UB jumped
out to a 12-9 lead 4:49 into the first half, but starters Robert Brown
and Darcel Williams picked up early fouls, which limited their playing
time. Brown recorded his third foul less than five minutes into the
game, while Williams had two fouls in the first 4:54.
However,
the Bulls, who were already handicapped without the services of three-year
starter and 1,000 point scorer Louis Campbell because of an injury,
called on freshmen Mark Bortz and Jason Bird, and sophomore Jason Walcott
as UB trailed by just four points at the half, 39-35.
Freshman
Turner Battle, who earned the start for the Bulls, scored on a layup
to begin the second half as UB went on a 14-2 run to take its biggest
lead of the game, going up by eight points—49-41—with 13:27 remaining.
Niagara
chipped away and eventually regained the lead—57-56—on a two-pointer
by Alvin Cruz with 4:16 left. UB rebounded as Bortz drained a shot from
the top of the key just 13 seconds later. Niagara then connected on
back-to-back layups to go up by three points before Bortz hit another
shot to pull UB within a point. After two Niagara free throws, UB got
the ball back with 17 seconds left and down by three points, but the
Bulls missed two straight layups before Williams eventually laid the
ball in with one second on the clock.
Five players
scored in double digits as UB defeated Chicago State, 100-92, in a complete
team effort on Nov. 21. The victory snapped a 27 game road winless streak
for the Bulls spanning nearly two years
Williams
had a game-high 24 points, Brown finished with 17 points, junior Davis
Lawrence collected 11 points and senior Gabe Cagwin and Battle had 10
points each for the Bulls.
UB shot
54.2 percent from the field—32-of-59—and 50 percent at the line—25-of-50—while
Chicago State hit 52.2 percent from the floor—35-of-67—and was 63 percent
from the line—17-of-27. The Bulls also added 11 three pointers, with
seven of those coming in the second half.
The Bulls
capped off the week downing Canisius, 58-56, as senior Clement Smith
dunked Battle's pass with one second left for the victory in Saturday
night's home opener.
With the
victory, the Bulls improved to 2-1 on the season and have won back-to-back
games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, when they defeated
Akron and Western Michigan in consecutive home games.
Battle
tied the game at 56-56 on a jumper with 1:08 left on the clock.
Following
a UB timeout, Canisius junior Toby Foster missed a jumper but the Griffs
retained possession when the Bulls knocked the rebound out of bounds.
With 16 seconds left, Lawrence was called for a foul, sending Brian
Dux to the line. However, Dux missed both shots and Smith grabbed the
rebound to set up the game-winning play. Following a timeout by both
teams, UB inbounded the ball at half court with five seconds left. Battle
put the ball in Smith hands, who promptly dunked the ball with authority
to give UB the victory.
Women's
UB 70,
Niagara 50
UB used
a balanced scoring attack and strength on the defensive boards to shut
down the visiting Niagara Purple Eagles, 70-50, in Alumni Arena Nov.
20.
The Bulls
(1-2) picked up their first win of the season, led by junior Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe
with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and sophomore Jessica
Kochendorfer, with a game-high 18 points. UB shot 43.6 percent in the
game to Niagara's 22.1 percent, and outrebounded the Purple Eagles by
a 57-34 margin.
UB sophomore
Virginia Jennings opened the scoring with two early free throws and
the action then went back and forth for the rest of the first half.
There were seven ties in the first 20 minutes, with the last one coming
with 1:59 left in the half, 28-28. After a free throw by UB freshman
Allison Bennett, the teams exchanged three-pointers to send the Bulls
to the locker room with a slim 32-31 lead. A jumper by Niagara's Eva
Cunningham tied the score for the last time, 38-38, with 15:35 left
on the clock, but the Bulls then embarked on a 17-3 run to take control
of the game and put things out of reach.
Cross
Country
Slick
finishes 91st at NCAA Championships
Cross-country
runner Jerimie Slick placed 91st in a field of 244 racers at the NCAA
Division I National Championship, held at Furman University on Nov.
19. Slick completed the 10-kilometer course in 30:54.
The junior
became the first UB athlete in more than 30 years to compete in the
NCAA Division I Championship, qualifying for the national championships
with his strong performance at the NCAA Northeast Regional meet in Boston
Nov. 10. He finished eighth in a field of 249 runners, completing the
10-kilometer course in 30:15.30.
Slick also
earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors at the MAC Championships
in Ypsilanti, Mich. Oct. 27, finishing sixth in 25:21.9 along the eight-kilometer
course, his top time of the season at the distance.
Wrestling
Northern
Illinois 22, UB 13
UB 33, Eastern Michigan 6
UB split
a dual-meet doubleheader on Sunday, downing MAC rival Eastern Michigan,
33-6, but falling to host Northern Illinois, 22-13. The Bulls are now
1-1 overall and in league action.
Against
NIU, four Bulls won their respective matches, with Kyle Cerminara registering
a victory by major decision. Ryan Bentley, Bill Jacoutot and Dave Guarino
also won by decision.
