Wednesday, March 13
Cleveland, Ohio
Approx. 1:30pm
vs
Bowling Green (Quarterfinals)
Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com
Bulls Take on Bowling Green in MAC Tournament Quarterfinals
3/12/2024 2:48:00β―PM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY β The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (17-12, 10-8 MAC) will face fifth-seeded Bowling Green in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday. This is the fourth time the two programs will face off in the MAC Tournament, with the last meeting coming on March 12, 2021.
The Bulls enter the tournament as the fourth seed and are 4-4 all-time as the fourth seed. The last time the Bulls were seeded fourth was in 2021 when they beat Kent State before falling to Bowling Green in the semifinals. Buffalo won the 2019 MAC championship as the #4 seed, with wins over Akron and Central Michigan before defeating Ohio in the finals.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Dave Bacon (play-by-play) and Jeff Phelps (color) announcing and can be heard on the radio on 1520 AM or on the Varsity Network with Jack Kreuzer on the call.
This is the 53rd overall meeting between Buffalo and Bowling Green with the Falcons owning a narrow 28-24 series advantage. The Bulls swept the regular season meetings this year.
Buffalo finished the regular season with a 17-12 overall record and 10-8 league mark. The conference announced its postseason awards on Tuesday afternoon, with Chellia Watson receiving All-MAC First Team recognition and Kirsten Lewis-Williams named Freshman of the Year honors while also earning All-MAC Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team honors.
Watson, a five-time MAC Player of the Week, leads the league and ranks sixth in the nation in scoring at 22.7 points per game to go with 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest. She also ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goals made (258), field goals made per game (8.9) and total points (658). Lewis-Williams currently ranks 12th in the MAC in scoring (12.1 ppg) and 17th in rebounding (5.1 rpg), which is first and third, respectively, among all rookies in the league in those categories. Senior Rana Elhusseini leads the team in assists (108) and steals (45) while ranking third in scoring (8.9 ppg) and Davis leads the Bulls in rebounding (6.6 rpg).
As a team, Buffalo leads the MAC in field goal defense (.383) and three-point field goal defense (.275) while also ranking in the top four in the league in scoring defense (62.6), scoring margin (+3.3), free throw percentage (.729) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0). The Bulls are averaging 34 points per game in the paint while also turning defense into offense, averaging 14 points per contest off opponent's turnovers.
The Bowling Green Falcons finished the regular season with a 16-13 overall and 10-8 league mark after falling 59-54 at Eastern Michigan on Saturday. The Falcons are led offensively by Morgan Sharps who is averaging 15.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Amy Velasco (14.4 ppg, 4.9 apg), Erika Porter (12.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Paige Kohler (10.7 ppg, 3.7 apg) are also averaging in double figures. Already a 1,000-point scorer, Sharps is in sixth place in program history for career threes made and is on pace to break the school record for threes made per game. Velasco leads the team in both assists and steals, while ranking second in scoring. She scored her 1,000th career point at EMU on Saturday.
BGSU leads the MAC in three-point field goal percentage (.346) while ranking third in field goal percentage (.436), 3FG made per game (7.1), assists per game (14.7), and fourth in scoring offense (67.6) and blocks per game (2.8).
The winner of Wednesday's game will face the winner of #1 Toledo and #8 Western Michigan in the first semifinal game of the day on Friday, March 15 at 10am.
Advanced reservations for all games can be made by completing the MAC Basketball Ticket Order Form, calling 1-877-UB-THERE or in-person at the Alumni Arena Ticket Office. For more information, visit the championship central page.
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The Bulls enter the tournament as the fourth seed and are 4-4 all-time as the fourth seed. The last time the Bulls were seeded fourth was in 2021 when they beat Kent State before falling to Bowling Green in the semifinals. Buffalo won the 2019 MAC championship as the #4 seed, with wins over Akron and Central Michigan before defeating Ohio in the finals.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Dave Bacon (play-by-play) and Jeff Phelps (color) announcing and can be heard on the radio on 1520 AM or on the Varsity Network with Jack Kreuzer on the call.
This is the 53rd overall meeting between Buffalo and Bowling Green with the Falcons owning a narrow 28-24 series advantage. The Bulls swept the regular season meetings this year.
Buffalo finished the regular season with a 17-12 overall record and 10-8 league mark. The conference announced its postseason awards on Tuesday afternoon, with Chellia Watson receiving All-MAC First Team recognition and Kirsten Lewis-Williams named Freshman of the Year honors while also earning All-MAC Honorable Mention and All-Freshman Team honors.
Watson, a five-time MAC Player of the Week, leads the league and ranks sixth in the nation in scoring at 22.7 points per game to go with 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest. She also ranks in the top 10 nationally in field goals made (258), field goals made per game (8.9) and total points (658). Lewis-Williams currently ranks 12th in the MAC in scoring (12.1 ppg) and 17th in rebounding (5.1 rpg), which is first and third, respectively, among all rookies in the league in those categories. Senior Rana Elhusseini leads the team in assists (108) and steals (45) while ranking third in scoring (8.9 ppg) and Davis leads the Bulls in rebounding (6.6 rpg).
As a team, Buffalo leads the MAC in field goal defense (.383) and three-point field goal defense (.275) while also ranking in the top four in the league in scoring defense (62.6), scoring margin (+3.3), free throw percentage (.729) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0). The Bulls are averaging 34 points per game in the paint while also turning defense into offense, averaging 14 points per contest off opponent's turnovers.
The Bowling Green Falcons finished the regular season with a 16-13 overall and 10-8 league mark after falling 59-54 at Eastern Michigan on Saturday. The Falcons are led offensively by Morgan Sharps who is averaging 15.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Amy Velasco (14.4 ppg, 4.9 apg), Erika Porter (12.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Paige Kohler (10.7 ppg, 3.7 apg) are also averaging in double figures. Already a 1,000-point scorer, Sharps is in sixth place in program history for career threes made and is on pace to break the school record for threes made per game. Velasco leads the team in both assists and steals, while ranking second in scoring. She scored her 1,000th career point at EMU on Saturday.
BGSU leads the MAC in three-point field goal percentage (.346) while ranking third in field goal percentage (.436), 3FG made per game (7.1), assists per game (14.7), and fourth in scoring offense (67.6) and blocks per game (2.8).
The winner of Wednesday's game will face the winner of #1 Toledo and #8 Western Michigan in the first semifinal game of the day on Friday, March 15 at 10am.
Advanced reservations for all games can be made by completing the MAC Basketball Ticket Order Form, calling 1-877-UB-THERE or in-person at the Alumni Arena Ticket Office. For more information, visit the championship central page.
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Players Mentioned
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