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Sports Recap
Mark Budd of the wrestling team won his second consecutive title at the Mat Town USA Tournament and remained undefeated this season.
Heather Turner of the women's basketball team posted her first double-double of the season as she scored 10 points and pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds in UB's home opener against Holy Cross.
Football
Central Michigan 55, UB 28
Quarterback Dan LaFevour threw for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead Mid-American Conference West Division champion Central Michigan to a 55-28 win over UB to close the 2006 season.
The Chippewas, who will face Ohio in the MAC Championship game this week, started the game impressively, taking a 14-0 lead just 3:39 into the game.
Down 48-7 at the half—UB's first-half score was a one-yard run by senior tailback Steven King—the Bulls rallied for 21 second-half points behind the play of senior quarterback Stewart Sampsel, who came in after a right-shoulder injury to starting quarterback Tony Paoli. Sampsel led three second-half scoring drives as UB scored more than 27 points for the third straight home game.
Sampsel first hit senior tight end Chad Upshaw for 19 yards and a touchdown with 5:59 remaining in the third quarter. He then connected with junior Terrance Breaux for a 16-yard touchdown pass with 1:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Another senior, tailback Jared Patterson, closed the scoring for the Bulls with a one-yard touchdown run with 11:15 remaining in the game.
Basketball
MEN'S
UB 65, Iona 54
Playing its fourth game in five days, UB had to rely on gutsy defense to overcome a cool shooting night and down Iona, 65-54, in Alumni Arena on Nov. 21.
It took UB (4-2) some time to find its rhythm as it scored only two points in the first six minutes and fell behind, 7-2. However, the Bulls went on a 14-2 scoring run, capped by a Greg Gamble layup, to take a 16-9 lead with 9:58 left in the first half. The Gaels cut the lead to 24-22 late in the first half before the Bulls scored the final 10 points of the stanza to take a 34-22 lead at the break.
UB extended its lead to 21 points on a Yassin Idbihi three-pointer with 12:54 remaining. The Bulls led 53-33 with 9:56 left, but didn't score again for nearly seven minutes and allowed the Gaels to creep back into the game. Iona cut the UB advantage to 55-50 with 1:37 remaining. But the Bulls made eight straight free throws and clamped down on defense to hold on for the 65-54 win.
WOMEN'S
Youngstown State 78, UB 44
Holy Cross
69, UB 55
On the court, UB dropped a pair of contests, including the home opener to Holy Cross. Off the court, the Bulls reaped the rewards of victory at the St. Bonaventure Shootout as senior Belinda Gibb was named MAC East Co-Player of the Week.
Gibb, UB's only senior, had back-to-back 17-point performances in the St. Bonaventure Shootout Nov. 18 and 19, earning tournament MVP honors. As for the team, UB's championship was the first for an in-season tournament since the Bulls won the 1999-2000 Florida Atlantic Tournament.
On Nov. 21, the Bulls met a hot-shooting Youngstown State squad and were unable to keep the momentum from their tournament victory, falling to the Penguins, 78-44, at the Beeghly Center.
The Penguins jumped out to a 20-9 lead and never looked back, taking a 40-23 lead into the half. The second stanza was the same story as Youngstown State outscored Buffalo 38-21. The Bulls shot just .298 from the field and just .154 from three-point range. UB also had a tough time from the foul line, converting on just 8 of 21 attempts.
In UB's home opener on Friday night, the visiting Holy Cross Crusaders broke a 14-14 tie with a 21-3 run late in the first half, holding off the Bulls, 69-55, on Friday night.
Although UB (2-4) never led in the game, it had Holy Cross tied at 14 with 12:07 remaining in the first half. The Crusaders scored six straight points, but the Bulls cut the lead to five on a jumper from Gibb at the 8:28 mark. The Bulls then went scoreless for more than seven minutes, not scoring again until 1:10 remained in the first half. At that point, the Crusaders scored 13 straight points to extend their lead to 18. Holy Cross took a 14-point lead into the half.
The Bulls matched Holy Cross in the second half as each team scored 34 points. UB was led by Rachelle Matthys, who scored 14 of her season-high 18 points in the second half. Junior Heather Turner notched her first double-double of the year, scoring 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds-including eight off offensive boards.
Wrestling
Bulls claim two titles at Mat Town USA Tournament
UB posted strong numbers at the 2006 Mat Town USA Tournament on Saturday with five finalists and 11 place winners. Senior captain Mark Budd won his second Mat Town USA title at 133 pounds, while junior Ryan Needle won his first title after moving up from 141 to 149 pounds.
At 174 pounds, juniors Mickey Moran and Nate Rock each went 3-0 going into the final match and settled for a tie for second place. Junior Mike Ragusa cruised into the final event after winning two matches at 165 pounds, but fell to nationally ranked Dave Rella of Penn State.
Placing third at the open tournament were redshirt freshmen Jason Hilliard at 149 pounds, Ricky Scott at 197 pounds and junior Jeff Parker at 285 pounds. After falling in the preliminary round, Hilliard went on a five-match win streak to earn the placing. Scott won four straight in the consolation bracket, posting three falls and two major decisions in the process.
Redshirt freshman Andrew Stella earned a fifth-place finish at 141 pounds, while senior Ray Lamb and freshman Jimmy Hamel both settled for sixth at 197 pounds.
UB will travel to Las Vegas for the 25th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational tomorrow. The two-day event will feature more than 50 colleges, including 13 of the top 25 Division I wrestling schools in the country.
Swimming
MEN'S
Tamchyna named MAC Swimmer of the Week
Freshman Andrew Tamchyna has been named the MAC's Men's Swimmer of the Week.
Tamchyna, a backstroker, was instrumental in UB's 138-70 victory over Canisius on Nov. 17. He swam the opening backstroke leg of the winning 400-yard medley relay in 3:40.00. Tamchyna's split time in the 100-yard backstroke distance of 53.68 was a season-best mark. He also remained undefeated in the 200-yard backstroke, winning in 1:55.54 to lower his season-best mark in the event.
This is the second MAC Men's Swimmer of the Week award for the Bulls this season. Freshman Connor Vander Zalm was honored on Oct. 31.
The Bulls, at 3-0, are off to their best start since the 1996-97 season. UB will travel to the University of Akron for the three-day SummaCare Invitational starting tomorrow.