Women's Hoops Continues Play On Sunday As Hofstra Comes To Buffalo
12/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO GAME NOTES (.PDF)
HOFSTRA GAME NOTES (.PDF)
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (6-0, 0-0 MAC) looks to extend their winning streak to seven straight on Sunday afternoon as they welcome the Hofstra Pride to Alumni Arena. The Bulls and Pride are set to tip off at 12:00 pm as UB aims for their first 7-0 start since 2000-01.
BULLS SHOOT FOR SEVEN STRAIGHT VS. HOFSTRA SUNDAY
Buffalo aims for their seventh straight win to open the season on Sunday afternoon as they welcome the Hofstra Pride to Alumni Arena at 12:00 pm. UB is 6-0 to start the season for the second straight year, marking the first time in program history UB has done that in back-to-back seasons. Hofstra enters Sunday's game with a 4-2 overall record after downing UC Davis 64-60 in their last game on Nov. 27. The Pride's two losses are to Navy and Sacramento State.
UB SNEAKS PAST TOUGH UCF SQUAD
After running out to a 19-point lead early in the third quarter it seemed as though the Bulls would cruise to another victory but that wasn't the case on Thursday night. The UCF Knights stormed back in the fourth quarter as Zykira Lewis netted an unheard of 19 points including four three-pointers in the final 10 minutes but a Summer Hemphill block at the buzzer preserved the 66-65 win. UB was led offensively by JoAnna Smith who netted 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Mariah Suchan set a career-high with 12 points and nine rebounds. The win gave UB a perfect 6-0 record for the second straight season, first time in program history the Bulls have been 6-0 in back-to-back seasons.
PAYBACK IS IN ORDER
This marks the second straight season that UB will take on Hofstra as the two sides met last season in Hempstead. The Pride completely dominated the Bulls last season as they collected the 79-36 win over the Bulls, UB's lowest scoring output of the season. UB entered the matchup with the same 6-0 record last season before the Pride stopped the winning streak and started a three-game skid for the Bulls. UB will look for some revenge on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Arena. Hofstra has won four straight in the series but UB owns the 5-4 edge all-time.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
With a 6-0 record, the UB women's basketball team is one of just 18 teams in the nation still unbeaten with at least six victories. The Bulls and Boise State are the only two mid-major programs with at least a 6-0 record so far this season. Buffalo is also the lone team in the state of New York with an unblemished record this season.
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 31-13 record at Alumni Arena. UB hasn't lost more than five games at home in a season in the past three seasons. UB has started off their 2016-17 campaign with five straight home wins, marking the best start at home since 2000-01 when UB started off 7-0 in front of the home fans. The Buffalo offense is averaging 69.8 PPG while allowing just 53.8 PPG at home this season.
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 28-13 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. The Bulls are 6-0 against non-conference foes so far this season as they are winning by an average of 13.7 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 two games this season while 12 players have appeared in at least four 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 six games. UB has had at least eight players score in at least five of six games this season.
THE PINE IS FINE
The Buffalo bench didn't have as big of an impact as usual on the game on Thursday night as they were only able to notch 18 bench points in the win. This marked the first game all season that UB was outscored by their opponent as UCF held the 31-18 edge in bench points. On the year, UB is 5-0 when their bench outscores their opponents bench while they are receiving an average of 29.3 PPG from their reserves on the year.
SHARING MINUTES
The depth of the Bulls has been a strength all season long and it has helped UB produce six straight wins to start the season. All 13 UB players are averaging at least eight minutes of action a game while only two UB players are averaging at least 20 minutes/game. The Bulls have nine players averaging at least 10 minutes/game while JoAnna Smith went from 34.4 minutes/game last season to 28.5 minutes/game this year, helping the senior stay fresh for another late season run.
SUCHAN HAS CAREER DAY IN WIN
Entering the season as a reserve hasn't slowed down the development of junior Mariah Suchan as she was awarded her fourth straight start of the season at power forward on Thursday. Suchan had a career game in the Bulls one-point victory over UCF as she netted a career-high 12 points and nine rebounds across 28 minutes of work. Suchan went 4-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free throw line while also grabbing a season-high five offensive rebounds in the win. The Witchita, KS native is averaging a career-best 17.5 minutes, 5.3 points and 5.8 rebounds so far this season. Suchan has earned seven career starts with the Bulls owning a 5-2 mark in those games.
OURSLER CONTINUES STEADY POST PLAY
After earning UB Athlete of the Week following two great outings, Oursler continued her high level of play in the Bulls win over UCF. She got into early foul trouble but was still able to finish with nine points, four rebounds and a season-high three blocks in just 17 minutes. Oursler's strong defensive presence helped UB collect their sixth straight victory as they earned a total of seven blocks in the game. On the season, Oursler is averaging 18.8 minutes, 10.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while earning six starts. Dating back to last season, Oursler has scored in double figures in eight of her last 13 games while recording at least one block in 14 of 16 as she has turned into a defensive stopper inside the paint for UB.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JO
Despite a poor shooting evening, senior JoAnna Smith netted a season-high seven free throws en route to 15 points. Smith also finished off her night with a season-best nine rebounds as she played 33 minutes in the win. The Southaven, MS native was not able to net a three-pointer for the first time this season as she has now connected on at least one three pointer in 40 of her last 42 games and at least three triples in 24 of her last 42 games. Smith currently sits in sixth place in program history for three-pointers made in a career with 131 and sits just one triple away from fifth place on the all-time charts. Buffalo improved to 5-0 this season and 24-11 over the past two seasons when Smith scores at least 10 points in a game. She also has currently netted 917 career points as she aims to become just the 23rd player in program history to do so.
REID ALL ABOUT IT
After struggling to score the ball early on this season, junior point guard Stephanie Reid continued her upward trend on the offensive end of the court on Thursday. The Australia native played a season-high 38 minutes and finished with 10 points, seven assists, three rebounds and one steal in the win. Reid has now notched at least six assists in four of her six games and has had seven assists in three games. The junior currently sits in 12th place on the all-time assists charts with 271 career assists, just three shy of 11th place. Despite the slow start to the season, Reid is averaging 7.2 points, 5.7 assists and 2.5 rebounds while leading the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) and being one of the best floor generals in the conference.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
Freshman forward Summer Hemphill continued to grow and earn the trust of the UB coaching staff on Thursday night against UCF as she scored two points and grabbed three rebounds in 17 minutes. The Buffalo native notched two rejections for the third straight game and sealed the win for UB with the biggest block of her career as she swatted away the would-be game-winning layup attempt by the Knights. Through six career games, Hemphill is averaging 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks while ranking third in the MAC in field goal percentage (.643).
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 finished off Thursday's win with four points, a season-high four rebounds and two assists across 18 minutes of work. Bade is having a career year for UB as she is averaging 19.7 minutes, 7.0 points, 2.3 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.
ONWUKA CONTINUES STEADY PLAY
After playing just nine minutes against Duquesne, Theresa Onwuka has earned more playing time as she is averaging 18 minutes/game over the last two wins. The Nigeria native finished off the Bulls win over UCF with five points, two rebounds, one assist and one block in a season-high 19 minutes. Onwuka is averaging 12.0 MPG, 3.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG and 1.0 SPG through six career games.
FULL COURT PRESS
Junior forward Courtney Wilkins entered this season with a much improved defensive game which has garnered her more playing time so far this season for the Bulls. Wilkins came off the bench on Thursday and made a difference as she netted five points, a season-high two assists and a rebound in 12 minutes of work. The sharpshooter is now averaging 3.7 points and 1.8 rebounds across 9.7 minutes/game this season.
UPS, UPS AND AWAY
Earning the starting nod for the second straight season at the small forward position, Katherine Ups was continued to grow into an important player for the Bulls. The junior had a quiet game on Thursday night as she got into foul trouble early, finishing with two points, two rebounds and an assist in just 11 minutes. On the year, Ups has started all six games and is averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals across an average of 19.3 minutes of action per game.
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 four wins. The undersized forward came off the bench in the first half Thursday night and netted two points, two rebounds and a steal across six minutes. She didn't appear in the second half due to an illness. The North Ridgeville, OH native is averaging 3.3 points and 4.2 rebounds across 13.0 minutes/game so far this season.
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 win over UCF on Thursday. The Bulls improved to 6-0 on the year and 23-4 over the past two seasons when winning the rebounding battle as they held the slim 44-42 edge vs. the Knights. The Bulls were able to snag 17 offensive rebounds that they turned into 17 second chance points on Thursday. On the year, UB ranks seventh in the NCAA in rebounding margin (+14.3) and 11th in offensive rebounds (19.0/game). UB is averaging 16.5 second chance points/game so far this season while holding their opponents to an average of 8.8/game.
TURNING THEM OVER
For the fourth straight game, UB was able to outscore their opponents off of turnovers. UB held the 20-6 edge in scoring off turnovers after forcing 13 turnovers by the Knights. On the year, UB is forcing an average of 17.0 turnovers/game while turning those turnovers into an average of 21.7 PPG.
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 6-0 on the year after holding UCF to 64 points on Thursday. The Bulls defense was outstanding through three quarters against UCF as they held the Knights to just 30% shooting while not allowing a three-pointer through 30 minutes of action. Buffalo improved to 30-7 over the last two seasons when holding their opponents under 70 points and are 12-0 when holding their opponents to scoring 50 points or less over the past two seasons.
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 4-0 edge in fast break points on Thursday as they improved to 6-0 on the year when winning this category. Over the six wins, UB owns a 54-14 edge in fast break points.
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 not able to do this on Thursday however as the Knights had a great fourth quarter surge that saw them connect on 52.4% of their shots. UB is now 4-0 this season and 21-1 over the past two seasons when shooting a higher percentage from the floor than their opponents.
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 130-of-174 attempts (74.7%), ranking seventh 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.
