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Sports Recap
Gary Cooper of the wrestling team won the 174-pound title at the New York State Championships to lead the Bulls to their first team title since 1978. Cooper surpassed Josh States' 1997-2001 win total of 102 with a 9-0 victory over Nassau County's Carlos Patrick. He followed with a 3-2 victory over Army's Luke Calvert in the championship match. The senior is now 25-4 this season and 104-41 in his career with the Bulls.
Kim Kilpela of the women's basketball team scored 17 points and added 10 rebounds, her first double-double of the season, to give the Bulls a 71-65 road victory at Eastern Michigan. Kilpela, who grew up not far from the Eastern Michigan campus, came off the bench to spark a UB rally, scoring nine points in an early first-half run to give UB a lead. She later broke a 57-57 tie with 4:27 left, scoring on a jumper that gave the Bulls a lead they would not relinquish.
Basketball
MEN'S
Kent State 69, UB 68
Central Michigan 97, UB 73
Kent State forward Bryan Bedford drained a three-pointer as time expired to hand the Bulls a heartbreaking 69-68 loss on Jan. 15 in Alumni Arena.
With the game tied at 66-66, Turner Battle drove the length of the floor and nailed a jumper with 2.3 seconds left to give the Bulls a two-point lead. However, following a timeout, Kent State's inbounds pass was deflected to a wide-open Bedford who drained the trey. It was Bedford's only bucket of the game and first three-pointer of the season.
It was a tough loss for the Bulls who played well and led for much of the game.
UB then dropped a foul-riddled contest to Central Michigan, 97-73, in the Rose Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Playing without injured starters Clement Smith (back) and Daniel Gilbert (ankle), UB (3-11, 0-5 in the MAC) had a difficult time containing Central Michigan's center, Chris Kaman. The Chippewas' seven-footer scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Fifteen of Kaman's points came from the free throw line.
It was the seventh straight loss for the Bulls, who remain winless on the road this season.
WOMEN'S
UB 71, Eastern Michigan 65
UB earned its first Mid-American Conference victory of the season on Jan. 15 at Eastern Michigan, a come-from-behind 71-65 win in front of 604 fans in the Convocation Center.
The Bulls outrebounded the Eagles by a 36-24 margin and got a big spark from junior Kim Kilpela off the bench. Kilpela posted her first double-double of the year with 17 points and 10 rebounds, six of them offensive. The win improves the Bulls' record to 8-5 overall and 1-2 in the MAC.
Wrestling
UB wins first New York State Championship since 1978
It was the perfect ending to a successful weekend for the UB wrestling team.
Claiming four individual champions, the Bulls took home the New York State Collegiate Championship crown on its home mat by holding off Army in the finals. UB finished with 178.5 points, while Army finished second (168.5), followed by Columbia (107), Nassau Community College (94.5) and Binghamton (91). Army's Phillip Simpson, who earned the 141-pound title for the second straight year, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
It was the first New York State crown for the Bulls since 1978 and was one of two major milestones that fell on the day. Senior Gary Cooper became the school's career win leader and had a crucial victory in the 174-pound finals, defeating Army's Luke Calvert, 3-2. Earlier in the day, he defeated Nassau's Carlos Patrick, 9-0, for his 103rd career win, passing Josh States (1997-2001) in the process.
The Bulls then clinched the team title at 184 pounds when junior Garrett Bontempo posted a strong 12-4 win over Binghamton's Jerome Joe.
It started in dramatic fashion at 133 pounds for Buffalo. Junior Mike Trotta needed overtime to pull out a win over former teammate Tyshawn Scarlett of Nassau Community College.
UB ,also crowned a champion at 165 pounds as sophomore Tom Paladino gutted his way through the tournament despite a painful knee injury. Paladino claimed a 3-1 win over RIT's Patrick North in the finals, setting the stage for three straight titles for Buffalo as Cooper and Bontempo followed suit.
Swimming
MEN'S
UB 161, Niagara 72
St. Bonaventure 146.50, UB 96.50
UB took a 161-72 win over Niagara University on Jan. 15 in the Kiernan Center to complete the season sweep of the Purple Eagles. The Bulls then returned home on Jan. 16 where they were defeated by St. Bonaventure, 146.50-96.50, in a very competitive meet.
Against Niagara, UB won 11 of the 13 events on the evening with a pair of Bulls picking up double victories. Sophomore freestyler Dustin Hui swept the 200 and 500 events. Hui lowered his season-best time in the 200, finishing in 1:46.49 to shave two and a half seconds off his previous best, which he set in last month's meet against Niagara in the Alumni Arena Natatorium. Hui also cruised to a 4:51.41 finish in the 500 as the Bulls took the top three spots in the event.
Freshman diver Patrick Lee also posted two victories as he won both the one- and three-meter competitions. Lee turned in a six-dive total of 278.03 points to win the one-meter event and edge teammate Jim Taravella by less than six points. Lee took the three-meter board with a six-dive total of 283.95, while Taravella finished third, scoring a season-best 214.58 points.
Other individual winners for the Bulls were Mark Sy in the 1000 freestyle (9:55.00), Aviv Oren in the 50 freestyle (22.54), Evan McCormack in the 200 IM (2:01.35), Alan Lowe in the 200 butterfly (2:02.44), Erik Schwarz in the 100 freestyle (50.51) and Dave Richards in the 200 backstroke (1:57.75). The foursome of Kurt Bessel, Oren, Kevin Gatley and Schwarz also won the 400 medley relay in 3:39.47.
Against the Bonnies, Lee again swept the one- and three-meter diving competitions. He scored 258.68 points on the one-meter board to edge out second-place Randy Kozlowski of St. Bonaventure (248.93) by less than 10 points and won the three-meter event with a total of 285.90 points. Sy won the 1000 freestyle in 9:53.81 and finished second in the 200 butterfly in 1:54.86. Richards took the 200 backstroke in a season-best 1:57.02 for the Bulls.
WOMEN'S
St. Bonaventure 164, UB 129
UB 172.50, Niagara 112.50
UB split home meets last weekend against their Western New York rivals. UB was defeated by St. Bonaventure, 164-129, on Friday afternoon, but rebounded with an impressive 172.50-112.50 win over Niagara on Saturday.
Against St. Bonaventure, the Bulls posted three double-winners in the meet. Freshman Ashlee Burton swept both the one- and three-meter diving competitions. Burton, the only diver in the UB lineup after sophomores Kim LaHaye and Tracy Hoover were forced to sit out due to injuries, scored 244.80 points on the one-meter board to win the event. She also registered a six-dive total of 222.90 on the three-meter board to cap the day.
Distance specialist Jolie Pun won the 1000 freestyle in a season-best 10:29.18 and the 500 freestyle in 5:16.07. Teammate Trina Sinclair finished second in both races.
Sophomore Jennefer Brankovsky just missed the trifecta, winning two races and coming within a fingernail of first place in another. Brankovsky won the 100 butterfly in 58.77 and 200 individual medley in 2:10.36. However, she fell just five-hundredths of a second behind St. Bonaventure freshman Elise Gaillard in the 100 breaststroke, finishing in 1:06.81 to Gaillard's 1:06.76.
Against Niagara, the Bulls posted victories in each of the first 12 events before exhibitioning the final four events. Even then, UB had the top finishers in the remaining events, making for a clean sweep.
Brankovsky won the 50 freestyle in 25.05 and the 200 backstroke in 2:13.88. Pun took the 200 freestyle in 1:57.53 and the 100 freestyle in 55.25. Pun also turned in the fastest time in the 200 individual medley in 2:17.79, after UB had decided to exhibition the race.
Other individual winners for the Bulls included Melissa Schafer in the 1000 freestyle (11:01.00), Lisa Boettrich in the 100 backstroke (1:02.82), Janet Reynolds in the 200 butterfly (2:13.35), Rachael Rubin in the 500 freestyle (5:22.63) and Burton in the one-meter diving (265.58 points). Boettrich and Brankovsky also combined with Jennifer Raimondi and Sinclair to take the 200 medley relay in 1:56.07. There was a tie for the 100 breaststroke competition as UB's Sara Defendorf and Niagara's Karolina Bazylewicz touched the wall at the same time with identical 1:11.95 clockings.
The Bulls will travel to Toledo for a Feb. 1 MAC tri-meet in their next action. UB will take on the host Rockets and Marshall in the three-team event.