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Mark Heidersbach had 25 points-including hitting 7-of-11 three-point shots-to pace Northeastern Illinois. The Bulls led by 10 points (56-46) with 8:46 left before Heiders-bach led the Golden Eagles back. Heiders-bach had eight points down the stretch, including the game-tying three-pointer with :25 left in regulation.

In overtime, the Bulls overcame a 73-69 deficit as Harris and Young connected on back-to-back layups to tie the game. Four free throws by Harris broke a 75-75 tie and the Bulls went on to win their second straight.

The Bulls snapped a two-game losing streak with a 67-59 win at Youngstown State Wednesday night. Young and Clemens each had excellent games to help the Bulls overcome the Penguins. Young scored 22 points, pulled down eight rebounds and dished out five assists for the Bulls, while Clemens netted a season-high 18 points and snared six rebounds for UB. Mike Martinho added 12 points for the Bulls, while Harris had nine points and seven rebounds for UB, which held a 33-25 edge on the boards.

The Bulls saw a 12-point lead with 9:38 left shrink to three points with 2:19 left. Clemens then hit a clutch 17-foot jumper to put UB back up by five points. After another Penguin bucket, Young found Harris underneath the basket on an inbounds pass which Harris turned into a three-point play for the game-clincher.

UB closes out the regular season at Central Connecticut State on Saturday before preparing for the Mid-Con Tournament in Moline, Ill., starting March 2.

ROYALS ROUT YOUNGSTOWN, FALL TO NORTHEASTERN ILL.
It was expected to be a close game, but the Royals made short work of first place Youngstown State, demolishing the Penguins 91-61 at Alumni Arena Monday night. The Royals used a school-record 14 three-pointers to dispose of their rivals as Kim Coon led UB with 26 points off the bench. Coon's 26 tied her career-high set earlier at Siena. Brenna Doty also paced the Royals, adding 20 points, including five treys and six assists. Catherine Jacob scored 14 and dished out nine assists; Nicole Blakeslee pulled down 10 rebounds including nine on the defensive end. UB shot a blistering 64.0 percent from the floor and canned 58.3 percent (14-of-24) of their three-point attempts.

The high-flying Royals came back down to earth Saturday as their 10-game home unbeaten streak was snapped with a 72-61 loss to Northeastern Illinois. It was the Royals' second loss to the Golden Eagles this season and dropped UB into a tie for third place with NEIU at 10-4 in Mid-Continent Conference play.

UB, ranked first nationally in three-point percentage and 10th in the country in field goal and free throw percentage, was ice-cold in shooting Saturday, when they only made 36.7 percent of field goals and were a dismal 11-of-23 from the free throw line. The Royals held a 31-28 halftime lead, but saw that slip away as NEIU made 17-of-30 field goals over the final 20 minutes to take the contest. Charissa Gardner led the Royals with 16 points; Brenna Doty was the only other Royal in double figures with 14 points.

Doty earned national honors last week when she was named the AT&T Long Distance Award winner for January. She averaged four three-point field goals per game during the month, the most in the country.

The Royals conclude the regular season with road games at Central Connecticut State Friday and Coppin State Sunday. UB hosts the Mid-Con Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on March 6-8 at Alumni Arena.

BULLS WRESTLING UNBEATEN IN LAST SEVEN DUALS
The Bulls wrestling team extended their winning streak to seven dual meets with victories over visiting Boston College and Hofstra in an East Coast Wrestling Association tri-meet Saturday at Alumni Arena.

In the first meet, UB defeated Boston College 44-6 as150-pounder John Stutzman set new school records with 102 career and 62 single-season takedowns, winning his bout by technical fall over Eugene Swanzey at 4:27. 158-pounder Arturo Mazzeo decisioned the Eagles' Fave Martin by technical fall. 167-pounder George Chamoun, 177-pounder Matt Ricci and heavyweight Mike Garofalo also earned wins by fall. In the second meet, the Bulls captured the first six weight classes and Ricci recorded his second win by fall as UB downed Hofstra 40-4.

UB moved to 10-2-2 overall and 5-1-1 in the ECWA. The Bulls close out their dual meet season this weekend when they face Duquesne Saturday and Ohio University Sunday on the road. UB travels to Bucknell for the ECWA national qualifier March 8 and 9.

MEN'S SWIMMING
The Bulls host the Mid-Con Conference Swimming and Diving Championships at Alumni Arena Feb. 20-22. Preliminary races begin at 11 a.m.; championship finals start at 7 p.m.

Coach Budd Termin's crew looks to regain the conference crown that slipped out of their grasp for the first time in seven years. UB finished third to Western Illinois last year. The Collegiate Swim Coaches Association of America in their national publication Poolside sees the men's final coming down to the wire as UB and WIU return the exact same number of points to this season's championships.

The Bulls have been strong this season and hold the conference's top times in 18 of 21 events. Backstroke specialist Korry Miller and distance freestyler Mark Horgan are two of the Bulls' top swimmers. Miller swept the 100 and 200 backstrokes at last year's meet and holds the league's top marks in those events, as well as the 200 Individual Medley this season. He has been named Mid-Con's Men's Swimmer of the Week twice this year. Horgan was part of the winning 800 free relay squad and finished second in the 500 and 1650 freestyles last year. He is top distance swimmer in the conference this season holding best marks in the 500, 1000 and 1650. Earlier in the week, sprint freestyler John Nilles earned Mid-Con's Men's Swimmer of the Week for his performance in UB's tri-meet Feb. 8 vs. Cleveland State and Miami of Ohio.

WOMEN'S SWIMMING
The Royals host the Mid-Con Conference Swimming and Diving Championships at Alumni Arena Feb. 20-22. Preliminary races begin at 11 a.m. each day with championship finals starting at 7 p.m. Coach Dorsi Raynolds' Royals enter as the team to beat after staging a comeback to win last year's meet by 20.5 points over Western Illinois. Raynolds, named Conference Coach of the Year, looks to repeat in 1997.

Last year's Speedo Mid-Continent Women's Swimmer of the Year Sue Bohnel and Speedo Mid-Continent Diver of the Year Andrea Skillman return to lead the Royals. Bohnel swept the 100 and 200 breaststroke events and was part of four of the Royals' winning relay squads. This season, Bohnel has set the league standard in four events, including 100 and 200 freestyles, and has been part of four of UB's league leading relay squads. Skillman leads the conference on 1- and 3-meter boards this year.

INDOOR TRACK & FIELD
While most of the squad was preparing for this weekend's Mid-Con Championships, a few team members participated in the Kane Invitational at Cornell Saturday. Shelly Hamilton took the high jump with a leap of 5-6. Hamilton holds the conference's top performance in the event at 5-7 set at the Syracuse Invitational. The Royals' Melissa Ryan and Lisa Kragbe also hold the league's top time in the 55 meter hurdles at 8.40 as they tied at the Class of '32 Invitational last weekend. Kragbe earned Mid-Con's Female Athlete of the Week Award. Both squads prepare for this weekend's Mid-Con Conference Indoor Championships hosted by Western Illinois.

­ Ted Wasko, Sports Information Office