Bulls Host Miami (OH) On Play4Kay Day At Alumni Arena On Saturday
2/19/2016 12:00:00β―AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team returns home on Saturday afternoon for the second game of a doubleheader at Alumni Arena. Tip is set for 2:30 pm and will be the Bulls Play4Kay Day at the Arena.
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
The Miami (OH) RedHawks enter Saturday afternoons game against the Bulls with an overall record of 9-15 and a MAC mark of 3-10. The RedHawks are coming off of a 72-44 loss on the road to Ohio and they have lost four straight conference matches since knocking off Kent State. Miami is led offensively by Leah Purvis who is averaging 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists while Kayla Brown is averaging 7.4 points while earning five starts. Molly McDonagh is leading the team in rebounding (5.6 RPG) while also chipping in with 5.4 points/game. The RedHawks are averaging 61.4 points/game while allowing their opponents to score and average of 69.1 points.
BULLS HOST REDHAWKS ON PINK DAY AT ALUMNI ARENA
The Bulls return home for their second of three straight home games on Saturday afternoon as they welcome the Miami (OH) RedHawks to Alumni Arena. The women's game will be the second game of a doubleheader at Alumni Arena on Saturday as the UB men's team will play Bowling Green at 12:00 pm in the first game. The Bulls are seeking some revenge against Miami as they were defeated by the RedHawks earlier this season on the road. Saturday's game will be UB's annual Play4Kay"Pink Game" as all fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink for breast cancer awareness.
POOR SHOOTING DOOMS BULLS
Looking for some payback against the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Wednesday night, the UB women's hoops team counldn't find their shooting stroke in the second half as they were handed their 12th loss of the season. After trailing by six at halftime, the Bulls offense went cold in the second half as they were only able to shoot 17.1% from the floor in the second half while being outscored by nine. The Eagles were able to outshoot the Bulls for the game as UB dropped to 0-11 on the year when shooting a lower percentage from the floor than their opponent.
SMITH RANKS SECOND IN THE MAC IN SCORING
Junior guard Joanna Smith got back on track in the loss to Eastern Michigan as she was able to net a game-high 22 points. Smith went 8-for-21 from the floor and 4-for-9 from behind the arc while also snagging seven boards in 39 minutes of action Wednesday. Smith has now led the Bulls in scoring 18 times this season. For her efforts last week, Smith was named MAC East Player of the Week, becoming the first UB player to earn the weekly award four times in a season since 2010-11 when Kourtney Brown earned the award five times. On the year, Smith ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring (18.5 PPG) while also ranking second on the Bulls in rebounding (5.8 RPG). She also ranks second in the MAC in scoring in conference games (20.7 PPG) and third in three-pointers made (71). The sharp-shooter currently ranks 14th in the NCAA in three-pointers/game (3.0) and 16th in the NCAA in three-pointers made (71). The Bulls are 6-7 on the year when Smith notches 20+ points and she has notched 11 games of 20+ points in her last 15 games. She now ranks fourth in program history for three-pointers made in a season (71) and 10th in career three-pointer made (90). Over her last 15 games, Smith is averaging 21.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while playing a team-high 36.4 MPG. Smith has now recorded at least one three-pointer in all 24 games this year and 3+ three-pointers in 14 of 24 games.
REID ALL ABOUT IT
After some growing pains early in the season, sophomore point guard Stephanie Reid has been very consisent as of late. Last time out against the EMU Eagles, Reid was asked to break the press all game long and did a great job, leading to multiple easy buckets for the Bulls. Her constatnt breaking of the press took away from her offensive game as she only netted four points while dishing out five assists and grabbing three boards in the loss. Over her last 11 games, Reid has played at another level as she is averaging 12.9 points, 5.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals while notching over 10 points and four assists in seven of those 11 contests. Through 24 games this season, Reid has continued to prosper into one of the best point guards in the conference as she is averaging 10.4 points, 4.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals. The nifty point guard ranks second in the MAC in assists/game in conference games (5.2 APG) and ninth in the MAC in steals/game (1.7 SPG). Reid's impact on the game goes deeper than just points and assists as the sophomore's leadership and calmness on the court are unmatched by most point guards in the conference.
MORRISON HAS CAREER DAY AGAINST EMU
With the starting lineup struggling to score on Wednesday, freshman Brittany Morrison came off the bench and took it upon herself to take over some of the scoring load. The powerful forward finished the game with a career-high 13 points and a career-best 11 boards as she was able to collect her second career double-double in the loss. Morrison was dominant in her career-high 26 minutes of action as she finished 4-for-10 from the floor while making a career-high five freebies for the Bulls. Morrison was all over the glass for UB as she amassed a career-high seven offensive rebounds en route to her second career double digit rebounding game. On the year, Morrison has been a consistent performer off the bench as she is averaging 3.7 points and 3.7 rebounds while playing an average of 11 minutes/game.
LINEUP CHANGES
After going with the same lineup for the first seven games of the season, the Bulls have begun to tinker with their lineup during conference play. UB has used a total of nine different starting lineup combinations so far this season but have gone with the same starting five in the last three games. It seems like Gabi Bade found a spot in the starting lineup as she has recorded six straight starts while freshman Mirte Scheper has earned the start in the last three games for UB. Stephanie Reid and Joanna Smith are the only UB players to start all 24 games this season. The Lineup of Stephanie Reid, Joanna Smith, Liisa Ups, Katherine Ups and Mirte Scheper has been used the most this season, nine times in 24 games.
BENCH SPARKS THE OFFENSE
The Buffalo bench has produced in spurts this season and when they contribute the Bulls usual pull out the victory. On Wednesday night, the UB bench had a strong outing but unfortunetly that didn't result in a win for the Bulls. The bench produced 25 points, led by Brittany Morrison who finished with a career-high 13. Cassie Oursler also contributed four points and five rebounds while Ayoleka Sodade notched a career-best four points, three rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes of action. The Bulls bench had five players finished with 10+ minutes of action in the loss to EMU. The UB bench is averaging 15.6 points/game so far this season with a season-high of 30 points against Duquesne.
BATTLE OF THE BOARDS
The Bulls have proved throughout this season that winning the battle on the boards was a key to winning games. This didn't prove to be true on Wednesday night as the Bulls were able to win the rebounding battle but lost the game. The UB offense had a poor shooting night which led to more opportunities for offensive rebounds as the Bulls snagged a season-high 30 offensive boards. The Bulls dropped to 10-4 on the year when winning the rebounding battle or being tied in rebounds and 2-8 when they are outrebounded. UB is averaging 39.4 RPG including 14.3 offensive boards/game. In MAC play, the Bulls rank second in the conference in offensive RPG (15.6). Joanna Smith and Cassie Oursler have combined to grab 12.4 RPG so far this season as the teams top two rebounders.
HOLDING STRONG
One key factor to success for the Bulls has been earning the lead before the fourth quarter begins and UB has been pretty successful with that so far. When UB holds the lead heading into the final 10 minutes, they hold a 11-2 record, with their last victory coming on Saturday at Bowling Green. If the Bulls are trailing as they enter the final quarter, they own a 1-10 record with their lone come-from-behind fourth quarter victory coming against Central Florida, when they were down two heading into the fourth. When the Bulls are leading with five minutes to go, they own a 11-1 record on the year as they have proved they can close out games down the stretch.
SHOOTING FOR THE STARS
One of the keys to every game is shooting a high percentage from the floor and the Bulls have proved that winning the field goal percentage battle will win you games. The Bulls have shot a higher percentage from the floor than their opponents in 13 of 24 games, winning 12 of the 13 games in which they shot a higher percentage. Last time out the Bulls proved this theory to be true as they were outshot by the Eagles, 46.6%-29.4%. On the year, the Bulls are shooting 36.3% from the floor while their opponents are shooting 37.8%.
COACH JACK EARNS 200TH CAREER COACHING VICTORY
After waiting five games to earn her 200th career head coaching victory, Felisha Legette-Jack earned the milestone win with a upset of the first-place team in the MAC on Wednesday, January 3. Coach Jack led the Bulls to the 51-43 win as her strong defensive strategy held the Bobcats to 27.8% shooting. Coach Jack has collected 200 wins for three different programs over her 14-year coaching career. She earned 54 wins for Hofstra, 87 wins for Indiana and she has collected 59 wins at UB. She has earned 10+ wins in 11 of her 14 seasons as a head coach with a career-high 21 victories coming in 2008-09 while at Indiana.
