Bulls Travel To Eastern Michigan on Wednesday

Buffalo (6-2, 3-0 MAC) vs. Eastern Michigan (4-4, 1-2 MAC)
January 6, 2021
Convocation Center – 7 p.m.
Bulls on the Air
Radio – ESPN 1520-AM WWKB/TuneIn App
Television – ESPN+

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's basketball wraps up a two-game road trip at Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Ryan Wooley (play-by-play) and Dannie Rogers (color) announcing and broadcast on ESPN 1520 WWKB and TuneIn Radio with Matt Mattia on the call.

TODAY'S STORYLINES
• The University at Buffalo women's basketball team wraps up a two-game road trip at Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night.
• This is the 28th meeting between Buffalo and Eastern Michigan, with the Eagles owning the 15-12 series edge. UB is 10-3 in their last 11 meetings with the Eagles dating back to 2011. The Bulls defeated EMU 66-63 at Alumni Arena last season.
• Four players scored in double figures for the second straight game as the Bulls defeated Miami (OH) 75-67 on Saturday to move to 3-0 in MAC play.
• The MAC has four teams ranked in the Top 100 of the initial NET Rakings with Buffalo checking in at 63. Bowling Green (54), Central Michigan (69) and Ohio (97) are also ranked in the top 100.
• The Bulls are ranked No. 14 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Central Michigan (No. 7) Ohio (No. 12) and Bowling Green (No. 21) join UB on the list.
• Since being granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA, junior guard Jazmine Young has impressed, averaging 12.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in two games.
• Casey Valenti-Paea joins the Bulls as a mid-year addition. A 5'9" guard hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Valenti-Paea has led Australia to a gold medal in the 3x3 Asia Cup and has represented Victoria at the Australian Junior National Championship several times.
• Dyaisha Fair is currently ranked 21st in the nation in scoring (22.4 ppg) while also ranking in the top 20 in assists (46), assists per game (5.8), free throws made (45) and attempted (58) and final points (156).

GAME 8 RECAP: MIAMI (OH)
• Four players scored in double figures for the second straight game as the University at Buffalo women's basketball team led wire-to-wire in a 75-67 win at Miami (OH) on Saturday. With the win the Bulls move to 6-2 on the year and 3-0 in league play.
• Sophomore guard Dyaisha Fair led the Bulls with 23 points to go along with seven assists. Jazmine Young scored 12 points and Hanna Hall and Keowa Walters scored 10 points each.
• The Bulls won the battle in the paint 38-28 and outscored Miami 21-8 in transition while scoring 15 points off of 14 RedHawks turnovers. Buffalo was also 18-of-20 from the charity stripe.

PREVIEWING EASTERN MICHIGAN
• The Eastern Michigan Eagles enter Wednesday's contest with a 4-4 overall record and 1-2 MAC mark after falling to Kent State 67-61 on Saturday.
• The Eagles are led offensively by redshirt senior guard Areanna Combs who is averaging 19.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and junior forward Ce'Nara Skanes who is averaging a double-double at 16.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Jenna Annecchiarico is also scoring in double figures at 11.0 points per game.
• The Eagles are second best in the conference in the scoring defense category, allowing just 62.4 points per game. EMU is second in the MAC in steals per game (10.0), third in offensive rebounds per game (14.1) and fourth in rebounding (325).
• EMU is 3-0 this season when leading at the break, and just 1-4 when attempting a second-half comeback. Since the start of the 2016-17 campaign, the Eagles are 31-14 when holding an intermission lead, and just 15-65 when trailing at the half.
• Fred Castro is in his fifth 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.
• Last season, Castro led the Eagles to their first winning season during his tenure, patrolling the squad that finished with a 16-15 overall record, including a 9-9 mark in conference play.

UNPRECEDENTED TIMES
• 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.
• 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.
• 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

MACtion
• 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. 7 Central Michigan, No. 12 Ohio, No. 14 Buffalo, No. 21 Bowling Green
*Receiving votes: Kent State, Toledo
**As of December 29, 2020

NOTHIN BUT NET
• The MAC has four teams ranked in the Top 100 of the initial NET Rankings.
• Bowling Green leads the MAC at No. 54, followed by Buffalo (63), Central Michigan (69) and Ohio (97).

BULLS LOOK TO REPEAT
• 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.
• 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.

ROC NATION
• Sophomore Dyaisha Fair is picking up right where she left off as a freshman, currently averaging 22.4 points, 6.4 rebounds 5.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game in eight starts.
• Fair leads the MAC and is ranked 10th in the nation in assists (46) and is ranked 18th in free throws made (45), 12th in free throws attempted (58) and 17th in final points (179). She is also ranked 21st in scoring (22.4) and 20th in assists per game (5.8).
• 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.
• Fair was named MAC Player of the Week on December 29. It was the second weekly honor for Fair this season.
• Fair was named to the preseason Nancy Lieberman Award Watch list, recognizing the best point guard in women's Division I college basketball.
• She was also named to the preseason watch list for the Becky Hammon Award, which honors the nation's best mid-major player.

SUMMER TIME IN BUFFALO
• 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.
• 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.
• Hemphill was named to the Cheryl Miller Award watch list as one of the top-20 small forwards in Division 1 college basketball.
• Hemphill was also named to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team and was a unanimous selection to the Preseason Big 4 First Team.
• 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.

HALL PASS
• Senior guard Hanna Hall is anchoring the Bulls backcourt once again this season, averaging 8.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists in four starts this season.
• 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.
• The Hamilton, ON competed at the 2019 Pan American Women's Basketball Games in Lima, Peru as a member of the Canadian National Team.

TWIN TOWERS
• Junior forwards Adebola Adeyeye and Keowa Walters are continuing to take on bigger roles this season after posting career highs in several categories last season.
• Walters is averaging 6.0 points and a team best 7.5 rebounds per contest in eight games this season. She has recorded two double-doubles on the season.
• Adeyeye is averaging 6.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in eight games this season. She recorded her third career double-double and first this season in a win over Akron.

FRESH FACES
• The 2020-21 Bulls welcome four newcomers to a squad that won 19 games a season ago.
• 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.
• Cheyenne McEvans is a 5'10" combo guard who comes to Buffalo from Southfield, Michigan. She is currently averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest through seven games.
• 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.

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE
• The Bulls are getting a mid-year boost in the backcourt with the addition of Casey Valenti-Paea who hails from Melbourne, Australia.
• A versatile guard who has great size and skill, a high basketball IQ and a relentless competitiveness, Valenti-Paea has led Australia to a gold medal in the 3x3 Asia Cup and represented Victoria at the Australian Junior National Championship several times.

UNITED NATIONS
• Buffalo has players from seven different countries represented on its 2020-21 roster.
• The Bulls have players who hail from Germany (Gaba, Schiffer), Great Britain (Christie), Sweden (Ojhammar), Australia (Valenti-Paea), Mali (Keita), Canada (Adeyeye, Hall, Walters) and the U.S (Elias, Fair, Hemphill, McEvans, Young).

QUEEN CITY
• 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.
• Legette-Jack currently owns a 309-263 career record over 18 seasons as a head coach. She is 168-100 in eight seasons at Buffalo.

CLOSING TIME
• The Bulls have been extremely effective closing out games over the last five plus years, winning 125 of their last 131 games (.954) when leading or tied with five minutes left, including 92 of their last 97 wins.

CLEANING THE GLASS
• 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 23^rd in the nation in rebounds per game (45.5).
• The Bulls also limited their opponents to 39.3 rebounds per game and are 4-0 when winning the rebounding battle.

CREATING SECOND CHANCE OPPORTUNITIES
• The Bulls are currently second in the MAC with 16.4 offensive boards per game, while averaging 15.8 second chance points off of those rebounds.
• Buffalo has grabbed at least 10 offensive rebounds in seven of eight games this season, including a season-high 27 against St. Bonaventure on December 19th.

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 six of eight contests, going 5-1 in those games. UB is averaging 34.5 points/game in the paint.

TURNING THEM OVER
• 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.
• The Buffalo defense is forcing an average of 17.1 turnovers per game this season.
• The Bulls are also averaging 8.1 steals/game while netting an average of 18.0 points/game off of opponent's turnovers.

RUNNING WITH THE BULLS
• Buffalo has recorded 10 or more fast break points in six of eight games this season, outscoring opponents 118-59 in transition.
• Over the past four seasons, the Bulls have won or tied the fast break category in 114 of 139 games, including 88 of their 99 wins.

HOME SWEET HOME
• Since Legette-Jack took over before the 2012-13 season, the Bulls hold a 79-34 (.699) record at home across 113 contests.
• Over the last three plus seasons, UB is 32-8 at Alumni Arena.
• On the flip side, Legette-Jack's Bulls are 89-66 (.574) 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 39-6 record over the past three plus years when doing so.
• The Bulls have posted three 80+ performances this season and are 4-0 in those games.

70 OR LESS
• Over the last four plus seasons, UB is 74-8 when holding their opponents to under 70 points and 50-0 when holding opponents to 59 points or less.
• The stingy Buffalo defense held two opponents under 60 points this season, going a perfect 2-0 in those contests.

PRESEASON PRAISE
• 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).
• Buffalo also earned one vote to win the MAC Tournament Championship, while Ohio earned 10 votes and Northern Illinois garnered one vote.
• 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.

BULLS BREAKDOWN
• 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.
• 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.
• The Bulls return 71% of scoring, 63% of rebounding and 69% of minutes played from 2019-20.

ANOTHER 19+ WIN SEASON
• 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.
• Buffalo has now won 17+ games in seven straight seasons, a first for the Bulls since joining the MAC in 1998.
• Buffalo posted 10 victories last season by double-digits, including a season-high 18 point victory, 73-55, over American on December 1, 2019.

TRIO OF CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2020-21 SEASON
• Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack announced three captains for the 2020-21 season.
• After a team vote, the Bulls named Summer Hemphill, Hanna Hall and Dyaisha Fair as team captains.
• The three captains have been a part of three straight 19+ win seasons.

Bulls Travel To Eastern Michigan on Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Adebola Adeyeye

Dyaisha Fair

Hanna Hall

Summer Hemphill

Ramatoulaye Keita

Cheyenne McEvans

Casey Valenti-Paea

Keowa Walters

Jazmine Young

University at Buffalo Athletics