Bulls Conclude Homestand Against Eastern Michigan on Saturday

Buffalo (11-4, 2-2 MAC) vs. Eastern Michigan (8-7, 3-1 MAC)
January 18, 2020
Alumni Arena – 2 pm
Bulls on the Air –
Radio – TuneIn App
Television – ESPN3

BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team concludes their homestand on Saturday as they welcome the Eastern Michigan Eagles to Alumni Arena for a 2pm contest. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 with Paul Peck (pbp) and Will Regan (color) announcing and broadcast on TuneIn Radio with Matt Mattia on the call.

TODAY'S STORYLINES
• The University at Buffalo women's basketball team concludes their homestand on Saturday as they welcome the Eastern Michigan Eagles to Alumni Arena for a 2pm contest.
• This is the 27th meeting between Buffalo and Eastern Michigan, with the Eagles owning the 15-11 series edge. UB is 7-3 in their last 10 meetings with the Eagles dating back to 2011. The Bulls defeated EMU in an overtime thriller at the Convocation Center last season.
• As a team, the Eagles have forced opponents into 15+ turnovers 12 times. Their 19.4 forced turnovers per game are the third most in the MAC.
• Buffalo rallied to defeat Bowling Green 65-59 at Alumni Arena on Saturday.
• Dyaisha Fair was named to the Her Hoop Stats Mid-Major Player of the Year Mid-Season Watch List, recognizing the nation's best mid-major player in women's college basketball.
• Fair is currently fifth in the nation in scoring at 23.3 points per game. She leads the MAC and ranks third in the country in three point field goals made per game (3.57).
• The Bulls rank 43rd in the nation in three point field goals made per game (7.9) and are 17th in rebounds per game (43.2)
• The Bulls are ranked 15th in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll. UB is one of the three MAC teams on the list.

GAME 15 RECAP: BOWLING GREEN
• The University at Buffalo women's basketball team outscored Bowling Green 21-14 in the fourth quarter to defeat the Falcons 65-59 on Alzheimer's Awareness night at Alumni Arena on Wednesday.
• Buffalo was led by freshman Dyaisha Fair who scored a game-high 26 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists and three steals.
• Sophomore Adebola Adeyeye had another double-digit effort on the glass as she grabbed 11 rebounds to go with nine points and senior Theresa Onwuka also turned in a double digit rebounding performance with 11 boards, while scoring seven points and recording three steals.
• Buffalo has now held eight of its opponents to 59 points or less and are a perfect 47-0 over the last three years when holding opponents under that mark. The Bulls won the battle on the glass 49-40 while scoring 18 points in the fastbreak.

PREVIEWING EASTERN MICHIGAN
• Winners of six of their last seven games, the Eastern Michigan Eagles enter Saturday's contest with an 8-7 overall record and 3-1 MAC mark after defeating Miami (OH) 80-53 on Wednesday night.
• The Eagles are led offensively by Oklahoma State transfer Areanna Combs who averages 19.0 points per game. Freshman guard Aaliyah Stanley also averages in double figures at 12.3 points per game while junior center Autumn Hudson leads the team in rebounding at 6.1 boards per contest.
• EMU sits in a tie for the second-best league record at 3-1.
• Combs has scored in double-figures in each game this season, dropping a career-best 32 points against Bowling Green on January 4th. She has only gotten better in conference play as she is averaging a team-leading 21.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in MAC games.
• As a team, the Eagles have forced the opposition into 15+ turnovers 12 times. EMU's 19.4 forced turnovers per game are the third-most in the MAC.
• Fred Castro is in his eighth season as head coach of the Eagles. Castro has been a part of 10 squads that have participated in the postseason since the 2001-02 campaign, including a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament Final Four.

ROC NATION
• Freshman Dyaisha Fair has made an immediate impact in her first season in the blue and white as she is averaging 23.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals in 13 starts.
• She is currently fifth in the nation in scoring average (23.3 ppg) and third in three point field goals made per game (3.57).
• On January 6, Fair was named to the Her Hoop Stats Mid-Major Player of the Year Mid-Season Watch List, recognizing the nation's best mid-major player in women's college basketball.
• Fair has been named MAC East Player of the Week three times this season.
• At Niagara, Fair became the first Buffalo freshman to score 30+ points in a game since 2000, with 31 points. • A Rochester, NY native, Fair comes to the Bulls after a successful high school career at Edison Tech High School where she averaged 35 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists during her senior campaign.
• The ultra-talented point guard led Section V in scoring and was named All-Greater Player of the Year, becoming the first Rochester City School District player to win the award since its inauguration in 1993.

ONWUKA TURNING HEADS IN STARTING ROLE
• Senior guard Theresa Onwuka has embraced her role as a senior captain, leading the Bulls on both ends of the floor.
• Onwuka is enjoying a strong start to her senior season as
she ranks second on the team in scoring (15.9 ppg) while pulling down a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game and swiping 2.5 steals per contest while shooting 54.5% from the floor and 77.3% from the charity stripe.
• Onwuka set a career-high in three straight games to start the season, capped by a 30 point performance in a win over Canisius.
• Onwuka was named MAC East Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 3 after averaging 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.0 steals in a pair of wins at the Hawk Classic.
• The Nigeria native earned an invite to the Nigerian national camp over the summer for the second straight season as she practiced and trained with the top basketball players from her home country. The experience helped Onwuka grow as a player and helped build her confidence.

HALL PASS
• Junior Hanna Hall returns for her third year with the Bulls and looks to be a mainstay in the Bulls lineup after earning the start in 27 of the Bulls 34 games last season.
• The Hamilton, ON native is averaging 7.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 15 starts this season.
• Hall set a career-high with nine assists at San Jose State.
• The junior had the best game of her career at Eastern Michigan on 1/9/19 as she went 6-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-8 from beyond the arc on the night, finishing with a career-high 20 points.
• Hall was named to the MAC All-Tournament Team after averaging 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists over three games in Cleveland.
• Hall competed at the 2019 Pan American Women's Basketball Games in Lima, Peru as a member of the Canadian National Team.

SUMMER TIME IN BUFFALO
• Senior forward Summer Hemphill had surgery on her knee in January and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
• The Preseason All-MAC East Division Team selection and Preseason Big 4 Player of the Year is currently 10th on UB's all-time rebounding list with 759 rebounds and is just 81 points away from becoming Buffalo's 26th 1,000 point scorer.

YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
• With 11 underclassmen on the roster, the Bulls are the youngest team in the MAC and the youngest of any opponent on the schedule this season.

UNITED NATIONS
• The Bulls roster features players from five countries including Germany (Gaba, Schiffer), Great Britain (Christie), Nigeria (Onwuka), Canada (Adeyeye, Hall, Kounkou, Walters) and the U.S.
• Elea Gaba took home a gold medal with the German national team at the 2018 U18 European Championships and also competed at the 2019 U18 European Championships and 2019 U19 World Cup.
• Jessika Schiffer won a gold medal with Gaba at the 2018 U18 European Championships and teamed with Gaba at the 2019 World Cup. She also competed at the 2019 U20 Women's European Championship.
• Loren Christie represented Great Britain in two straight years at the U20 European Championships and captained the U16 Great Britain national team at the 2017 European Championship. She also led her high school to a WEABL Championship and earned WEABL first team honors during her senior season.

MACtion
• After seeing two of its teams advance to the NCAA Tournament a year ago (Buffalo, Central Michigan), the Mid-American Conference continues to gain respect on the national stage as three teams are currently ranked in the Mid-Major Top-25 - No. 9 Central Michigan, No. 12 Ohio, No. 15 Buffalo
*As of January 14, 2020

BEASTS OF THE EAST
• The Bulls went undefeated in non-conference play in games east of the Mississippi.

CLOSING TIME
• The Bulls have been extremely effective closing out games over the last five years, winning 111 of their last 116 games (.957) when leading or tied with five minutes left, including 78 of their last 80.

BOMBS AWAY
• For the second time in as many seasons, the Bulls broke the single-season record for three pointers with 242 triples, besting the previous mark set of 230 set by the 2017-18 squad. The 2018-19 Bulls also set the single-season record for three point field goals attempted with 765 surpassing the previous mark of 689 attempts set by the 2015-16 team.
• This season the Bulls rank 43rd in the nation in three point field goals made per game (7.8).
• Defensively the Bulls are fifth in the MAC in three point field goal defense, holding opponents to 30.2% shooting from beyond the arc.

TURNING THEM OVER
• Ever since taking over the program eight seasons ago, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has prided herself on having a team committed to defense and that is no different this season.
• The Buffalo defense has forced an average of 17.7 turnovers/game this season.
• The Bulls are also averaging 9.1 steals/game while netting an average of 14.6 points/game off of opponent's turnovers.

PAINTING A NEW PICTURE
• The Bulls are finding success in the paint once again this season as they have won or tied the battle in the paint in 12 of 15 contests this season, going 10-2 in those games. This season, UB is currently averaging 28.9 points/game in the paint.
• The Bulls dominated the paint last season as UB won or tied the scoring in the paint category in 28 of 34 contests and were 19-3 last season when winning the battle inside.

CREATING SECOND CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES
• The Bulls have continued to find success on the offensive glass this season as they are averaging a MAC-best 15.9 offensive rebounds/game, while averaging 13.5 second chance points off those offensive boards.
• Buffalo has grabbed at least 10 offensive rebounds in 13 of their 15 games this season, including a season-high 23 in the season-opener against CCSU.
• The Bulls also lead the MAC and are ranked 17th in the nation in rebounds per game (43.2)

RUNNING WITH THE BULLS
• Buffalo has recorded eight or more fast break points in 11 of 15 games this season, outscoring opponents 181-124 in transition.
• Over the past three plus seasons, the Bulls have won or tied the fast break category in 95 of 116 games, including 76 of their 86 wins.

HOME SWEET HOME
• Since Legette-Jack took over before the 2012-13 season, the Bulls hold a 72-30 (.706) record at home across 101 contests.
• Over the last two plus seasons, UB is 24-4 at Alumni Arena. The 2017-18 team finished a perfect 12-0 at home overall and 9-0 in conference play.
• On the flip side, Legette-Jack's Bulls are 82-60 (.577) on the road or on neutral ground during her tenure.

80 PLUS
• The Bulls have always been known for their defense but over the last few seasons the UB offense has come alive, leading the Bulls to success on the national stage in back-to-back seasons.
• The Bulls are tough to beat when they score 80+ points as they own a 33-5 record over the past two plus years when doing so.
• The Bulls posted 80+ performances on 14 occasions last season, coming away with victories in 12 of those games.

60 OR LESS
• Over the last three seasons, UB is 68-3 when holding their opponents to under 70 points and 47-0 when holding opponents to 59 points or less.
• The stingy Buffalo defense held a total of nine opponents under 70 points this season, going a perfect 9-0 in those contests.

PRESEASON PRAISE
• The Bulls were picked to finish second in the MAC East in the preseason poll as voted on by the conference coaches.
• Buffalo earned 56 total points behind Ohio who notched 12 first place votes and 72 total points.
• The defending MAC champions also earned one vote to win the MAC Tournament Championship, while Ohio earned 10 votes and Northern Illinois garnered one vote.
• The Bulls also placed Summer Hemphill on the preseason All-MAC East Division Team for the second consecutive year.

HEMPHILL NAMED BIG 4 PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
• Senior forward Summer Hemphill was selected by local media and athletic communication offices as the Preseason Big 4 Player of the Year.
• Hemphill was also one of three unanimous First Team All-Big 4 representatives.
• Joining Hemphill on the First Team is senior guard Theresa Onwuka and junior guard Hanna Hall.

ANOTHER 20+ WIN SEASON
• The wins continue to pile up for the Bulls under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack as they produced their fourth straight 20+ win campaign in 2018-19.
• This marks the second time in school history the Bulls have won 20+ games in four straight seasons as they previously accomplished that feat from 1993-97.
• Buffalo posted 16 victories last season by double-digits, including four of their last five games and also posted six victories by 20+ points including a season-high 47 point victory, 90-43, over St. Bonaventure on December 23, 2018.

QUARTET OF CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2019-20 SEASON
• After the graduation of one of the winningest classes in the Bulls division I history, Buffalo will be relying on a new group of captains to lead the squad this season.
• After a team vote, the Bulls named Hanna Hall, Theresa Onwuka, Adebola Adeyeye and Summer Hemphill as team captains.
• The four captains have been a part of three straight 20+ win seasons.

UP NEXT:
Buffalo begins a two-game road trip on Wednesday, January 22, as they travel to Muncie, Indiana for a 7pm contest against the Ball State Cardinals.

Bulls Conclude Homestand Against Eastern Michigan on Saturday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Adebola Adeyeye

Loren Christie

Dyaisha Fair

Elea Gaba

Hanna Hall

Summer Hemphill

Theresa Onwuka

Jessika Schiffer

University at Buffalo Athletics