 16 games at home.
The Opponent
• Maine is 4-9 on the season following an 82-77 loss at Brown on Dec. 22. The Black Bears have lost three straight after winning back-to-back games against Holy Cross and Dartmouth. Earlier this season, Maine lost 82-61 to Central Connecticut State, coached by former UB assistant, Donyell Marshall. Maine still has one non-conference game remaining after Friday night.
• Maine is led by Wes Myers, who is averaging 14.7 points per game, one of three Black Bear players averaging in double figures in points. Andrew Flemming, who is the reigning America East Freshman of the Week, is averaging 10.7 points per game and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per contest, while Ilker Er adds 10.1 points per game.
• Maine ranks first in the America East and 52nd nationally in three-point field goals attempted as 319 of their 806 shots this season have been from behind the arc. Six Maine players have attempted at least 30 three pointers.
• Bob Walsh is in his third season as head coach at Maine. He has nearly 20 years of highly successful Division I and Division III coaching experience. Most recently, for nine seasons he was head coach at Division III power Rhode Island College. Prior to guiding Rhode Island College, for seven years Walsh was an assistant coach at Division I Providence College. In his seven seasons at Providence, the Friars' record was 182–146. Walsh earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Hamilton College in 1994 and a master's degree in mass communications from Iona College two years later.
Ring In The New Year Friday Night
The Athletic Department will be holding a Ring In The New Year promotion on Friday night for the game vs. Maine. Select seats in the 100 & 200 levels will be on sale for just $17 dollars, while their will be 17 lucky seat giveaways through out the night. To purchase tickets, visit the UB Ticket Box Office or call at 1-877-UB-THERE.
Bulls Close Out Non-Conference Play Against Maine
The Bulls will wrap up their tough non-conference schedule on Friday night with just their third game at Alumni Arena this season when UB hosts Maine. This will be the first meeting between the Bulls and Black Bears since the teams met twice during the 1992-93 season. Buffalo is looking for its first ever win against Maine. The three non-conference games played inside Alumni Arena are also the fewest by the Bulls in a season since 2004-05 when UB played Fairleigh Dickinson, Colgate, and Niagara at Alumni Arena, while playing Indiana State downtown at the arena.
With a victory, UB will pick up its sixth non-conference victory of the year. The Bulls have won at least six non-conference games in every season since 2013-14.
3-Peat After Me
The Bulls are looking to do something that no Mid-American Conference school has ever accomplished and that is win three straight MAC Tournament titles. Buffalo has already become the first team since Kent State to go in back-to-back seasons when the Golden Flashes did it in 2001 and 2002, but a third straight trip would make conference history. No Big 4 school has gone to three straight NCAA Tournament since Canisius in 1955-57.
Buffalo is one of only five programs to have won conference titles in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 joining Hampton (MEAC), Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley), Kentucky (SEC), and Gonzaga (WCC). Of that group, Gonzaga is the only one to have received three straight automatic bids into the NCAA Tournament.
Road Warriors
The Bulls traveled over 9,000 miles during non-conference play this season, having played eight of their first nine regular season games away from home, a stretch that concluded Wednesday at Pittsburgh. UB opened the season with a 76-66 win at Niagara before falling at nationally-ranked Xavier. Following a victory over Nazareth in the home opener, UB made the long trek to the Great White North when Buffalo played in Anchorage, Alaska for the Great Alaska Shootout. UB made a quick stop in Omaha, NE on the way back to face nationally-ranked Creighton and then returned to Western New York before making a trip down to St. Bonaventure this past Saturday afternoon. The road trip concluded Wednesday night at Pittsburgh. The Bulls finished their road non-conference schedule with two straight trips to the Steel City as they played Robert Morris at the PPG Paints Arena in downtown Pittsburgh on Dec. 21.
For The Record
Buffalo had one of its best three-point shooting days in school history on Dec. 10 in its 87-52 win over Coppin State at Alumni Arena. The Bulls went 15-of-30 from behind the arc with six different players hitting at least one three pointer. The 15 triples are the second most in school history in one game and the most since Buffalo had 14 last season in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament against Ohio. The only time UB had more than 15 threes in a game was back on Feb. 22, 1996 when it had 18 against Troy State.
Individually, senior Willie Conner hit a career-best eight three points, which is tied for third most in a single game in school history and the most since Shannon Evans had eight against Cornell on Jan. 3, 2015. Second place belongs to hall of famer Mike Martinho, who had 10 three pointers in that record-breaking game against Troy State. Eric Moore holds the school record of 11 set in 2007 against Bowling Green.
For The Record...Part Deux
The Bulls had quite the historical evening during their home-opening victory against Nazareth. In the 85-38 win, UB allowed its fewest points in a game since Feb. 1, 1979 against Fredonia State. The Bulls also allowed 47 points fewer in the win over Nazareth than they did three days earlier at Xavier. The 47-point margin between two games is Buffalo's largest since the 1987-88 season when they allowed 125 points to St. Anselm in the season-opener and followed that up by allowing just 67 points in the next game against Queens College.
Easy Blake Oven
Senior Blake Hamilton begins his final season after being one of five players named to the All-MAC East Division squad in the preseason. Hamilton was named to the All-MAC Third Team last season and enters 2016-17 as the Bulls returning leading scorer and rebounder at 13.7 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per contest. Hamilton had a stellar first season with UB in 2015-16, but it will be his shot at the end of the MAC Championship game that will always be remembered by Bulls fans.
Hamilton missed most of the preseason due to a broken non-shooting hand, but he returned to the starting lineup for the regular season opener at Niagara where he had 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists in 26 minutes of action. Hamilton recorded a career-high 11 assists in the win over Nazareth, the most by a UB player so far this season. He then showed his scoring touch in the opener of the Great Alaska Shootout with a career-high 36 points against Alaska-Anchorage, including 29 of those in the second half. The 36 points are tied for 10th in school history for a single game and the most since current teammate CJ Massinburg had 36 last season against Ohio. The 36 points are also tied for eighth most in a single game in the 38-year history of the Great Alaska Shootout. Hamilton added 23 points and eight rebounds in the win over Weber State and he led all scorers in the Great Alaska Shootout field. Hamilton added 21 points against Creighton and 20 points at St. Bonaventure and he scored over 20 points in four of the six games on the previous road trip. Hamilton had his first double-double of the season against Canisius as he finished with 19 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. He led the Bulls in scoring for the sixth times and had his fifth 20-point game against Robert Morris on Dec. 21.
Free Willie
Senior Willie Conner was named the MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player and was also named to the newly created All-Defensive team following his junior season. Conner also transferred in after playing his freshman season at Florida A&M and his sophomore year at Odessa Community College. In addition to his defensive prowess, Conner was also a dynamic three-point shooter for the Bulls as he hit 48 of them last year, including six in the MAC Quarterfinal win over Miami (OH), scoring 25 points.
Off the floor, Conner continues to be one of the top team leaders for the Bulls and he has been UB's team representative for its relationship with Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization that helps children forget about their illness and become part of something bigger, a team of friends.
Conner was one of the most productive players for the Bulls in the season-opener as he led the Bulls with 20 points, including four three-pointers. His four point play late in the second half clinched the game for Buffalo. In the Great Alaska Shootout opener, Conner had 12 points ans five assists, but it was his strong defense that helped shutdown Alaska-Anchorage's top player as Sekou Wiggs went just 3-of-18 from the field. Conner added 21 points against Creighton, the second time this year he hit the 20-point mark, and the first since the season opener. It has been five straight games where Conner has been given the defensive assignment of the opposing teams top player. On Saturday, he held St. Bonaventure's leading scorer Matt Mobley to just nine points, the first time this season Mobley failed to enter double figures.
Conner regained his scoring touch in the win over Coppin State as he tied his career-high with 28 points in the victory, hitting a career-high eight three pointers, tied for the third most in school history.
Nick of Time
Another sophomore that had an outstanding first season for the Bulls was Nick Perkins, who continued to improve during each game of the 2015-16 season, culminating in his season-high 20 points in the NCAA Tournament game against Miami (OH). Perkins became the first ever UB player to score 20 points in an NCAA Tournament game and most of that was thanks to his career-high four three pointers in the contest.
In the exhibition win over Daemen, Perkins had 25 points, including eight of those coming in the overtime period. Seven of those points came in a row, capped off on a dunk in which he was fouled and completed the four-point play. He had 11 points and eight rebounds in the opener at Niagara. Perkins led the Bulls with 15 points and seven rebounds against nationally-ranked Xavier. He recorded 21 points in the win over Nazareth, adding eight rebounds and a career-best four blocked shots. Perkins recorded his first career double-double, and the first by a UB player this season, on Saturday night with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Weber State. Perkins established a new career high in scoring on Saturday afternoon at St. Bonaventure with 24 points, going 10-of-15 from the floor and tying his career high with four three pointers. Perkins followed that up with 23 points at ACC foe Pittsburgh, going 11-of-18 from the floor. The 11 field goals for Perkins were a career high. Perkins had his second double-double of the year against Robert Morris as he finished with 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.
Mass Production
It was a successful first year for sophomore CJ Massinburg, who was named to the All-Freshman team following his first year in the Blue and White. Massinburg proved early that he belonged, scoring a team-high 25 points in the exhibition contest against Daemen a year ago. His best game came against Ohio in February where he recorded 36 points vs. the Bobcats, the highest point total by a Buffalo player last year. His 396 points scored last year were the second most ever scored in a season by a UB freshman.
Massinburg made his regular season debut on Dec. 7 at Pittsburgh after missing the first eight games of the season due to mononucleosis. He made the most in hist return with 14 points, three rebounds, and five assists in 25 minutes off the bench. Massinburg rejoined the starting lineup for the first time this year and had 15 points and three assists in 22 minutes. Massinburg logged the most minutes of his career in the overtime loss to Canisius as he played 42 minutes, finishing with 16 points and five assists.
Familiar Faces
The Bulls have three players on this year's team, who all played against each other during the 2014-15 Junior College year in NCJAA Region 5. Senior Willie Conner played at Odessa Community College, while fellow senior David Kadiri spent the year at South Plains Community College. The newest addition is redshirt sophomore Dontay Caruthers, who played his freshman year at Midland College, where he played under current UB assistant coach Bryan Hodgson. Kadiri had the best season of the bunch as he helped lead his squad to a national runner up finish. He had 13 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots in that national championship game.
Air Jordan
The Bulls have brought in an impressive freshmen class this year, including the services of point guard Davonta Jordan out of Cocoa, FL. He was the ninth best player in the state of Florida and the 30th best point guard nationally. Jordan played at Montverde Academy, which has produced a number of NBA Draft Lottery picks, including the first overall pick in this past year's draft Ben Simmons, and previous picks D'Angelo Russell (2nd Overall) and Joel Embiid (3rd Overall).
Jordan started the season-opener for the Bulls and he was impressive, finishing with six points and seven assists in 23 minutes. The seven assists were the most in a season-opener by a UB player since Alexi Vasiliev had 10 against the Purple Eagles on Nov. 19, 1999. Jordan had a team-high six assists off the bench in the win over Alaska-Anchorage. Jordan tied his career high with seven assists on Friday night against Nevada, recording six of those in the first half. Jordan recorded a new career high with 10 assists against Creighton, becoming the first UB freshman with 10 assists in a game since Lamonte Bearden did it against Cornell on Jan. 3, 2015. Jordan re-entered the starting lineup against St. Bonaventure and recorded career highs in points (9) and rebounds (6), while adding seven assists. As of Dec. 15, Jordan was tied for 20th nationally with 58 total assists, fourth amongst freshmen. He is the only freshman from the MAC in the top 20.
Raheem The Dream
The Bulls will welcome back one of their top shot blockers this season in redshirt senior Raheem Johnson, who missed nearly all of 2015-16 due to a foot injury, playing in just one game. During his first season with the Bulls in 2014-15, Johnson led the Bulls in blocked shots with 37, including a career-high four blocked shots against Kent State on Feb. 28, 2015.
The return of Johnson will give the Bulls a big rim protector that they missed last season. Johnson has picked up his scoring as of late, culminating with a career-high 14 points at nationally-ranked Creighton on 7-of-9 shooting. Johnson followed it up with 12 points against St. Bonaventure on a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor. He finished 19-of-24 (79.2%) from the field during the six games of the road trip. He tied his career high with seven rebounds off the bench against Robert Morris.
Home Sweet Home
Despite not seeing much of Alumni Arena for the early part of non-conference season, the home arena has been a friendly one for the Bulls. In the three plus years since Nate Oats has been associated with men's basketball program, the Bulls are 36-9 at Alumni Arena. In fact, the Bulls are 88-28 inside Alumni Arena since the 2008-09 season and going back even further, UB is 137-46 at home since the 2004-05 season.
Mystery, Alaska
The Bulls finished in third place at the Great Alaska Shootout with a 2-1 record over their three contests in Anchorage. Senior Blake Hamilton led all scorers in the field averaging 24.3 points per game. He had a career-high 36 points against Alaska-Anchorage, tied for the eighth most in the 39-year history of the tournament.
