Saturday, December 19
Buffalo, NY
12:00 PM
vs
St. Bonaventure
Bulls Host Big 4 Rival St. Bonaventure on Saturday
12/18/2020 11:15:00β―AM | Women's Basketball
Buffalo (3-2, 1-0 MAC) vs. St. Bonaventure (1-1, 0-0 A-10)
December 19, 2020
Alumni Arena β 12 p.m.
Bulls on the Air
Radio β ESPN 1520-AM WWKB/TuneIn App
Television β ESPN+
BUFFALO, NY β The University at Buffalo women's basketball team welcomes Big 4 rival St. Bonaventure to Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Matt Mattia (play-by-play) and Kevin Sylvester (color) announcing and broadcast on ESPN 1520 WWKB and TuneIn Radio with Bob Gaughan on the call.
TODAY'S STORYLINES
β’ The University at Buffalo women's basketball team welcomes Big 4 rival St. Bonaventure to Alumni Arena on Saturday.
β’ This is 32nd meeting between Buffalo and St. Bonaventure with the Bonnies holding the 18-13 series advantage. The Bulls have won five of the past six contests against the Bonnies, most recently a 46-36 victory at the Reilly Center last season.
β’ The Bulls overcame a 15 point third quarter deficit to defeat Akron 85-77 in the conference opener on Sunday afternoon.
β’ Dyaisha Fair recorded the program's first triple double in nearly 20 years with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the win.
β’ Junior guard Jazmine Young will be eligible to play for the first time this season after the Division I Council's vote on Wednesday to allow all transfers to play this season.
β’ The Bulls are ranked No. 15 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Central Michigan (No. 5) Ohio (No. 12) and Bowling Green (No. 23) join UB on the list.
β’ Fair was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list as one of the top-20 point guards in Division 1 college basketball as well as the preseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Award recognizing the nation's top mid-major player.
β’ Fair was also a unanimous selection for Big 4 Preseason First team and was a named Big 4 Player of the Year for the first time in her UB career. Hemphill and Hanna Hall joined Fair on the first team while Adebola Adeyeye earned a spot on the second team.
Β
GAME 5 RECAP: AKRON
β’ University at Buffalo women's basketball sophomore guard Dyaisha Fair recorded the program's first triple-double in nearly 20 years to lead the Bulls to an 85-77 win over Akron on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Arena.
β’ It was the first triple double for a Buffalo player since Sonia Ortega on March 3, 2001. Fair finished the day with a game-high 28 points, 25 of them coming in the second half, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
β’ Junior forward Adebola Adeyeye recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures were Elea Gaba with 13 points and Hanna Hall added 11 points and four assists.
β’ The Bulls outscored Akron 42-34 in the paint and also held the edge on the glass, 49-37, including 15 offensive boards which UB turned into 20 second chance points. Buffalo also turned 15 Akron turnovers into 27 fastbreak points.
Β
PREVIEWING ST. BONAVENTURE
β’ The St. Bonaventure Bonnies enter Saturday's contest with a 1-1 overall record after defeating Binghamton 67-57 on Wednesday.
β’ The Bonnies are led offensively by redshirt junior Tori Harris who is averaging 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and junior guard Asianae Johnson who is averaging 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds through two games.
β’ The Bonnies return 76 percent of their scoring return and five out the top six scorers from a season ago.
β’ Harris transferred to St. Bonaventure from James Madison. She is the brother of Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris.
β’ Asianae Johnson was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Second Team. She was also named to the Big 4 Preseason First Team along with Deja Francis.
β’ Jesse Fleming enters his fourth season at the helm of the St. Bonaventure women's basketball program. Fleming returned to SBU after spending the previous four seasons at Bowling Green, where helped guide the Falcons' program to the MAC Championship in 2014.
Β
UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
β’ Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this season is unlike any other. The pandemic, which caused the cancellation of conference and national tournaments last season, has altered the way student-athletes and coaches get ready for each game.
β’ It is suggested and widely implemented that, all Tier 1 individuals, which include student-athletes, coaches, and day to day support staff, must test for COVID-19 at least three times a week on non-consecutive days. At Buffalo, this test is a rapid antigen test. Should those tests come back inconclusive, a second PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test will be administered.
β’ In addition to the testing done by players, all travel party members must wear face coverings for the duration of any and all bus trips. Face coverings are required for the travel party at all times unless in your own room or on the playing court during the game
Β
PRESEASON PRAISE
β’ With the elimination of divisions for the 2020-21 season, the 12 teams were ranked from top to bottom led by Central Michigan who received 10 first place votes and 142 points. The Bulls were picked to finish fourth with 108 points behind Ohio (128) and Ball State (119).
β’ Buffalo also earned one vote to win the MAC Tournament Championship, while Ohio earned 10 votes and Northern Illinois garnered one vote.
β’ Dyaisha Fair earned a spot on the preseason All-MAC First Team for the first time in her career while redshirt senior Summer Hemphill landed on the All-MAC Second Team.
Β
BULLS BREAKDOWN
β’ The Bulls return nine letterwinners and four starters from last year's squad that posted a 19-12 overall record and a 9-9 conference mark.
β’ The Bulls, who finished third in the MAC East and sixth overall, made their sixth straight appearance in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals, defeating Miami (OH) in the first round before falling to Kent State in the quarterfinals.
β’ The Bulls return 71% of scoring, 63% of rebounding and 69% of minutes played from 2019-20.
Β
NON-CONFERENCE DOMINATION
β’ The Bulls have been dominant in the non-conference portion of their schedule as they have posted seven straight winning seasons.
β’ Buffalo has recorded at least seven non-conference victories in each season since 2013-14, including nine wins over Power 5 opponents.
β’ Over the past five plus seasons, UB owns a 46-13 (.780) record against non-conference opponents.
Β
MACtion
β’ After seeing its teams find success in the NCAA Tournament in recent years the Mid-American Conference continues to gain respect on the national stage as four teams are currently ranked in the Mid-Major Top-25 - No. 5 Central Michigan, No. 12 Ohio, No. 15 Buffalo, No. 23 Bowling Green
*Receiving votes: Akron, Kent State
**As of December 15, 2020
Β
BULLS LOOK TO REPEAT
β’ With last season's Mid-American Conference tournament being canceled due to COVID-19, the Bulls are the defending MAC champions. UB has its sights set on the MAC Tournament title once again this season and if they are successful, it would be the first time in program history that the Bulls win back-to-back MAC championships.
β’ In order to get to that point, the Bulls will play in a MAC that has a new look. The conference did away with East and West divisions and instead, all 12 programs will be seeded from top to bottom. The MAC also increased their league schedule to 20 games this year, the most UB has played in conference play since joining the league. First round campus site games have also been eliminated, with the top eight teams going straight to Cleveland.
Β
ROC NATION
β’ Sophomore Dyaisha Fair is picking up right where she left off as a freshman, currently averaging 21.2 points, 7.3 rebounds 6.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game in five starts.
β’ Fair leads the MAC and is ranked 10th in the nation in assists (30). She is also ranked 14th in assists per game (6.0), 19th in free throws made (29) and attempted (37), 35th in scoring (21.2) and 44th in final points (106).
β’ The Rochester, NY native recorded the program's first triple double in nearly 20 years on Sunday, going for 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over Akron.
β’ Fair was named MAC Freshman of the Year and was a Second Team All-MAC selection last season.
β’ Fair was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch list earlier this month. The award recognizes the best point guard in women's Division I college basketball.
β’ She was also named to the preseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Award, which honors the nation's best mid-major player.
Β
SUMMER TIME IN BUFFALO
β’ Redshirt senior forward Summer Hemphill made her return to the court for the first time in over 14 months at Canisius on December 6, scoring 11 points and adding six rebounds and two steals in 11 minutes in a win over the Griffs.
β’ She is currently tied for seventh on UB's all-time rebounding list with 767 rebounds and is just 58 points away from becoming Buffalo's 26th 1,000 point scorer.
β’ Hemphill was named to the Cheryl Miller Award watch list as one of the top-20 small forwards in Division 1 college basketball.
β’ Hemphill was also named to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team and was a unanimous selection to the Preseason Big 4 First Team.
β’ Over her three plus seasons in the blue and white, Hemphill has scored in double figures 48 times, while going over the 20+ point mark four times.
Β
HALL PASS
β’ Senior guard Hanna Hall is anchoring the Bulls backcourt once again this season, averaging 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in four starts this season.
β’ She is currently ranked 48th in the nation in three point field goals made (14).
β’ Hall set career-highs in points (24), three point field goals made (8) and field goals made (8) in the win at James Madison on November 30th.
β’ The Hamilton, ON native is currently ranked 23rd in the nation in three point field goals made (11) and three point field goals made per game (3.67).
β’ Hall competed at the 2019 Pan American Women's Basketball Games in Lima, Peru as a member of the Canadian National Team.
Β
TWIN TOWERS
β’ Junior forwards Adebola Adeyeye and Keowa Walters will look to take on a bigger role this season after posting career highs in several categories last season.
β’ A season ago, Adeyeye made huge strides for UB down low as she averaged career-highs in points (5.9 ppg), rebounds (6.6 rpg), blocks (0.5 bpg) and field goal percentage (55%).
β’ The Brampton, Ontario native is averaging 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in five starts this season.
β’ Walters also made an impact as a sophomore as she averaged career-highs in points (5.2 ppg), rebounds (4.8 rpg), blocks (0.4 bpg) and field goal percentage (59.3%).
β’ Walters is averaging 5.2 points and a 5.4 rebounds per contest in five games this season.
Β
FRESH FACES
β’ The 2020-21 Bulls welcome four newcomers to a squad that won 19 games a season ago.
β’ Of the four newcomers, two came to Buffalo via transfer. Jazmine Young transferred from Tennessee State where she led the Tigers in scoring while Ramatoulaye Keita transferred from Robert Morris.
β’ Cheyenne McEvans is a 5'10" combo guard who comes to Buffalo from Southfield, Michigan where she earned First Team All-State honors, while helping to lead Southfield A&T High School to the state Final Four twice. Off the court, McEvans was the valedictorian of her high school class.
β’ Sophia Ojhammar is a 5'9" guard from Solna Sweden. Ojhammar won a gold medal at the 2018 U17 Swedish Championship and was awarded MVP honors after scoring 24 points in the championship game.
Β
UNITED NATIONS
β’ Buffalo has players from six different countries represented on its 2020-21 roster.
β’ The Bulls have players who hail from Germany (Gaba, Schiffer), Great Britain (Christie), Sweden (Ojhammar), Mali (Keita), Canada (Adeyeye, Hall, Walters) and the U.S (Elias, Fair, Hemphill, McEvans, Young).
Β
QUEEN CITY
β’ Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack became Buffalo's all-time winningest coach in Buffalo women's basketball history on January 25, 2020 with UB's win at Kent State, her 156th win in Buffalo.
β’ Legette-Jack currently owns a 306-263 career record over 18 seasons as a head coach. She is 165-100 in eight seasons at Buffalo.
Β
CLOSING TIME
β’ The Bulls have been extremely effective closing out games over the last five plus years, winning 122 of their last 128 games (.953) when leading or tied with five minutes left, including 89 of their last 94.
Β
CLEANING THE GLASS
β’ One of the keys to the Bulls success once again this season is their ability to rebound the basketball. The Bulls currently lead the MAC and are ranked 54th in the nation in rebounds per game (43.8).
β’ The Bulls also limited their opponents to 38.4 rebounds per game and are 2-0 when winning the rebounding battle.
Β
CREATING SECOND CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES
β’ The Bulls are currently second in the MAC with 16.6 offensive boards per game, while averaging 18.0 second chance points off of those rebounds.
β’ Buffalo has grabbed at least 10 offensive rebounds in all five games this season, including a season-high 21 against Canisius on December 6th.
Β
PAINTING A NEW PICTURE
β’ The Bulls are finding success in the paint once again this season as they have won or tied the battle in the paint in three of five contests, going 2-1 in those games. UB is averaging 31.6 points/game in the paint.
Β
TURNING THEM OVER
β’ Ever since taking over the program nine seasons ago, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has prided herself on having a team committed to defense and that is no different this season.
β’ The Buffalo defense is forcing an average of 18.6 turnovers per game this season.
β’ The Bulls are also averaging 9.4 steals/game while netting an average of 19.4 points/game off of opponent's turnovers.
Β
RUNNING WITH THE BULLS
β’ Buffalo has recorded 10 or more fast break points in four of five games this season, outscoring opponents 77-48 in transition.
β’ Over the past four seasons, the Bulls have won or tied the fast break category in 111 of 136 games, including 85 of their 96 wins.
Β
HOME SWEET HOME
β’ Since Legette-Jack took over before the 2012-13 season, the Bulls hold a 77-34 (.694) record at home across 111 contests.
β’ Over the last three plus seasons, UB is 30-8 at Alumni Arena.
β’ On the flip side, Legette-Jack's Bulls are 88-66 (.571) on the road or on neutral ground during her tenure.
Β
80 PLUS
β’ 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.
β’ The Bulls are tough to beat when they score 80+ points as they own a 38-6 record over the past three plus years when doing so.
β’ The Bulls have posted three 80+ performances this season and are 3-0 in those games.
Β
60 OR LESS
β’ Over the last four plus seasons, UB is 71-8 when holding their opponents to under 70 points and 49-0 when holding opponents to 59 points or less.
β’ The stingy Buffalo defense held a total of 11 opponents under 60 points last season, going a perfect 11-0 in those contests.
Β
ANOTHER 19+ WIN SEASON
β’ The wins continue to pile up for the Bulls under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack as they produced their fifth straight 19+ win campaign in 2019-20.
β’ Buffalo has now won 17+ games in seven straight seasons, a first for the Bulls since joining the MAC in 1998.
β’ Buffalo posted 10 victories last season by double-digits, including a season-high 18 point victory, 73-55, over American on December 1, 2019.
Β
TRIO OF CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2020-21 SEASON
β’ Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack announced three captains for the 2020-21 season.
β’ After a team vote, the Bulls named Summer Hemphill, Hanna Hall and Dyaisha Fair as team captains.
β’ The three captains have been a part of three straight 19+ win seasons.
Β
December 19, 2020
Alumni Arena β 12 p.m.
Bulls on the Air
Radio β ESPN 1520-AM WWKB/TuneIn App
Television β ESPN+
BUFFALO, NY β The University at Buffalo women's basketball team welcomes Big 4 rival St. Bonaventure to Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Matt Mattia (play-by-play) and Kevin Sylvester (color) announcing and broadcast on ESPN 1520 WWKB and TuneIn Radio with Bob Gaughan on the call.
TODAY'S STORYLINES
β’ The University at Buffalo women's basketball team welcomes Big 4 rival St. Bonaventure to Alumni Arena on Saturday.
β’ This is 32nd meeting between Buffalo and St. Bonaventure with the Bonnies holding the 18-13 series advantage. The Bulls have won five of the past six contests against the Bonnies, most recently a 46-36 victory at the Reilly Center last season.
β’ The Bulls overcame a 15 point third quarter deficit to defeat Akron 85-77 in the conference opener on Sunday afternoon.
β’ Dyaisha Fair recorded the program's first triple double in nearly 20 years with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in the win.
β’ Junior guard Jazmine Young will be eligible to play for the first time this season after the Division I Council's vote on Wednesday to allow all transfers to play this season.
β’ The Bulls are ranked No. 15 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Central Michigan (No. 5) Ohio (No. 12) and Bowling Green (No. 23) join UB on the list.
β’ Fair was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list as one of the top-20 point guards in Division 1 college basketball as well as the preseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Award recognizing the nation's top mid-major player.
β’ Fair was also a unanimous selection for Big 4 Preseason First team and was a named Big 4 Player of the Year for the first time in her UB career. Hemphill and Hanna Hall joined Fair on the first team while Adebola Adeyeye earned a spot on the second team.
Β
GAME 5 RECAP: AKRON
β’ University at Buffalo women's basketball sophomore guard Dyaisha Fair recorded the program's first triple-double in nearly 20 years to lead the Bulls to an 85-77 win over Akron on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Arena.
β’ It was the first triple double for a Buffalo player since Sonia Ortega on March 3, 2001. Fair finished the day with a game-high 28 points, 25 of them coming in the second half, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
β’ Junior forward Adebola Adeyeye recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures were Elea Gaba with 13 points and Hanna Hall added 11 points and four assists.
β’ The Bulls outscored Akron 42-34 in the paint and also held the edge on the glass, 49-37, including 15 offensive boards which UB turned into 20 second chance points. Buffalo also turned 15 Akron turnovers into 27 fastbreak points.
Β
PREVIEWING ST. BONAVENTURE
β’ The St. Bonaventure Bonnies enter Saturday's contest with a 1-1 overall record after defeating Binghamton 67-57 on Wednesday.
β’ The Bonnies are led offensively by redshirt junior Tori Harris who is averaging 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and junior guard Asianae Johnson who is averaging 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds through two games.
β’ The Bonnies return 76 percent of their scoring return and five out the top six scorers from a season ago.
β’ Harris transferred to St. Bonaventure from James Madison. She is the brother of Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris.
β’ Asianae Johnson was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Second Team. She was also named to the Big 4 Preseason First Team along with Deja Francis.
β’ Jesse Fleming enters his fourth season at the helm of the St. Bonaventure women's basketball program. Fleming returned to SBU after spending the previous four seasons at Bowling Green, where helped guide the Falcons' program to the MAC Championship in 2014.
Β
UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
β’ Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this season is unlike any other. The pandemic, which caused the cancellation of conference and national tournaments last season, has altered the way student-athletes and coaches get ready for each game.
β’ It is suggested and widely implemented that, all Tier 1 individuals, which include student-athletes, coaches, and day to day support staff, must test for COVID-19 at least three times a week on non-consecutive days. At Buffalo, this test is a rapid antigen test. Should those tests come back inconclusive, a second PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test will be administered.
β’ In addition to the testing done by players, all travel party members must wear face coverings for the duration of any and all bus trips. Face coverings are required for the travel party at all times unless in your own room or on the playing court during the game
Β
PRESEASON PRAISE
β’ With the elimination of divisions for the 2020-21 season, the 12 teams were ranked from top to bottom led by Central Michigan who received 10 first place votes and 142 points. The Bulls were picked to finish fourth with 108 points behind Ohio (128) and Ball State (119).
β’ Buffalo also earned one vote to win the MAC Tournament Championship, while Ohio earned 10 votes and Northern Illinois garnered one vote.
β’ Dyaisha Fair earned a spot on the preseason All-MAC First Team for the first time in her career while redshirt senior Summer Hemphill landed on the All-MAC Second Team.
Β
BULLS BREAKDOWN
β’ The Bulls return nine letterwinners and four starters from last year's squad that posted a 19-12 overall record and a 9-9 conference mark.
β’ The Bulls, who finished third in the MAC East and sixth overall, made their sixth straight appearance in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals, defeating Miami (OH) in the first round before falling to Kent State in the quarterfinals.
β’ The Bulls return 71% of scoring, 63% of rebounding and 69% of minutes played from 2019-20.
Β
NON-CONFERENCE DOMINATION
β’ The Bulls have been dominant in the non-conference portion of their schedule as they have posted seven straight winning seasons.
β’ Buffalo has recorded at least seven non-conference victories in each season since 2013-14, including nine wins over Power 5 opponents.
β’ Over the past five plus seasons, UB owns a 46-13 (.780) record against non-conference opponents.
Β
MACtion
β’ After seeing its teams find success in the NCAA Tournament in recent years the Mid-American Conference continues to gain respect on the national stage as four teams are currently ranked in the Mid-Major Top-25 - No. 5 Central Michigan, No. 12 Ohio, No. 15 Buffalo, No. 23 Bowling Green
*Receiving votes: Akron, Kent State
**As of December 15, 2020
Β
BULLS LOOK TO REPEAT
β’ With last season's Mid-American Conference tournament being canceled due to COVID-19, the Bulls are the defending MAC champions. UB has its sights set on the MAC Tournament title once again this season and if they are successful, it would be the first time in program history that the Bulls win back-to-back MAC championships.
β’ In order to get to that point, the Bulls will play in a MAC that has a new look. The conference did away with East and West divisions and instead, all 12 programs will be seeded from top to bottom. The MAC also increased their league schedule to 20 games this year, the most UB has played in conference play since joining the league. First round campus site games have also been eliminated, with the top eight teams going straight to Cleveland.
Β
ROC NATION
β’ Sophomore Dyaisha Fair is picking up right where she left off as a freshman, currently averaging 21.2 points, 7.3 rebounds 6.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game in five starts.
β’ Fair leads the MAC and is ranked 10th in the nation in assists (30). She is also ranked 14th in assists per game (6.0), 19th in free throws made (29) and attempted (37), 35th in scoring (21.2) and 44th in final points (106).
β’ The Rochester, NY native recorded the program's first triple double in nearly 20 years on Sunday, going for 28 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a win over Akron.
β’ Fair was named MAC Freshman of the Year and was a Second Team All-MAC selection last season.
β’ Fair was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch list earlier this month. The award recognizes the best point guard in women's Division I college basketball.
β’ She was also named to the preseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Award, which honors the nation's best mid-major player.
Β
SUMMER TIME IN BUFFALO
β’ Redshirt senior forward Summer Hemphill made her return to the court for the first time in over 14 months at Canisius on December 6, scoring 11 points and adding six rebounds and two steals in 11 minutes in a win over the Griffs.
β’ She is currently tied for seventh on UB's all-time rebounding list with 767 rebounds and is just 58 points away from becoming Buffalo's 26th 1,000 point scorer.
β’ Hemphill was named to the Cheryl Miller Award watch list as one of the top-20 small forwards in Division 1 college basketball.
β’ Hemphill was also named to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team and was a unanimous selection to the Preseason Big 4 First Team.
β’ Over her three plus seasons in the blue and white, Hemphill has scored in double figures 48 times, while going over the 20+ point mark four times.
Β
HALL PASS
β’ Senior guard Hanna Hall is anchoring the Bulls backcourt once again this season, averaging 10.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in four starts this season.
β’ She is currently ranked 48th in the nation in three point field goals made (14).
β’ Hall set career-highs in points (24), three point field goals made (8) and field goals made (8) in the win at James Madison on November 30th.
β’ The Hamilton, ON native is currently ranked 23rd in the nation in three point field goals made (11) and three point field goals made per game (3.67).
β’ Hall competed at the 2019 Pan American Women's Basketball Games in Lima, Peru as a member of the Canadian National Team.
Β
TWIN TOWERS
β’ Junior forwards Adebola Adeyeye and Keowa Walters will look to take on a bigger role this season after posting career highs in several categories last season.
β’ A season ago, Adeyeye made huge strides for UB down low as she averaged career-highs in points (5.9 ppg), rebounds (6.6 rpg), blocks (0.5 bpg) and field goal percentage (55%).
β’ The Brampton, Ontario native is averaging 9.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in five starts this season.
β’ Walters also made an impact as a sophomore as she averaged career-highs in points (5.2 ppg), rebounds (4.8 rpg), blocks (0.4 bpg) and field goal percentage (59.3%).
β’ Walters is averaging 5.2 points and a 5.4 rebounds per contest in five games this season.
Β
FRESH FACES
β’ The 2020-21 Bulls welcome four newcomers to a squad that won 19 games a season ago.
β’ Of the four newcomers, two came to Buffalo via transfer. Jazmine Young transferred from Tennessee State where she led the Tigers in scoring while Ramatoulaye Keita transferred from Robert Morris.
β’ Cheyenne McEvans is a 5'10" combo guard who comes to Buffalo from Southfield, Michigan where she earned First Team All-State honors, while helping to lead Southfield A&T High School to the state Final Four twice. Off the court, McEvans was the valedictorian of her high school class.
β’ Sophia Ojhammar is a 5'9" guard from Solna Sweden. Ojhammar won a gold medal at the 2018 U17 Swedish Championship and was awarded MVP honors after scoring 24 points in the championship game.
Β
UNITED NATIONS
β’ Buffalo has players from six different countries represented on its 2020-21 roster.
β’ The Bulls have players who hail from Germany (Gaba, Schiffer), Great Britain (Christie), Sweden (Ojhammar), Mali (Keita), Canada (Adeyeye, Hall, Walters) and the U.S (Elias, Fair, Hemphill, McEvans, Young).
Β
QUEEN CITY
β’ Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack became Buffalo's all-time winningest coach in Buffalo women's basketball history on January 25, 2020 with UB's win at Kent State, her 156th win in Buffalo.
β’ Legette-Jack currently owns a 306-263 career record over 18 seasons as a head coach. She is 165-100 in eight seasons at Buffalo.
Β
CLOSING TIME
β’ The Bulls have been extremely effective closing out games over the last five plus years, winning 122 of their last 128 games (.953) when leading or tied with five minutes left, including 89 of their last 94.
Β
CLEANING THE GLASS
β’ One of the keys to the Bulls success once again this season is their ability to rebound the basketball. The Bulls currently lead the MAC and are ranked 54th in the nation in rebounds per game (43.8).
β’ The Bulls also limited their opponents to 38.4 rebounds per game and are 2-0 when winning the rebounding battle.
Β
CREATING SECOND CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES
β’ The Bulls are currently second in the MAC with 16.6 offensive boards per game, while averaging 18.0 second chance points off of those rebounds.
β’ Buffalo has grabbed at least 10 offensive rebounds in all five games this season, including a season-high 21 against Canisius on December 6th.
Β
PAINTING A NEW PICTURE
β’ The Bulls are finding success in the paint once again this season as they have won or tied the battle in the paint in three of five contests, going 2-1 in those games. UB is averaging 31.6 points/game in the paint.
Β
TURNING THEM OVER
β’ Ever since taking over the program nine seasons ago, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has prided herself on having a team committed to defense and that is no different this season.
β’ The Buffalo defense is forcing an average of 18.6 turnovers per game this season.
β’ The Bulls are also averaging 9.4 steals/game while netting an average of 19.4 points/game off of opponent's turnovers.
Β
RUNNING WITH THE BULLS
β’ Buffalo has recorded 10 or more fast break points in four of five games this season, outscoring opponents 77-48 in transition.
β’ Over the past four seasons, the Bulls have won or tied the fast break category in 111 of 136 games, including 85 of their 96 wins.
Β
HOME SWEET HOME
β’ Since Legette-Jack took over before the 2012-13 season, the Bulls hold a 77-34 (.694) record at home across 111 contests.
β’ Over the last three plus seasons, UB is 30-8 at Alumni Arena.
β’ On the flip side, Legette-Jack's Bulls are 88-66 (.571) on the road or on neutral ground during her tenure.
Β
80 PLUS
β’ 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.
β’ The Bulls are tough to beat when they score 80+ points as they own a 38-6 record over the past three plus years when doing so.
β’ The Bulls have posted three 80+ performances this season and are 3-0 in those games.
Β
60 OR LESS
β’ Over the last four plus seasons, UB is 71-8 when holding their opponents to under 70 points and 49-0 when holding opponents to 59 points or less.
β’ The stingy Buffalo defense held a total of 11 opponents under 60 points last season, going a perfect 11-0 in those contests.
Β
ANOTHER 19+ WIN SEASON
β’ The wins continue to pile up for the Bulls under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack as they produced their fifth straight 19+ win campaign in 2019-20.
β’ Buffalo has now won 17+ games in seven straight seasons, a first for the Bulls since joining the MAC in 1998.
β’ Buffalo posted 10 victories last season by double-digits, including a season-high 18 point victory, 73-55, over American on December 1, 2019.
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TRIO OF CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2020-21 SEASON
β’ Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack announced three captains for the 2020-21 season.
β’ After a team vote, the Bulls named Summer Hemphill, Hanna Hall and Dyaisha Fair as team captains.
β’ The three captains have been a part of three straight 19+ win seasons.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballBTS from Women's Basketball content day πΈπ
Tuesday, October 14
1-on-1 with new head women's basketball coach Kristen Sharkey | A Sisterhood
Thursday, May 29
1-on-1 with new head women's basketball coach Kristen Sharkey | What Lead Me to Coaching
Thursday, May 29
1-on-1 with new head women's basketball coach Kristen Sharkey | Excited and Joyful
Thursday, May 29
