Bulls Look to Take a Leap in Standings at Ohio on Saturday

Saturday, February 29

Athens, OH

1:00 pm

University at Buffalo

Ohio University

Bulls Look to Take a Leap in Standings at Ohio on Saturday

2/27/2020 5:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball

2019-20 Game Notes - Ohio Gm2 Listen on TuneIn Live Stats

Buffalo (15-11, 6-9 MAC) vs. Ohio (17-9, 10-5 MAC)
February 29, 2020
Convocation Center – 1 pm
Bulls on the Air –
Radio – TuneIn App
Television – ESPN3

BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team looks to extend their win streak to three as they travel to Athens for a 1pm contest against the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3 with Marty Bannister (pbp) and Toni Roesch (color) announcing and broadcast on AM1400 and TuneIn Radio with Matt Mattia on the call.

TODAY'S STORYLINES
• The University at Buffalo women's basketball team hosts looks to extend their win streak to three as they travel to Athens for a 1pm contest against the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday.
• This is the first time the Bulls have played on a leap year since 1996 at Youngstown State.
• This is the 44th meeting between Buffalo and Ohio, with the Bulls owning the 24-19 series edge. UB is 8-3 in their last 11 meetings with the Bobcats dating back to 2016, but fell 76-65 at Alumni Arena on January 11 in a rematch of last year's MAC Championship game.
• Ohio is ranked second in the MAC and 15th in the nation in three-point field goals made per game (8.6).The Bobcats also lead the league in turnovers forced at 20.1 while turning the ball over a league low 12.5 times per game, good for No. 21 in the country.
• Buffalo has held 10 opponents to 59 points or less this season, going a perfect 10-0 in those games.
• Dyaisha Fair is currently fifth in the nation in scoring at 21.2 points per game. She ranks 10th in the country in final points (531) and 23rd field goals made (184).
• The Bulls rank 22nd in the nation in rebounds per game (42.5).
• Fair was named to the Dawn Staley Award watch list on February 6th, recognizing the nation's top guard. She is the only freshman of the 15 players on the list.

GAME 26 RECAP: MIAMI (OH)
• Powered by a 30 point effort from freshman guard Dyaisha Fair, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team won their second straight game, leading wire-to-wire in an 88-72 win over Miami (OH) on Wednesday night at Alumni Arena.
• Fair was one point shy of her career high, scoring 30 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and five steals. • Senior guard Theresa Onwuka recorded her fifth double-double of the season, scoring 22 points while grabbing 11 rebounds. Junior Marissa Hamilton also had a breakthrough performance, scoring 11 points, including 3-of-7 from behind the arc, to go with four rebounds and three assists.
• The eight first quarter points were the second fewest given up by the Bulls in a quarter this season.
• Buffalo dominated the rebounding battle 42-26 and the battle in the paint 48-28 while shooting just over 50% from the floor on the night. The Bulls scored 16 points in transition and cashed in 12 second chance points off of 18 offensive rebounds. The 88 points scored were the second-most by UB this season.

PREVIEWING OHIO
• The Ohio Bobcats enter Saturday's contest with a 17-9 overall record and a 10-5 MAC mark after falling 82-68 at Bowling Green on Wednesday.
• The Bobcats are led offensively by junior guard CeCe Hooks who averages 18.4 points per game. Redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson averages 18.2 points per game while leading the Bobcats in rebounding at 7.4 rebounds per game. Senior guard Amani Burke is also scoring in double figures at 13.2 points per game.
• Ohio is leading the league in turnovers forced at 20.8 and is 28th in the nation. OU is doing an excellent job at protecting the ball as well, turning the ball over a league low 12.5 times per game, good for No. 21 in the country. Their 7.5 turnover margin ranks first in the MAC and seventh in the nation.
• Ohio is ranked No. 15 in the nation and second in the MAC in three-point field goals made per game at 8.6.
• Cece Hooks was named to the Nancy Lieberman award watch list, recognizing the top point guard in NCAA Division I basketball.
• Bob Bolden is in his seventh season at the helm of the Ohio women's basketball program. Boldon led the Bobcats to an historic season in 2018-19, becoming the first head coach to win 30 games at Ohio University in either the women's or men's program, guiding Ohio to the Round of Eight in the WNIT, the farthest Ohio has ever reached in a postseason tournament.

ROC NATION
• Freshman Dyaisha Fair has made an immediate impact in her first season in the blue and white as she is averaging 21.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.6 steals in 25 games.
• She is currently fifth in the nation in scoring average (21.2 ppg), 10th in final points (531), 23rd in field goals made (184) and 26th in three point field goals made per game (2.76).
• Fair was named to the Dawn Staley Award watch list, recognizing the nation's top guard, on February 6. She is the only freshman of the 15 players on the list.
• 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 four 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 senior season as she ranks second on the team in scoring (14.7 ppg) while pulling down a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game and swiping 2.7 steals per contest while shooting 50.4% from the floor.
• Onwuka is currently second in the MAC and 25th in the nation in steals per game at 2.7.
• The senior was one steal away from the school record and a triple double as she scored 17 points while adding 11 rebounds and nine steals against Central Michigan on January 29th.
• 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 7.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 25 starts this season.
• Hall set a career-high with nine assists at San Jose State, tied a career-high with 5 three pointers at Ball State and set a pulled down a career-best nine rebounds at Kent 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.

RECHARGING THE BATTERIES
• Sophomore forward Adebola Adeyeye has taken her game to another level to start conference play as she is currently tied for fourth in the conference in rebounding at 8.5 rebounds per contest in MAC play.
• The Brampton, Ontario native recorded her first career-double double with career-highs in points (16) and rebounds (14) in a win at Miami (OH) on January 4th and added another double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds against Eastern Michigan.

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.

CLEANING THE GLASS
• One of the keys to the Bulls success this season is their ability to rebound the basketball. The Bulls lead the MAC and are currently ranked 22nd in the nation in rebounds per game (42.5).
• The Bulls also limit their opponents to just 39.0 rebounds per game and are 12-5 this season when winning the rebounding battle.

CREATING SECOND CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES
• The Bulls have continued to find success on the offensive glass this season as they are averaging a MAC-best 15.6 offensive rebounds/game, while averaging 13.1 second chance points off those offensive boards.
• Buffalo has grabbed at least 10 offensive rebounds in 24 of 26 games this season, including a season-high 23 against CCSU (11/5) and Akron (2/19).

CLOSING TIME
• The Bulls have been extremely effective closing out games over the last five years, winning 115 of their last 122 games (.943) when leading or tied with five minutes left, including 82 of their last 86.

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 17.5 turnovers/game this season.
• The Bulls are also averaging 8.7 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 21 of 26 contests this season, going 14-7 in those games. This season, UB is currently averaging 31.0 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.

RUNNING WITH THE BULLS
• Buffalo has recorded eight or more fast break points in 19 of 26 games this season, outscoring opponents 297-218 in transition.
• Over the past three plus seasons, the Bulls have won or tied the fast break category in 104 of 127 games, including 79 of their 90 wins.

HOME SWEET HOME
• Since Legette-Jack took over before the 2012-13 season, the Bulls hold a 74-34 (.685) record at home across 108 contests.
• Over the last two plus seasons, UB is 29-8 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 84-63 (.571) 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 34-6 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 plus seasons, UB is 66-7 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 10 opponents under 60 points this season, going a perfect 10-0 in those contests.

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

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 concludes their road trip at Akron on Wednesday, March 4, with a 7pm contest against the Zips.