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Women's Hoops Shoots For 20th Win At Akron On Wednesday Night
2/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (19-8, 9-7 MAC) kicks off the final week of the regular season on Wednesday night as they travel to Akron, OH to take on the Zips. The Bulls will be in search of their second straight 20-win season as they also look to sweep the regular season series with the Zips after downing them 81-51 at Alumni Arena earlier this season.
The game in Akron will air live on ESPN3 or it can be heard on ESPN1520 as Matt Mattia will get you ready for the action starting at 6:30 pm with the pre-game show.
UB HEADS TO AKRON ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
Buffalo will be on the road for their final two games of the regular season starting on Wednesday night as they travel to Akron for a showdown with the Zips. Buffalo enters with a 19-8 overall record and a 9-7 MAC mark while the Zips are 9-18 with a 2-14 MAC mark. UB will be aiming for the season sweep of the Zips as they downed them by the score of 81-51 earlier this season at Alumni Arena. You can watch the game live on ESPN3 starting at 7:00 pm or you can tune your radio to ESPN1520 as Matt Mattia will be on the call starting at 6:30 pm with the pre-game show.
BULLS FALL TO BOWLING GREEN ON SENIOR DAY
The Bulls had a minor hiccup last time out as they were handed a 64-62 loss by the Bowling Green Falcons on JoAnna Smith's Senior Day at Alumni Arena. The Bulls blew a 14-point lead in the third quarter, their biggest blown lead this season. Smith led the Bulls with 25 points on 10-for-19 from the floor and 5-for-12 from deep while Stephanie Reid finished off her game with 16 points, five assists and five rebounds while setting the program record for assists in a season as she has accumulated 201 so far. Freshman Summer Hemphill came off the bench and ripped down 16 rebounds including eight offensive boards in the loss. With a chance to tie the game in the waining seconds of the game, Stephanie Reid missed a layup and the putback attempt by Hemphill rimmed out as the Bulls dropped just their fourth game at home all season long.
FAMILIAR FOE
This marks the 46th meeting of all-time between the two programs with the Bulls holding onto the slim 23-22 edge in the series. The inaugural game between the Bulls and the Zips took place on Feb. 2, 1992. They have played at least two times annually since 1998-99. Akron won two of the three meetings last season with the lone Buffalo victory coming in the MAC semifinal game to help lift UB to their first MAC Championship. The two sides met on Feb. 18 in Buffalo with the Bulls notching the 81-51 victory over the Zips.
COACH JACK'S WINNING WAYS
Since head coach Felisha Legette-Jack took over the reins of the program prior to the 2012-13 campaign, the Bulls have turned into one of the premier teams in the Mid-American Conference. UB is 87-68 under Legette-Jack's watchful eye as they have accumulated at least 17 victories in each of the past four seasons. Buffalo notched their 19th win of the season last week and they have now recorded at least 19 wins in three straight seasons for the first time in program history. Upon graduation following this season, senior JoAnna Smith will be the winningest player in the Bulls division I era as she has already accumulated 75 career victories.
REID RANKS 5th IN NCAA IN ASSISTS/GAME
Junior point guard Stephanie Reid has been facilitating at a high level since the start of the season and it is resulting in one of the best seasons by a point guard in UB history. The Australia native currently ranks 5th in the NCAA in assists/game (7.4 APG) while leading the MAC. The junior set a Buffalo program record for assists in a single season on Saturday as she has now accumulated 101 helpers on the year. Reid currently sits in fourth place on the Bulls all-time assists charts with 438 career assists, just 13 shy of third place. Reid is just the fifth player in UB history to accumulate 400 career assists. Reid has seven games with 10+ assists, all of which coming within her last 17 games for the Bulls. She has registered 8+ assists on 13 ocassions this season. Earlier in the season, Reid tied the program record with 16 assists against Ball State while her 28 assists over a two-game stretch are the most in the NCAA this season and most in program history. In MAC games, Reid is averaging 8.3 assists/game.
BULLS RANK 16TH IN NATION IN OFFENSIVE REBOUNDING
Buffalo has been getting after the offensive glass all season long but they had a tough time on Saturday as the Bowling Green Falcons grabbed 19 offensive boards while UB was limited to 10 in the loss. The Falcons turned their 19 offensive rebounds into 12 second chance points while UB was limited to nine second chance points. UB has now won or tied the offensive rebounding battle in 21 of their 27 games this season. On the year, UB ranks 16th in the NCAA in offensive rebounds (16.2/game) and 20th in rebounds/game (42.9). Buffalo has held 21 opponents and 18 of their last 21, to 10 second chance points or less this season. The rebounding effort by the Bulls has been impressive as they are limiting their last 20 opponents to just 10.2 offensive rebounds/game while averaging 16.1 themselves.
CLEANING THE GLASS
One of the keys to the Bulls success this season has been winning the battle on the boards. UB wasn't able to win the rebounding battle on Saturday and it resulted in a loss as Bowling Green outrebounded UB 48-38 for the game. With the loss, UB is now just 2-4 on the year when losing the rebounding battle. When they win or tie the rebounding battle, the Bulls are 17-4 this season and 34-8 over the past two seasons. As a team, UB ranks 2nd in the MAC and 20th in the NCAA in rebounds per game (42.9/game).
SMITH MOVES INTO 7TH ON 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 last time out as she surpassed the 20-point plateau for the 10th time this season as she finished with 25 points on Senior Day against Bowling Green. The senior moved past Jessica Kochendorfer (2000-04) into 7th place on UB's all-time scoring charts with the 25-point effort as she has now accumulated 1,296 career points. She is one of three players in UB history to score 1,000+ points in two seasons, joining Kourtney Brown and Tiffany Bell. Smith also sits in 3rd place on UB's all-time three pointers made charts with 193 career makes.
DEFENSE COMING TOGETHER AT THE RIGHT TIME
The strength of the Bulls over the past two seasons has been their defense and that strong defense has helped UB gather a 19-8 record on the season. The Buffalo defense put together another strong outing on Saturday but the Bulls weren't able to pull out the win over Bowling Green. The Bulls held the Falcons to just 34.8% shooting while forcing 11 turnovers that they turned into 10 points. The Buffalo defense has held three of their last four opponents to under 60 points. The Bulls lead the MAC in scoring defense as they are allowing just 61.3 points/game. Buffalo is 42-8 over the last two seasons when holding their opponents under 70 points and are 18-0 when holding their opponents to scoring 50 points or less over the past two seasons. UB improved to 15-0 this season when holding their opponents to 59 points.
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 16 of their 27 games this season. UB was edged out in the paint scoring on Saturday afternoon by the Bowling Green Falcons, 24-18. On the year, UB holds a dominant 15-0 record when winning the battle of the paint. Buffalo is averaging 29.9 points while limiting their opponents to just 24.7 points inside the paint on the season.
RUNNING WITH THE BULLS
The Bulls have turned into one of the best fast break scoring teams in the country this season thanks in large part to the athleticism of this Buffalo roster. The Bulls won this category once again on Saturday, 6-0, as they have won or tied the fast break scoring battle in 23 of their 27 games. On the season, UB owns the 236-93 edge in fast break scoring and are 18-5 when winning or tying this battle and just 1-3 when losing the fast break category. UB has won or tied the fast break category in 11 of their last 12 wins including their last eight wins.
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 able to shoot a higher percentage from the floor than their opponents 39.7% to 34.8% but they weren't able to win. With the loss, the Bulls are now 16-1 on the year and 33-2 over the past two seasons when shooting a higher percentage from the floor than their opponents.
PROTECTING THE THREE POINT LINE
The Bulls have turned into one of the best three point defense teams in the MAC as of late but the Falcons were able to hurt UB from behind the arc as they went 8-for-23 (34.8%) in the win. Buffalo ranks 2nd in the conference and 15th in the NCAA allowing their opponents to shoot just 27.3% from behind the arc overall this season. In MAC play, UB ranks 2nd in three point defense as their opponents are shooting just 25.5%. Through 16 MAC games, the Buffalo defense is allowing just 4.4 triples against/game.
TURNING THEM OVER IN MAC PLAY
With just two conference games remaining, the UB defense has begun to take shape as they have turned into one of the best defenses in the conference in forcing turnovers. The stingy Buffalo defense ranks 4th in the MAC with a turnover margin of +1.5 in MAC play as they are forcing an average of 16.6 turnovers/game. Over their last 10 games, UB is forcing an average of 17.4 turnovers while turning those into 16.1 points. The Bulls are 3rd in the MAC averaging 9.0 steals/game as they have accumulated 144 steals in conference action.
JOANNA SMITH CONTINUES TO LEAD UB IN SCORING
Playing in her final regular season home game at Alumni Arena on Saturday, senior JoAnna Smith didn't disappoint the home fans as she went off for 25 points. The Southaven, MS native finished the game going 10-for-19 from the floor and 5-for-12 from behind the arc as she has now connected on at least one three pointer in 60 of her last 63 games and at least three triples in 35 of her last 63 games. She has gone over the 20-point plateau in six of her last 10 games for the Bulls. Smith sits in third place on the all-time three pointers made list with 193 makes in her career as she has proved to be one of the most dangerous deep range shooters in program history. Buffalo is 16-5 this season and 35-17 over the past two seasons when Smith scores at least 10 points in a game. On the season, Smith is averaging a team-best 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists and 1.6 steals while leading UB in scoring 15 times. The captain has surpassed the 20-point plateau 10 times this season including eight times in her past 15 games for the Bulls. In MAC play, Smith ranks 3rd in the conference in scoring as she is averaging 19.6 points while ranking 2nd in three pointers made with 51.
REID ALL ABOUT IT
Junior point guard Stephanie Reid continued her high level of play on Saturday afternoon as she finished off her impressive game with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists as she played all 40 minutes for the second straight game. With her third assist of the game, Reid set the program record for assists in a single season as she now has 201 helpers on the season. Reid passed former UB great and current assistant coach Ashley Zuber for the program record. She has recorded at least eight helpers in 13 of her last 20 games for the Bulls and at least 10 assists in seven of her last 17 contests. Her 28 assists over a two-game span (Ball State and Western Michigan) are the most in the NCAA this season and most in program history. The junior sits in 4th place on UB's all-time assists charts with 438 career assists, 13 assists shy of 3rd place on the list. Reid has reached double figures in scoring 17 times in her last 24 games and has surpassed the 20-point plateau a career-best three times this season. She has recorded at least one steal in 22 of 27 games and has notched multi-steal games 14 times this season including in five of her last nine games. The junior has at least four steals three times in her last eight games. Behind her recent strong play, Reid is averaging 10.8 points, 7.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals while ranking 1st in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio (3.1) and 2nd in assists (7.4 APG). Through 16 MAC games, Reid is 1st in the MAC in assists per game (8.3/game) and first in assist/turnover ratio (3.7).
HEMPHILL NOTCHES 16 MORE REBOUNDS
Freshman forward Summer Hemphill has shown flashes of greatness on the boards throughout the season and it continued on Saturday. The Buffalo native had her second straight huge game on the glass as she was able to snag a team-best 16 rebounds off the bench in the loss to Bowling Green. Hemphill ripped down eight offensive rebounds in the loss. Over the past two games, she is averaginbg 16.5 rebounds as she set a freshman record for rebounds (17) in the win over Ohio. Hemphill also recorded a block and a steal in the loss as she has notched at least one block in 21 of her last 23 games and at least one steal in 17 of her 27 games this season. She currently ranks 6th in the MAC in field goal percentage (.544) and 6th in rebounding (8.0/game). Through 27 career games, Hemphill is averaging 6.6 points, a team-high 8.0 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals while leading UB in rebounding 15 times and notching double digits in rebounds six times. Her 2.8 offensive rebounds/game ranks 7th in the MAC so far this season.
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 wasn't able to stay out of foul trouble on Saturday as she was only able to score three points, 1 rebound and a team-high five blocks. On the season, Oursler is averaging 18.5 minutes, 8.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 45.0% from the floor and 69.8% from the charity stripe. Oursler has recorded at least one block in 29 of her last 36 games and has notched at least two blocks in 20 of her 50 career starts. The junior ranks 14th in program history with 74 career rejections.
KATHERINE THE GREAT
Junior Katherine Ups has proved to be a key member of the Bulls all season long. The defensive-minded Ups has helped the Buffalo defense improve all season long as they are first in the conference in points allowed. With Ups in the starting lineup, the Bulls have accumulated a 14-3 record as she has been the glue player to a very strong and experienced roster. The junior finished off the loss to Bowling Green with nine points, three rebounds and two assists across 27 minutes of action. On the season she is averaging 3.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists while starting 17 games at small forward.
BLOCK PARTY
The Bulls have turned into one of the best defensive teams in the conference due in large part to their ability to block shots and alter shots down low. The Bulls rank 2nd in the MAC in blocks/game (3.9) and they are third in MAC games (4.0). Junior center Cassie Oursler has been the Bulls best blocker as she ranks second in the MAC with 41 blocks (1.7/game). Freshman Summer Hemphill has continued to learn and flourish into a defensive playmaker as she ranks seventh in the MAC in blocks (1.3/game). Over her last four games, Oursler has turned into a beast down low as she is averaging 4.3 blocks/game as she has record two games with five blocks, tying a career-high.
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 208-of-273 attempts (76.2%), 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 14th in school history for free throw percentage (71.9%) as she has gone 187-for-260.
