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Wednesday, January 7
Buffalo, NY
6:00pm
University at Buffalo
vs
Northern Illinois
Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
Women’s Basketball Opens Homestand Against Northern Illinois on Wednesday
1/6/2026 2:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball returns to the friendly confines of Alumni Arena for the first time in 35 days as they open a two-game homestand on Wednesday against Northern Illinois at 6pm.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Paul Peck (play-by-play) and Jared Zeidman (color) announcing and can be heard on 1520 AM and the Varsity Network with Vinnie Christiano III on the call.
This is the 34th overall meeting between Buffalo and Northern Illinois with the Huskies owning a 21-12 series advantage. The Bulls defeated the Huskies at Alumni Arena last season.
Buffalo fell to Western Michigan 83-65 on Saturday afternoon at Read Fieldhouse. Junior guard Paula Lopez led the Bulls offensively, scoring 17 points. Freshman forward Meg Lucas had a stellar day, recording 14 points, going a perfect 7-of-7, from the floor to go with 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season and Janyah Bohanon and Amber Howard chipped in six points each, with the former also recording a new career-high with nine rebounds.
Lopez leads the Bulls in scoring at 11.5 points per game. She has scored in double figures eight times and is third in the MAC in field goal attempts (166) while ranking 10th in field goals made (58). Lucas leads the league and ranks 20th nationally in rebounding (10.3 rpg). As a team, Buffalo leads the MAC and ranks in the top 20 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (16.4) while ranking second in the league in three-point field goal defense (.275). UB is the only team in the conference to have three freshmen averaging 25+ minutes per game and are one of just two teams to have a rookie leading the squad in minutes played.
Northern Illinois is 2-11 overall and 0-2 in league play after falling to Ball State on Saturday. St. John's transfer Navaeh Wingate leads the Huskies offensively, averaging 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Nadechka Laccen is also averaging in double figures at 11.6 points per contest while Maria Sarracanta leads the squad in assists (2.8 apg). Freshman Emilie Sorensen leads NIU in three-point percentage (.353) percent and in minutes per game (33.2). NIU is third in the MAC and in the top 50 nationally with 20.7 free throw attempts per game. The Huskies have attempted more free throws than their opponent eight times in 13 games this season. Jacey Brooks is in her first year at the helm of the Huskies after two seasons on the staff at UB in which she helped lead the Bulls to a WNIT Championship.
Up next, Buffalo will close out the homestand on Saturday, January 10 as they welcome the Ohio Bobcats to Alumni Arena for a 2pm contest.
For all the latest on UB women's basketball, follow @UBWomensBasketball on Twitter/X and Instagram and like the UB Women's Basketball Facebook page.
Click here for information on the Blue & White Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Paul Peck (play-by-play) and Jared Zeidman (color) announcing and can be heard on 1520 AM and the Varsity Network with Vinnie Christiano III on the call.
This is the 34th overall meeting between Buffalo and Northern Illinois with the Huskies owning a 21-12 series advantage. The Bulls defeated the Huskies at Alumni Arena last season.
Buffalo fell to Western Michigan 83-65 on Saturday afternoon at Read Fieldhouse. Junior guard Paula Lopez led the Bulls offensively, scoring 17 points. Freshman forward Meg Lucas had a stellar day, recording 14 points, going a perfect 7-of-7, from the floor to go with 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season and Janyah Bohanon and Amber Howard chipped in six points each, with the former also recording a new career-high with nine rebounds.
Lopez leads the Bulls in scoring at 11.5 points per game. She has scored in double figures eight times and is third in the MAC in field goal attempts (166) while ranking 10th in field goals made (58). Lucas leads the league and ranks 20th nationally in rebounding (10.3 rpg). As a team, Buffalo leads the MAC and ranks in the top 20 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (16.4) while ranking second in the league in three-point field goal defense (.275). UB is the only team in the conference to have three freshmen averaging 25+ minutes per game and are one of just two teams to have a rookie leading the squad in minutes played.
Northern Illinois is 2-11 overall and 0-2 in league play after falling to Ball State on Saturday. St. John's transfer Navaeh Wingate leads the Huskies offensively, averaging 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Nadechka Laccen is also averaging in double figures at 11.6 points per contest while Maria Sarracanta leads the squad in assists (2.8 apg). Freshman Emilie Sorensen leads NIU in three-point percentage (.353) percent and in minutes per game (33.2). NIU is third in the MAC and in the top 50 nationally with 20.7 free throw attempts per game. The Huskies have attempted more free throws than their opponent eight times in 13 games this season. Jacey Brooks is in her first year at the helm of the Huskies after two seasons on the staff at UB in which she helped lead the Bulls to a WNIT Championship.
Up next, Buffalo will close out the homestand on Saturday, January 10 as they welcome the Ohio Bobcats to Alumni Arena for a 2pm contest.
For all the latest on UB women's basketball, follow @UBWomensBasketball on Twitter/X and Instagram and like the UB Women's Basketball Facebook page.
Click here for information on the Blue & White Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Players Mentioned
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