Tim Cohane's Bulls opened the 1995-96 season Saturday afternoon with an 89-49 loss to Boston College at the Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

After racing out to an 8-2 advantage, the Bulls fell behind as the Eagles used a 23-3 run to take control. BC canned four three-pointers during the stretch and took a 48-20 lead at halftime. The Eagles led by no fewer than 22 points in the final 20 minutes of the game.

The Bulls were playing without All-Mid-Continent guard Rasaun Young. UB announced that Young would be redshirted for the season because of an ankle injury he suffered last season that has not properly healed. Young had been projected by The Sporting News as the league's player of the year.

Jamie Anderson led the Bulls with just eight points as UB shot 27.6 percent for the game. Freshman Robert Harris added seven points, nine rebounds and four assists. Antonio Granger led the Eagles with 15 points in 15 minutes while first team All-Big East selection Danya Abrams added 14.

Cohane, former associate head coach at BC before arriving at Buffalo, said following the game, "They were much better than us. We're very young and by the time we got over our nervousness we were out of the game."

After a Nov. 27 meeting with Big East newcomer Rutgers, the Bulls take on crosstown rival Canisius at the Koessler Center on Tuesday Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. UB is home to meet Cornell on Dec. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

The Royals concluded their exhibition season Sunday afternoon with a 64-61 win over the Official Sports team.

UB led at halftime 26-25 and held on down the stretch to take the win. Freshman Kim Coon led the Royals with 18 points off the bench, including 12 in the second half. Coon hit for 8-of-11 field goals and also drained a three-pointer. Junior Brenna Doty added 12 points while sophomore Charissa Gardner was the only other Royal in double figures with 10. Sophomore Nicole Blakeslee led the Royals' rebounding efforts with 13 off the bench and added seven points while freshman Catherine Jacob tallied eight assists.

Official Sports was led by Mary Ann Kowal's 23 points, 18 in the second half. Patricia Melville added 14 points and led the team with eight boards.

UB opens their season Friday night when they meet the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. The Royals host Hampton University in the home opener at Alumni Arena on Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

MEN'S & WOMEN'S SWIMMING

The Bulls and Royals had the week off to prepare for the competitive Notre Dame Invitational. The meet will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 2 in South Bend, Ind. The Bulls currently are 1-2 in dual meets while the Royals stand at 2-2. Because of the number of teams at this weekend's event, it will not count as a dual meet.

WRESTLING

The Bulls open their dual meet season on Friday, Dec. 1 when they take on Rider and Drexel. They meet RIT in Rochester on Saturday. UB's first dual meet at home is Jan. 6 when they face the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.

VOLLEYBALL

Four Royals earned All-Mid-Continent Conference Eastern Division honors the league announced recently.

Senior outside hitter Candie Hirst and junior setter Candi Sims earned first-team honors while sophomore middle hitter Kathy Brinkworth and senior outside hitter Laurie Santelli were named to the second team.

Hirst led the Royals with a school record 510 kills this season and became the only player in UB volleyball history to amass more than 500 kills in a season. A first-team selection last season, she finished her career with 1641 kills and 3.44 kills per game, both school records. She was also first on the Royals with 4.15 kills per game and second with 2.77 digs per game and 51 service aces (0.41 per game) this season.

Sims earned her second straight first-team nod by leading the team in assists with 1,104 (8.76 per game) and was third on the team with 50 service aces, and 332 digs. Sims also led the Royals with her .296 hitting percentage. She also contributed 139 total blocks (1.10 per game) finishing third on the club. Sims is currently second on the Royals' all-time assist list with 2,218.

Brinkworth topped the Royals in total blocks with 223 and led the Mid-Continent Conference with 1.84 blocks per game and is among the national leaders in the category. She also added 176 kills, a .260 hitting percentage and 288 digs. In two seasons, Brinkworth has tallied 320 block assists, second only to Sims' 325 in the all-time category. This is her second selection to the league's second team.

Santelli also picked up second-team honors for the second consecutive year. She led the team with 368 digs (3.15 per game) and finished her career with 1,317 and a school record 3.41 digs per game. Santelli also added 330 kills and 2.82 kills per game, placing her second behind Hirst in both departments.

The Royals finished the 1995 season at 21-13 after a 1994 mark of 11-21. UB finished third in the Eastern Division with a 3-3 league mark. Head coach Bob Maxwell completed his 15th season with a career record of 363-229-8 and a .612 winning percentage.

CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD

The UB women's cross country and track and field programs signed three local athletes to National Letters of Intent last week.

Laura Folckemer and her sister Jennifer Folckemer from Clarence High School and Amy Tarbone of Lancaster High School will join the Royals next season. The Folckemer sisters will compete in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field while Tabone will see action on the varsity indoor and outdoor track and field teams.

Laura Folckemer was part of Clarence's Section VI Champion cross country squad for three seasons. The team also advanced to the State Class B Championships all three seasons winning the state title in 1993 and placing second in 1995. On the track, she was third in the 1995 Section VI indoor 1500 meters and part of the winning 4x800-meter relay squad. The relay team was fifth at the state championships and eighth in the national championships. She also placed third in the Section VI outdoor 1500 meters and was again part of the winning 4x800-meter relay team. She intends to major in nursing.

Jennifer Folckemer has also been part of the Clarence program for three seasons. She finished second in 1995's Section VI indoor 1500 meters and was also part of the 4x800-relay team with her sister. Outdoors she was fourth in the 1500 meters and again part of the winning 4x800-relay squad. She intends to major in physical therapy.

Tabone finished first in 1993 and 1994's Erie County Interscholastic Conference (ECIC) 50-meter indoor hurdles event. She was also third in the 55-meter hurdles at the 1993 Dartmouth Relay and the 300-meter dash at the 1994 Section VI Championships. Outdoors, Tabone won the 1994 ECIC 400-meter hurdles and took first in the 100 and 400 meter hurdles in the 1995 meet. She also won the Section VI titles in both events in 1995 and was third in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1995 New York State Championships. Tabone intends to major in business.

The Royals and Bulls open their indoor track season on Dec. at the Cornell Relays. UB's women's squad took the Mid-Continent Conference crown at last season's championship meet in February.

-Ted Wasko, Sports Information Office

UPCOMING UB ATHLETIC EVENTS

Tuesday, Dec. 5

Men's Basketball at Canisius 8 p.m. at Koessler Center

Friday, Dec. 8

Women's Basketball vs. Hampton 7:30 p.m. at Alumni Arena

Saturday, Dec. 9

Men's Basketball vs. Cornell 7:30 p.m. at Alumni Arena

Sunday, Dec. 17

Women's Basketball vs. St. John's 2 p.m. at Alumni Arena

Thursday, Dec. 21

Women's Basketball vs. Wofford 6 p.m. at Alumni Arena

Men's Basketball vs. Niagara 8:15 p.m. at Alumni Arena