University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: February 23, 2006

Basketball

MEN'S

Kent State 111, UB 107 (2 OT)
Iona 93, UB 75

Despite 37 points from Calvin Cage and 30 from Roderick Middleton, UB fell to Kent State, 111-107, in Alumni Arena on Feb. 15. The 107 points scored by the Bulls was the seventh-highest point total in school history. However, the 111 points scored by Kent State were the most by a UB opponent in Alumni Arena in school history.

UB led by 13 points with 5:31 left in regulation when Kent State mounted a comeback. Over a two-and-a-half-minute span, Kent State went on an 11-2 run to cut the lead to four points.

Jay Youngblood drained a three-pointer to cut the UB advantage to 79-77 with 1:15 remaining. On the Bulls' next possession, Omni Smith came up with a steal, scored a layup and was fouled. The free throw gave Kent State an 80-79 lead with 57 seconds remaining. Trailing 81-79, Middleton hit a jumper in the lane with five seconds remaining to tie the contest and send it to overtime.

In the first overtime, Kent Sate hit a pair of free throws to take a 92-88 lead with 37 seconds left in the period. Cage hit a jumper on the Bulls' next possession to cut the lead to 92-90. After Kent went 1-for-2 at the free throw line, Cage drove the lane, scored and got fouled. His free throw, with eight seconds remaining, tied the game again and forced a second overtime.

UB went cold in the second overtime and Kent State was able to build a nine-point lead. The Golden Flashes converted their free throws down the stretch to hold on for the four-point victory.

On Saturday, the Bulls fell to a hot-shooting Iona squad, 93-75, in the Hynes Center in an ESPN Bracket Buster matchup. The Gaels shot 63.3 percent from the field and five players scored in double-figures.

WOMEN'S

UB 62, Miami (OH) 61
Bowling Green 65, UB 51

UB ended a seven-game losing skid when junior Viorica Badinici hit a jumper from the baseline with five seconds remaining to give the Bulls a 62-61 victory over Miami (OH) on Feb. 14 in Alumni Arena. With the victory, the Bulls swept the season series with Miami for the first time since joining the MAC.

The Bulls got off to a quick start, taking a 5-0 lead to start the contest. Senior Brooke Meunier drained a three-pointer at the 18:50 mark of the first half to make her just the 15th player in the program's history to eclipse the 1,000 point mark.

However, the RedHawks charged back to take their biggest lead of the game, 27-18, at the 7:55 mark of the first half. The Bulls got it down to two in the first half, before Miami took control and a six-point lead into the intermission.

UB began the second half on a 12-2 run, taking a four-point lead, its largest of the half. Miami then started hitting its shots and went up by six with 4:12 remaining. Heather Turner hit a layup and Badinici drained her second trey of the game to cut the Miami lead to one. Miami wasn't able to convert on its possession and Meunier came back to hit a jumper for UB. The RedHawks broke the 7-0 UB run with a jumper at the 2:04 mark.

The two teams traded a couple possessions before the stage was set for Badinici. Out of a UB timeout, the Bulls worked the clock and Badinici took a Belinda Gibb pass and drained it to give the Bulls the lead and ultimately the victory.

On Saturday, the Bowling Green Falcons, ranked 25th in the latest USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, used a 23-6 run midway through the second half to claim a 65-51 victory over UB at Anderson Arena. The loss drops the Bulls to 8-16 on the season and 3-10 during MAC play.

Wrestling

Slippery Rock 21, UB 17

Senior Kyle Cerminara posted a record-breaking 14-2 win against Andrew Joseph. But Slippery Rock managed a 21-17 victory in front of a raucous 450 fans at the Morrow Field House on Feb. 16.

The win gives the 2004 All-American 51 career dual meet wins, passing Bruce Hadsell's mark of 50 set from 1973-78.

Matt Burkholder clinched the win for Slippery Rock (14-9 overall) with a 3-1 sudden-victory win against 14th-ranked Harold Sherrell in the heavyweight match.

The Bulls have two weeks to prepare for their first postseason tournament when they travel to Northern Illinois University for the Mid-American Conference Championships, which will begin on March 3.

Indoor Track and Field

McKenna sets 3,000-meter record as Bulls prep for MACs

The men's and women's track-and-field teams sent a limited number of athletes to the University of Akron's Zips Open on Friday night in the final regular season meet of the season. There was no team scoring in the meet that included Division III athletes and several unattached entrants, as well as the host Zips. The meet served as a tuneup for this weekend's Mid-American Conference Championships.

In the men's meet, Dan McKenna took the 3,000-meters in 8:29.65, setting a new UB record in the race. It was McKenna's first time this season racing the distance as he broke Todd Ludden's 2004 mark by three seconds. McKenna, who has IC4A qualifying marks in the mile and 1,000-meters, just missed a third qualifying time by 15-hundredths of a second.

Freshman Rob McRae led the Bulls to the top three spots in the 400-meter dash. McRae won the race in 48.71, improving his IC4A qualifying mark by sixth-tenths of a second. Brian Heim finished second in a season-best 49.12, lowering his IC4A mark as well. Babaseyi Olaleye was third in 51.95.

Loic Sebuharara won the men's triple jump at 43-10 (13.36m), bettering his season-best mark in the event by six inches. Sebuharara also posted a season-best height in the high jump at 6-2 (1.88m) to place fourth behind three Akron entrants.

In the women's meet, UB's lone winner was Fatimah Hill in the triple jump. Hill's leap of 18-5.75 (5.63m) was a personal best and UB's top distance of the season. Hill won the event by almost nine inches.

Tennis

MEN'S

UB 6, Bucknell 1
Colgate 6, UB 1

UB split a pair of matches over the weekend to stand 3-2 in dual-meet action this season. On Saturday, the Bulls defeated Bucknell, 6-1, at the St. Bonaventure Fitness Center, then traveled to Colgate on Sunday and fell to the host Raiders, 6-1.

Against Bucknell, the Bulls secured the doubles point and won five of six singles matches,

At Colgate, UB's lone victory came in singles play as Matt Kennedy defeated Colgate's Marshall Wheeler, 6-3, 6-3 in the number four match.

The Bulls will open their home slate on tomorrow with a day-night doubleheader at the Village Glen Tennis Center. At noon, the Bulls will host perennial MAC power Western Michigan. The Bulls then will tangle with regional rival Cornell in the evening session, starting around 8 p.m. Western Michigan and Cornell will meet at 4 p.m.

Baseball

Appalachian State 12, UB 6
UB 4, Appalachian State 2

Senior Carl Aquila went 4-for-8 with two runs scored, including the game-winner in the top of the eighth of the 4-2 nightcap as UB opened the 2006 season on Sunday with a doubleheader against the Southern Conference's Appalachian State. UB dropped the first game 12-6, at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium.

Aquila scored on a one-out single from sophomore shortstop Mike Folli, capping a 4-for-8 day for the initial Wallace Watch player, as the Bulls posted 20 hits in the two games.

The Bulls' bullpen shut down the Mountaineers over the last four innings, as freshman Dan Francis picked up the win with two perfect innings of relief. He struck out two before yielding to senior Sean McWilliams, who pitched a scoreless eighth for the hold. Freshman Steve Geltz struck out two to pick up his first career save in a one-hit ninth inning.

UB went ahead 2-0 in the first inning of the second game as Folli doubled down the left field line to lead off. After a walk and a strikeout, senior James Kingsley singled through the right side to score Folli. Two more walks forced another run in.

Appalachian State answered back with a run in the first and an unearned run in the fifth to set up the Bulls' eighth, when Aquila led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice before Folli's run-scoring hit.

The Bulls added another run in the ninth when Kingsley tripled to lead off. With two outs, sophomore left fielder E.J. Folli singled to close out the scoring.

In the first game, Appalachian State jumped out with eight runs in the first three innings to cruise to the 12-6 win, as sophomore Shane Wolf took the loss after allowing 10 hits and five earned runs. UB had five errors in the loss, allowing four unearned runs.

The Bulls broke through with two unearned runs in the fourth inning when Kingsley singled with two outs. After a walk, senior David Amaro reached on a fielding error, allowing Kingsley to score. Sophomore Kevin Nowak followed with a single to score junior Dan Quinn.

The Bulls came within five runs with two seventh-inning runs, as Nowak singled and scored on a triple by Mike Folli. A groundout allowed Folli to score. In the UB ninth, with the score 12-4, Aquila and Nowak singled. With two outs, freshman Brad Agustin singled up the middle to score Aquila. A fielding error scored Nowak.

UB will travels to Maryland-Eastern Shore for a three-game set, starting with a doubleheader on Saturday.