Women's Hoops Heads To Western Michigan On Saturday Afternoon
1/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (14-5, 4-4 MAC) heads to Kalamazoo, MI on Saturday afternoon to take on the Western Michigan Broncos. The Bulls are coming off of a 89-75 loss to Ball State on Wednesday night while the Broncos lost on the road at Ohio, 80-67. Tip is set for 2:00 pm at University Arena on Saturday.
The game will air live on ESPN3 or can be heard on the radio on ESPN1520 with Matt Mattia on the call starting at 1:30 pm with the pre-game show.
BULLS LOOK FOR BOUNCE BACK AT WESTERN MICHIGAN
After seeing their three-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday night at Alumni Arena by the Ball State Cardinals, the Bulls will hit the road for a showdown with MAC west foe Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon. Tip is set for 2:00 pm on Saturday at University Arena. The game will air live on ESPN3 or can be heard on the radio on ESPN1520 with Matt Mattia on the call starting at 1:30 pm with the pre game show.
BALL STATE SHOOTS THEIR WAY PAST UB ON WEDNESDAY
The Buffalo defense had a rough day on Wednesday night as the Bulls saw their three-game winning streak snapped by the sharpshooting Ball State Cardinals. The UB offense had their best game of the season as they netted 75 points in the 89-75 loss. Ball State got a career-high 35 points from Moriah Monaco as she was able to go 8-for-16 from behind the arc as the Cardinals shot 45.3% for the game. Senior leading scorer JoAnna Smith was able to notch a team-high 26 points and three rebounds as she connected on six three pointers in the loss. Junior point guard Stephanie Reid had a great day distributing the ball as she tied the Bulls program record for assists in a single game as she dished out 16 assists. Reid finished off her third career double-double with 10 points and three steals. Freshman Summer Hemphill continued her strong play as she notched her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
FAMILIAR FOE
This marks the 22nd meeting between the two programs in history with the Broncos holding the slim 11-10 edge in the all-time series. Buffalo is 3-2 against the Broncos over the past five matchups but Western Michigan came out on top last season at Alumni Arena, 92-78.
CLEANING THE GLASS
One of the keys to the Bulls success this season has been winning the battle on the boards. UB was not able to do this on Wednesday night and it resulted in a loss to Ball State as the Cardinals outrebounded UB 45-37. UB is 13-4 on the year and 30-8 over the past two seasons when winning or tying the rebounding battle. As a team, UB ranks 1st in the MAC and 13th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (43.7/game).
BULLS RANK 11TH IN NATION IN OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING
Buffalo has been getting after the offensive glass all season long and this continued on Wednesday night as they grabbed 14 offensive rebounds in the loss to Ball State. The Bulls turned those 14 offensive rebounds into eight second chance points. UB has now won or tied the offensive rebounding battle in 16 of their 19 games this season. On the year, UB ranks 11th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds (17.3/game) and 14th in rebound margin (+9.3). UB is also averaging 14.0 second chance points/game so far this season while holding their opponents to an average of 7.9/game.
SMITH CONTINUES TO RISE ALL-TIME SCORING CHARTS
After becoming just the 23rd player in UB history to notch their 1,000th point at Ohio earlier this season, senior JoAnna Smith continued to score the basketball on Wednesday night as she led UB in scoring with a season-high 26 points. With her 26-point effort, Smith moved into 13th place on the all-time scoring charts and she sits just 11 points shy of 11th place. Smith also moved into 3rd place on UB's all-time three pointers made charts as she has connected on 167 through 108 career games.
DROPPIN' DIMES
As a team, the Bulls have been dishing out assists at a high rate as over their last five games they are averaging 15.8 assists/game. Last time out, junior Stephanie Reid etched her name into the UB record books as she tied the program record for assists in a game with 16 dimes against Ball State. Reid tied current assistant coach Ashely Zuber's program record. Reid has notched 28 assists over her last two games, the most across a two-game stretch in program history. Her 28 assists are also the most across a two-game stretch in the NCAA this 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 outshot on Wednesday by the Ball State Cardinals 45.3% to 38.0% in the loss. Buffalo fell to 3-5 this season when losing the shooting percentage category. When shooting a higher percentage from the floor, UB is 11-0 on the year and 28-1 over the past two seasons.
STARTERS CARRYING THE OFFENSIVE LOAD
Early on this season, the Buffalo bench was putting up huge offensive numbers as they Bulls were able to play all 13 players in at least five games. As of late, the UB starting lineup has proved to be a scoring threat and this continued on Wednesday as the starting five scored a season-high 70 points. All five starters netted fouble figures in the loss to Ball State. Over the past six MAC games, the UB starting lineup is averaging 58.3 points/game.
DOMINATE THE PAINT
Playing for a coach that dominated the paint throughout her very successful career, the talented Bulls have begun to take a page out of their coaches book as they have won the battle in the paint in 13 of their 19 games this season. UB was outscored inside the paint on Wednesday night, 28-24, and it resulted in a loss to the Ball State Cardinals. The Bulls are 13-0 on the year when winning the battle in the paint as they are averaging 30.3 points while limiting opponents to just 23.9 points inside the paint.
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 this season with the addition of some athletic and talented freshman. The Bulls won this category for the 16th time on Wednesday night as they outscored Ball State 8-6 in the fast break. On the season, UB owns the 165-59 edge in fast break scoring and are 13-3 when winning the fast break category. UB has won the fast break category in six of their last seven wins including their last three wins.
PROTECTING THE THREE POINT LINE
The Bulls have turned into one of the best three point defense teams in the MAC as of late as they rank 1st in the MAC allowing their opponents to shoot 28.4% from behind the arc. In MAC play, UB ranks second in three point defense as their opponents are shooting just 26.5%. Last time out, the Ball State Cardinals connected on nine triples as they put up 89 points on the Bulls. Through eight MAC games, the Buffalo defense is allowing just 4.5 triples against.
NO SECOND CHANCES
The Bulls have turned into one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the nation while also limiting their opponents to limited second chance opportunities. Over their last 12 games, the Bulls have limited their opponents to an average of 7.0 second chance points. Buffalo has held 15 opponents and 12 of their last 13, to 10 second chance points or less this season. The rebounding effort by the Bulls has been impressive as they are limiting their last 12 opponents to just 9.3 offensive rebounds/game while averaging 17.2 themselves.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JO
Senior leading scorer JoAnna Smith continued her upward swing in MAC games on Wednesday in the loss to Ball State as she netted 26 points. The Southaven, MS native finished the game going 9-for-25 from the floor and 6-for-15 from behind the arc as she has now connected on at least one three pointer in 53 of her last 55 games and at least three triples in 29 of her last 55 games. The six triples was a season-high for Smith as she is averaging 27.5 points over her last two games. Smith moved into third place on the all-time three pointers made list with 167 makes in her career as she has proved to be one of the most dangerous deep range shooters in program history. Buffalo is 12-4 this season and 31-15 over the past two seasons when Smith scores at least 10 points in a game. On the season, Smith is averaging a team-best 15.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals while leading UB in scoring 11 times. The captain has surpassed the 20-point plateau six times this season including four times in her past seven games for the Bulls. In MAC play, Smith ranks 3rd in the conference in scoring as she is averaging 20.3 points while ranking 3rd in three pointers made with 25.
REID ALL ABOUT IT
Junior point guard Stephanie Reid had her second straight great game at the point for UB and this time it ended with her etching her name in the UB record books. The junior finished her game with a program record 16 assists to go along with 10 points, three steals and three rebounds in the loss to Ball State. She has recorded at least eight helpers in eight of her last 12 games for the Bulls and at least 10 assists in five of her last nine contests. Her 28 assists over her last two games are the most in program history and most in the NCAA this season. Reid moved into 6th place on the all-time assist chart with 374 career helpers and she is now just 14 shy of 5th place (Ashley Zuber) on the all-time charts. The junior has reached double figures in scoring 10 times in her last 16 games. Reid has recorded at least one steal in 16 of 19 games and has notched multi-steal games 10 times. Behind her recent strong play, Reid is averaging 8.7 points, 7.2 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals while ranking first in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (3.1) and second in assists (7.2 APG). Through eight MAC games, Reid is tied for 1st in the MAC in assists per game (8.6/game) and first in assist/turnover ratio (4.3).
CENTER OF ATTENTION
Junior center Cassie Oursler has proved to be one of the most dominant post players in the conference when she is able to stay out of foul trouble. Oursler was able to have a very efficient game on Wednesday night as she netted 14 points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal across 22 minutes. On the season, Oursler is averaging 18.6 minutes, 8.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks while shooting 48.1% from the floor and 65.6% from the charity stripe. Oursler has recorded at least one block in 24 of her last 29 games and has notched at least two blocks in 15 of her 43 career starts.
ONWUKA GROWING INTO IMPORTANT SCORING THREAT
Freshman Theresa Onwuka has continued to improve and earn the trust of the UB coaching staff through 19 games this season. The lengthy guard earned her sixth straight start on Wednesday night and proved to be an improtant scorer for the Bulls as she netted 10 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists in 29 minutes of action. The freshman has now went over the 20 minutes played mark eight times in her last nine games. On the year, the Nigeria native is averaging 17.6 MPG, 6.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 1.0 SPG through 19 career games. She has scored in double figures in seven of the eight MAC games and all six of her starts. Onwuka also ranks second on the team averaging 11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 steals against MAC foes this season.
HEMPHILL BLOSSOMING INTO A STAR
Freshman forward Summer Hemphill has shown flashes of greatness through her first 19 games and because of those flashes she was awarded with her sixth straight start on Wednesday. The Buffalo native didn't disappoint the home fans as she was able to produce 10 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks, one steal and one assist. Hemphill went 3-for-8 from the floor and currently ranks 4th in the MAC in field goal percentage (55.8%). The freshman 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 16 straight games and has recorded at least one steal in 14 of 19 games. She has also notched two blocks in eight of her last 16 games as her quick leaping ability has caused problems for opposing bigs. Through 19 career games, Hemphill is averaging 7.8 points, a team-high 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks while notching double digit rebounds a team-best four times this season. Her 2.8 offensive rebounds/game ranks 6th in the MAC so far this season. Through eight MAC games, Hemphill is averaging 8.4 points, 9.6 rebounds (3rd in the MAC) and 1.5 blocks (6th in the MAC).
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 169-of-223 attempts (75.8%), ranking seventh in program history for free throw percentage. Senior JoAnna Smith has also been a great free throw shooter over her UB career as she ranks 15th in school history for free throw percentage (71.5%) as she has gone 178-for-249.
