Bulls Host Bowling Green In Crucial MAC Game On Wednesday Night
2/23/2016 12:00:00β―AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball closes out a three-game homestand on Wednesday night as they welcome the Bowling Green Falcons to Alumni Arena for a crucial MAC game. Wednesday's nights game against the Falcons will be crucial in seeding for the upcoming MAC Tournament.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
The Bowling Green Falcons enter Wednesday nights game against UB with a 9-14 overall record and a 5-9 MAC mark. The Falcons are coming off of a 65-55 victory on the road at Kent State on Saturday afternoon. The Falcons have lost five of their last six MAC games heading into Wedensday. Leading the Falcons offensive charge is Lauren Tibbs who is averaging 12.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. Sydney Lambert is averaging 10.1 points and 3.2 rebounds while leading the Falcons averaging 2.1 assists. Bowling Green is averaging 58.9 points/game while allowing 62.5 points on the defensive end of the court.
THE SERIES VS. BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green has dominated the series, 25-7, as they were able to collect 20 straight wins from 2003-04 through 2013-14. However, the Bulls have won three straight in the series, snapping a 20 game losing streak. UB came out on top two weeks ago on the road at BG, 63-50. The teams have played a pair of OT contests, while the inaugural game took place on Nov. 30, 1997.
BULLS HOST BOWLING GREEN IN CRUCIAL MAC GAME
The wrap up a three-game homestand on Wednesday night as they welcome the Bowling Green Falcons to Alumni Arena for a big MAC matchup. The Bulls and Falcons are currently tied in the MAC standings for the eighth seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament with just four games remaining. With a win, the Bulls would move closer to hosting a first round MAC Tournament contest on Monday, March 7.
DOMINANT DEFENSE LEADS BULLS TO VICTORY
The Bulls defense stepped up in a major way on Saturday afternoon as they held the Miami RedHawks to just 39 points, the second lowest scoring output against the Bulls this season. UB collected the 58-19 victory as they helped position themselves in hosting position, 8th seed, for the upcoming MAC Tournament. The Bulls were led offensively by Joanna Smith who netted a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds while Cassie Oursler had a career game with 16 points and six boards.
OURSLER HAS CAREER DAY
Getting reinsterted into the starting lineup on Saturday seemed to rejuvenate junior center Cassie Oursler as she produced her best game in the blue and white. The Grand Island native finished with a career-high 16 points and six rebounds while playing in a season-high 31 minutes. The center was dominant on Saturday as she went 7-for-11 from the floor while snagging three offensive rebounds and a block in the victory. On the year, Oursler is averaging a team-high 6.5 rebounds to go along with 7.8 points.
SMITH RANKS SECOND IN THE MAC IN SCORING
Junior guard Joanna Smith continued to be the Bulls go-to scoring threat on Saturday as her 19 points led UB to victory. The Southaven, MS native also collected seven rebounds and two assists while draining three three-pointers in the win. Smith has now led the Bulls in scoring 19 times this season. 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 (20.6 PPG) and third in three-pointers made (74). The sharp-shooter currently ranks 14th in the NCAA in three-pointers/game (3.0) and 17th in the NCAA in three-pointers made (74). 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 16 games. She now ranks fourth in program history for three-pointers made in a season (74) and 10th in career three-pointer made (93). Over her last 16 games, Smith is averaging 21.1 points, 6.2 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 25 games this year and 3+ three-pointers in 15 of 25 games. 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.
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 in the win against Miami, Reid turned in a great overall performance on Saturday as she filled the stat sheet. The sophomore finished with six assists, six rebounds, four steals and two points. Her point production wasn't where she would have hoped but Reid did everything else the Bulls needed including being a pest on defense. Over her last 12 games, Reid has played at another level as she is averaging 12.0 points, 5.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals while notching over 10 points and four assists in seven of those 12 contests. Through 25 games this season, Reid has continued to prosper into one of the best point guards in the conference as she is averaging 10.0 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals. The nifty point guard ranks second in the MAC in assists/game in conference games (5.2 APG) and seventh in the MAC in steals/game (1.9 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 MAKES FIRST CAREER START
After a strong showing in her last game off the bench, freshman Brittany Morrison earned her first career start on Saturday afternoon against the Miami (OH) RedHawks. Morrison didn't disappoint in her starting debut as she was able to snag a team-high nine rebounds while pouring in seven points in 26 minutes of action. The Ohio native was able to grab a team-best three offensive rebounds and a career-best two blocks while providing a high motor and aggressiveness the Bulls were lacking. On the year, Morrison has been a consistent performer as she is averaging 3.9 points and 4.0 rebounds while playing an average of 11.8 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 10 different starting lineup combinations so far this season including a new lineup last time out in the win over Miami. The Bulls started Stephanie Reid, Joanna Smith, Katherine Ups, Brittany Morrison and Cassie Oursler last game and the combination seemed to play well together, specifically on the defensive end of the court where they held the RedHawks to 39 points. Stephanie Reid and Joanna Smith are the only UB players to start all 25 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.
MOSS MAKES IMPACT IN LIMITED MINUTES
The lone senior on the Bulls roster, Karin Moss, stepped up and had her best game in sometime on Saturday afternoon against the Miami RedHawks. The Michigan native led all UB bench players with seven points and five rebounds while tallying 16 minutes of action. Moss provided an instant spark with her quick first step and high motor as she also finished with two assists and three offensive rebounds that led to easy buckets for the Bulls. On the year, Moss has provided great leadership while averaging 3.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game while appearing in 24 games.
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 proved to be true on Saturday as the Bulls won the rebounding battle, 50-38. The Bulls improved to 11-4 on the year when winning the rebounding battle or being tied in rebounds and 2-8 when they are outrebounded. UB is averaging 39.8 RPG including 14.6 offensive boards/game. In MAC play, the Bulls rank first in the conference in offensive RPG (16.0). Joanna Smith and Cassie Oursler have combined to grab 12.3 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 12-2 record, with their last victory coming on Saturday against Miami. 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 12-1 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 14 of 25 games, winning 13 of the 14 games in which they shot a higher percentage. Last time out the Bulls proved this theory to be true as they outshot the RedHawks, 33%-29% for the game and they won. On the year, the Bulls are shooting 36.1% from the floor while their opponents are shooting 37.5%.
COACH JACK EARNS 200TH CAREER 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.
