University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: January 4, 2007

Basketball

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Delaware State 65, UB 62
UB 69, Siena 64

A stifling defense, coupled with red-hot shooting, helped Delaware State defeat UB, 65-62, on Dec. 22 in Alumni Arena.

The Bulls were sluggish out of the gate as they were held to only 19 first-half points on 30 percent shooting and had 14 turnovers. They trailed the Hornets, 25-19, at the break.

Delaware State opened the second half by scoring seven straight points to open a 16-point advantage. The Hornets built their lead to as many as 17 points and led, 51-36, with 7:20 remaining. Six straight points in 20 seconds by Calvin Betts cut the Delaware State lead to 10 with 6:41 left.

Trailing, 58-50, with 2:14 remaining, the Bulls made one last frantic attempt to win the game. A steal and layup by Andy Robinson cut the lead to five with 1:06 left. Following a Darwin Young steal, Robinson made a pair of free throws to reduce the lead to four. On the Hornets' ensuing possession, Betts came up with a steal and went in for the layup to cut the lead to two.

Robinson came up with his fourth steal of the game on Delaware State's next possession to give the Bulls the ball trailing by two with 29 seconds remaining. However, Smith's jumper to tie the game came up short and the Hornets were able to seal the victory at the free throw line.

UB forced Delaware State into 14 second-half turnovers. However, the Hornets only missed three shots in the second half and shot a sizzling 62.9 percent for the game. It was the first time this season that a UB opponent shot over 50 percent from the field.

"We didn't play very well and we didn't deserve to win," said Bulls coach Reggie Witherspoon. "There isn't anything that I can sit here and say that we did a good job at. You can say that we didn't give up, but that's not commendable. It's a requirement."

The Bulls were led by Parnell Smith who scored 19 points. Robinson added 16 points and Betts notched a career-high 11 points.

In its final game in a five-day stretch, the Bulls put together one of its best runs in recent memory, embarking on a 21-0 run in the second half and turning a 12-point deficit into a nine-point lead en route to a 69-64 victory over Siena on Dec. 23 in Alumni Arena. The victory improves UB's record to 8-5 on the year.

With UB playing without its leading scorer and rebounder, Yassin Idbihi, for the third straight game, Siena took advantage early in the first half, leading by as many as 15. The Bulls fought back, but entered intermission down by eight. In the early moments of the second half, Edwin Ubiles converted on a dunk to give Siena a 12-point lead, but UB answered by holding the Saints scoreless for more than seven minutes and rattling off 21 straight points. Sophomore Eric Moore began the run with one of his two three-pointers during the stretch, but it was the play of freshmen Calvin Betts and Max Boudreau that energized the team. Betts had seven of the 21 points, including a three-pointer to cap off the run, while Boudreau scored four straight points, including the two free throws that tied the game. Siena did not go down quietly and cut the UB lead to as little as three with 53 seconds remaining. UB hit two foul shots to close the game.

"I thought our guys played pretty hard in the second half," said Witherspoon. "I think the big thing was how well we rebounded because we turned the ball over a lot and Siena shot the ball very well in the first half. We just stayed with it and got great contributions from guys off the bench and we are going to need to continue with that."

The Bulls outrebounded their opponent 40-23 in the contest, including by a 25-8 margin in the second half. UB also got a season-best performance of 18 points from the bench.

UB finished with three players in double figures, including Betts' first career double-double. The freshman guard had 10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Moore and Smith each added 18 points, which were tops amongst all players. Even when UB was missing its first opportunities at the basket, the Bulls crashed the boards, recording 15 offensive rebounds, compared to just five for Siena. The Bulls then turned that into 17 second-chance points. Betts and Smith each pulled down five boards off the offensive end. Sophomore Vadim Fedotov had an efficient day from the floor, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 shooting.

The Bulls will return to action—and begin Mid-American Conference play—on Sunday at Bowling Green.

WOMEN'S

Southeast Missouri State 61, UB 50
UB 69, Bucknell 51

The visiting Southeast Missouri State Redhawks led wire to wire, defeating UB, 61-50, on Dec. 22 in Alumni Arena. The Bulls were able to keep the nation's leading rebounder, Lachelle Lyles, in check, but were unable to come away with the victory.

After falling behind, 10-4, early in the contest, the Bulls went on a quick 6-0 run, capped off by a Heather Turner layup that tied the score at 10. Southeast Missouri State responded with a basket, but UB tied the game again on a pair of free throws by Kourtney Brown. However, it was the last time the game was tied as the Redhawks went on an 8-2 run to take a six-point lead. The Bulls cut the lead to three points before SEMO rattled off five points to end the half.

The Bulls came out fighting in the second half, pulling to within two with 15:25 remaining. The Redhawks again responded, embarking on an 11-3 run. UB was not done fighting as two Jamie Schiebner free throws capped off an 8-2 run and pulled UB within four. The Bulls got no closer as the Redhawks finished the contest on a 10-3 run.

Turner led the way for the Bulls, recording 19 points on the night-tops among all players. Junior Stephanie Bennett added 10 points and five rebounds, while recording four assists. Sophomore Rachelle Matthys recorded a career-high six rebounds, including five on the defensive end. Also helping out on the boards was Brown, who recorded seven on the night.

Brown and Turner were able to keep Lyles, who averaged over 16 rebounds a game entering the contest, to 11, but only two of those came off the offensive glass.

UB finished non-conference play on a high note, defeating Bucknell, 69-51, on Friday night at the Sojka Pavilion. The win was UB's first at a true road site-the other two wins away from Alumni Arena were at the St. Bonaventure Shootout on neutral ground. The victory also improves the Bulls' record to 5-7 entering MAC play.

UB controlled the game for more than 37 minutes, taking the lead on a Matthys three-pointer. Matthys hit two more treys, ultimately converting on three three-point field goals in a span of 2:25. With a two-point advantage, UB went on a 10-0 run over seven minutes in the first half, extending its advantage to 12. Schiebner capped off the scoring in the first half, giving UB a 15-point halftime lead, tying the Bulls' largest halftime advantage of the season.

The Bulls continued to impress in the second half, leading by as many as 19 when junior Flynn Pyykkonen hit a layup with 5:47 to go in the game. Bucknell tried to fight back, but the Bulls had an answer for every Bison shot. Bennett finished the scoring on a layup with 54 seconds remaining, giving UB an 18-point advantage. Neither team scored after that.

"I am really proud of our team tonight," said Bulls' head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "It has been a struggle in the first part of season. In many ways we have been very close, but it is not showing in the win-loss column. This was an important game for us because we go into conference play and we needed to convince our team that we are a good basketball team and that we play well when we execute the way we are supposed to and play as a cohesive unit."

UB had four players in double figures led by 15 from Matthys, who went 5-of-7 from behind the arc. Matthys also had five rebounds and four assists. Bennett had 13 points, while Schiebner had the double-double with 12 points and a game high 10 rebounds off the bench. Schiebner finished the night 6-of-9 from the floor, while also recording two steals. Senior Belinda Gibb completed the double-digit scorers with 10 points and a team-high five assists.

UB played 10 different players, getting points from eight of them, including freshman Ashley Zuber's first collegiate three-pointer. Pyykkonen had her first three points of the season, playing in just her second game since returning from a knee injury.

As a team, UB shot 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from behind the arc, its second most efficient game this year. Matthys and Bennett led the way with five and three three-pointers, respectively, while Gibb and Zuber each tacked on one.

Wrestling

UB 43, Delaware State 9
Bloomsburg 23, UB 13

UB (2-2) split a pair of dual matches at the Bloomsburg Duals, defeating Delaware State, while falling to the host Huskies. Senior Mark Budd and redshirt freshman Andrew Stella each remained undefeated with two victories on the afternoon, while junior Nate Rock and redshirt freshman Ricky Scott picked up two clutch wins as well.

A trio of forfeits would prove costly for the Delaware State Hornets (0-9). With a bit of a scare after dropping the match at 157 pounds, the Bulls bounced back to win the last five matches. Junior Mike Ragusa earned a decision over Brandon Gardner, 6-2, while senior Ray Lamb and Scott each posted falls over their respective opponents to rally the Bulls to the impressive win.

In the day's final match, UB encountered a tough Bloomsburg squad that wanted to prevent a sixth-straight loss to the Bulls. Budd turned an impressive 5-2 decision over WrestlingReport's No. 25-ranked Ricky Donald, making him the seventh straight ranked 133-pound wrestler Budd has faced in a three-week span. Stella posted a dramatic 6-5 decision over Darren Kern, upping his dual meet record to 3-0 at 141 lbs. With a 6-5 lead over the Huskies, UB then dropped three straight matches before Rock earned a 2-0 decision over Andrew Jordan. In an attempt to build a comeback, Scott dominated with a 10-0 major decision over P.J. Distefano. However, the deficit was too much after junior Jeff Parker dropped a 7-0 decision to USA Today/Intermat/NWCA No. 18-ranked Mike Spaid.

UB faces Clarion and Davidson at 1 p.m. today in Alumni Arena.

Football

Three Bulls earn postseason accolades

Two UB football players have been named to The Sporting News All-America Team, the publication announced last week. Redshirt freshmen Kendric Hawkins and James Starks were both honorable mention selections for their play during the 2006 season.

Hawkins finished fourth on the UB defense with 70 tackles, including 53 solo stops. His eight tackles for loss were second on the squad, while he led the defensive unit with five pass breakups. Hawkins finished the year with two interceptions, including one against then second-ranked Auburn. The defensive back also recovered two fumbles, while forcing one.

Starks had a breakout season for UB, starting with the first game of the season. In that game against the Temple Owls, Starks won the game on an 18-yard touchdown run in overtime. For the season, the first-year running back led the Bulls with 709 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Starks also was second on the team in receptions, hauling in 34 passes on the year. Additionally, Starks was named to the 2006 All-MAC Second Team at the conclusion of the season.

Starks had his best game of the season in UB's 41-14 victory over Kent State, running for 162 yards, while finding the end zone on three separate occasions. Following that victory, Starks was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week.

It marked the first time that two Bulls' players were honored on The Sporting News teams.

Gerry Weissinger is one of three student-athletes honored as 2006 Western New York College Football Scholar-Athletes of the Year by the Western New York Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

Weissinger, a sociology major, started every game of his senior campaign at the right tackle position. He entered the season as the most experienced offensive lineman on the squad and earned himself the title of UB Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against the Wisconsin Badgers.

Weissinger and Buffalo State's Justin Huebbers were chosen from four-year colleges, while Jacob Wasniak of Erie Community College received the junior college division award.

Tennis

WOMEN'S

Novaceanu gains ranking

After an impressive fall semester, Andreea Novaceanu has made the collegiate tennis community take notice of her abilities. The junior earned a ranking of 22 in the current East Regional poll conducted by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and sportswear company Fila.

Novaceanu finished the fall schedule with a 9-2 singles record, including an 8-2 mark in tournament action. She reached the quarterfinals of the ITA Regional Championships in October, the farthest any UB tennis player, men's or women's, had advanced at the prestigious Division I competition. Novaceanu gained a first-round bye and was one of two unseeded players to reach the quarterfinals. She went 2-1 in the tournament.

In two and a half seasons with the Bulls, Novaceanu has compiled an overall singles record of 55-14. The 55 wins ties her for second place on UB's all-time victories list with senior Miglena Nenova. Both players are five wins shy of eclipsing former player and current assistant coach Kristen Ortman's four-year total of 59 victories.

The spring season for the Bulls will kick off on Jan. 28 at St. Bonaventure.