University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: February 28, 2008

Basketball

MEN’S

Kent State 76, UB 66
UB 95, Youngstown State 82

UB dropped a 76-66 decision to first-place Kent State in Alumni Arena on Feb. 19 for the Bulls' third straight loss.

Kent State shot 52 percent from the field and collected 15 steals that led to 22 points off turnovers. The Golden Flashes led the game from wire to wire.

With Kent State leading by 15 points at the break, the Bulls outscored the Golden Flashes, 17-11, to open the second half and an Andy Robinson jumper cut the Kent State lead to 52-43 with 12:57 remaining. However, Kent State scored eight unanswered points to quickly regain a 17-point advantage.

The Bulls made one last late run and, over a span of five minutes, whittled a 19-point Kent State lead down to eight. However, UB could get no closer, losing to the Golden Flashes by 10.

On Saturday, the Bulls scored a 95-82 win over Youngstown State in their O'Reilly ESPNU BracketBuster matchup in Alumni Arena. The Bulls got key performances from a number of players, including Anyd Robinson, who scored team-high 26 points.

UB (9-17) was in control for much of the game and jumped out to a 7-0 lead to set the tone. The Penguins fought back and took their first lead of the game at 18-16 with 13:37 left in the first half. The lead changed hands a number of times before the Bulls took a 41-39 lead at the break.

The Bulls opened the second half on a 6-1 scoring run to extend its lead to seven. After a Youngstown State three-pointer cut the lead to two with 16:43 left, the Bulls scored 10 unanswered points, capped by a Robinson layup, to take a 59-47 lead and control of the game. The Penguins could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

The Bulls will travel to Akron for a Saturday night game.

WOMEN’S

Miami (OH) 84, UB 55
UB 67, Ohio 63

UB dropped a contest with a hot-shooting Miami RedHawks squad, falling, 84-55, on Feb. 20 in Alumni Arena. Miami shot 64.3 percent in the second half.

Miami never trailed in the game, scoring the first four points and leading wire to wire. The RedHawks scored 53 points in the second half, becoming the second straight team to score 50 in the second half against UB. The Bulls managed to get the RedHawk lead within 14 with 9:30 left, but Miami finished the game on a 26-11 run. Miami held its largest lead in the half at 30 with 30 seconds left before the Bulls hit a free throw for the final margin.

The Bulls snapped their three-game losing skid with a hard fought 67-63 victory over Ohio on Saturday in the Convocation Center. The Bulls forced 26 Ohio turnovers to improve to 13-13 on the season and 6-7 in the MAC.

UB got off to a quick start as freshman Jessica Fortman scored the first three points of the game on a conventional three-point play. After Ohio scored it first bucket, Bennett converted on a three of her own to give UB a 6-2 lead. From there Ohio would go on a 12-3 run to take its largest lead of the game at 12-9. The Bulls went on to score the next four points and regained the lead on a jumper from Turner. The score would eventually be tied at 16-16, but Freeman broke that tie with a three to put UB ahead with 7:36 left in the half. The Bulls increased their lead to as many as six on a three from Bennett, but Ohio converted on a bucket as the Bulls took a 28-24 lead into the half.

UB increased its lead in the second half to 10 on back-to-back three-pointers by Bennett and Fortman. Ohio cut the lead to five before UB went on a 14-4 run to take its largest lead of the game at 15. The Bobcats began to chip away as they used a quick 10-0 run to get within five with 10:14 left in the half. Ohio eventually cut the lead to four, but freshman Tieara Jones converted on a three-pointer to put UB up by seven with 8:03 left. Ohio got as close as three points on three separate occasions—final time was with 25 seconds lef—but Bennett and Jones combined to hit three free throws and all Ohio could manage was a layup at the buzzer.

Wrestling

UB 20, Binghamton 16

UB staged a dramatic comeback in its final dual meet of the season, beating Binghamton, 20-16. The Bulls trailed from a 16-9 deficit, sweeping the final three matches to earn the Senior Day victory. The win gave UB a final dual-meet record of 9-7-1.

After Binghamton jumped in front, 3-0, UB’s Joe Wilson quickly erased the Bearcat lead at 133 pounds when he scored a pinfall at 2:39. The fall gave UB a 6-3 advantage in the dual.

Binghamton then scored a pair of one-point victories at 141 and 149 pounds. Anwar Goeres used a third period reversal to edge Andrew Stella at 141 and Kyle Fried, the 18th-ranked wrestler in the nation at 149 pounds, was able to score the only escape during an overtime tiebreaker against Ryan Needle to earn a 2-1 decision. Binghamton increased its lead even further, to 12-6, with Nate Patterson's 4-1 decision victory over Pat Lloyd at 157 pounds.

In the 165-pound bout, John Cummings won a cagey affair with Binghamton's Brett Nelson, 1-0. Cummings scored the only point of the match on an escape in the third period.

Josh Patterson scored a major decision victory over Mike Ragusa at 174 pounds to give Binghamton a 16-9 lead going to the final three matches of the dual.

Mickey Moran answered with a major decision victory for the Bulls in the next match at 184. Moran scored six takedowns in his victory over Anthony Esposito. Jimmy Hamel then tied the dual at 16-16 with a decision victory over Binghamton's Corey Waite at 197 pounds. Hamel scored a late takedown in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and, with one riding time point added, earned a 4-1 win.

With the dual all tied, UB fifth-year senior co-captain Jeff Parker scored a 11-3 victory over Mike Patterson to give UB the 20-16 match win.

Up next for the Bulls is the Mid-American Conference Championship, hosted by Kent State University. The two-day event will take place March 7 and March 8.

Swimming

WOMEN’S

Bulls place fifth at MACs

UB hosted the 2008 Mid-American Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships last weekend. The water was fine for the Bulls, as they scored a fifth-place finish—the highest placing since the 2002 season. Ohio University won the four-day meet for its first league crown since 2001, the last time Alumni Arena Natatorium hosted the MAC women’s meet. A total of 11 MAC, 13 meet and 16 pool records were set in the four-day meet.

Sophomore Andrea Lehner won the 100-yard backstroke on Friday to become the first UB swimmer to earn a MAC championship since Jennefer Brankovsky’s three-victory performance in 2005. Lehner lowered her school record in the preliminary heats to 56.03, qualifying third behind two-time defending champion Emily Wylam of Ohio and Alisha Yee of Bowling Green, who set the MAC, MAC meet and UB pool records at 55.50 with her morning swim. In the championship race, Lehner caught Wylam and Yee in the final 10 yards to win the race and again set the school record with her 55.74 finish. Lehner also reached the championship finals of the 200-yard backstroke and the 500-yard freestyle, setting new school records in both. She finished third in the backstroke in 2:00.60 and second to four-time MAC champion and league Swimmer of the Year Madeleine Pilchard of Eastern Michigan in the freestyle in 4:47.46.

In all, Lehner set four individual school records and was part of three of UB’s four record-setting relay teams. Lehner broke her 200-yard freestyle record with her 1:50.64 clocking as the first leg of the record setting 800-yard freestyle relay.

Sophomore Meili Carpenter earned her second straight nod to the All-MAC second team with her performances on the one- and three-meter diving boards during the meet. She opened with a fifth-place finish in the one-meter event with a six-dive total of 266.15 points. Carpenter came on strong in the three-meter event, turning in a second-place finish with 291.80 points and wrapping up her spot on the All-MAC team. Toledo’s Megan McKinley won both events to earn the MAC’s Diver of the Year.

Several other Bulls reached the championship podium. Jordan Deren earned a sixth-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle, setting a lifetime-best mark of 17:18.97. Sam Eckert finished sixth in the 100-yard butterfly in 55.91. The Bulls also had a pair of seventh-place finishes: Sam Palma in the 50-yard freestyle in 23.77, after posting a lifetime-best in the preliminaries of 23.64, and Rachel Sorg in the 100-yard backstroke in 57.68.

Indoor Track and Field

Bulls prep for MACs at Akron Open

The men’s and women’s indoor track-and-field teams competed at the Zips Open Friday evening in Akron and returned with a handful of season-best performances and three first-place finishes. There was no team scoring at the meet.

On the women’s side, Tiffany Maskulinski won the pole vault with a season-best and NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 3.97m, beating her nearest competitor by 15 cm. Also finishing first was Sarah Krott, who won the triple jump with a distance of 11.23m.

Personal best performances were turned in by Gillian Taylor in the 800-meter run (2:19.50), Megan Niblock in the mile run (5:32.91), Samantha Tomczak in the 60-meter hurdles (9.56) and Allison Grimes, who finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.91.

On the men’s side, the Bulls had one individual winner, Greg Losi, who took the triple jump with a distance of 13.74m. Eugene Kennedy took second place in the same event with a jump of 13.31m.

Matt Gac threw a personal best in the shot put (15.64m) and tied his personal best in the weight throw with a distance of 17.43m.

On the track, Ryan Zillmann ran a personal best in the 800-meter run, turning in a time of 1:54.78, good for second place. Jesse Mang also turned in a personal best, finishing the men’s mile in 4:20, as did Ryan Bloom, who finished in 4:25.73.

The Bulls will be back in action this weekend, competing in the MAC Championships, hosted by Eastern Michigan.

Tennis

MEN’S

UB 7, Manhattan 0
Toledo 6, UB 1

UB pounded the Manhattan Jaspers Friday night, 7-0, at the Village Glen Tennis Center.

In singles play, UB players allowed just one game against them in the number-two through number-six matches. The only match that was competitive was the number-one match. UB's Nikesh Singh Panthlia needed a third-set super-tiebreaker to down Mihai Nichifor, 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (11-9).

On Sunday, the Bulls put up a strong effort, forcing four of the six singles matches and two of the three doubles contests into extra play, but fell short against visiting Toledo, 6-1, in the MAC opener for both squads.

UB's lone point—and victory—came in singles play, a straight-sets win by Singh Panthlia, 6-3, 6-3, over Chris Clark.

The Bulls (3-7, 0-1 MAC) will return to the courts on March 7 at DePaul. The squad will play four matches in three days during the weekend road trip to Chicago and Milwaukee.

WOMEN’S

UB 7, St. Bonaventure 0

UB picked up its third win of the spring season, defeating St. Bonaventure, 7-0, Friday afternoon at the SBU Indoor Courts. The Bulls swept through the doubles portion of the contest and then won all six singles matches in straight sets.

The Bulls will be back in action next weekend as they head to West Point for a pair of matches. UB will meet Temple on Saturday and Army on Sunday.

Baseball

North Carolina A&T 9, UB 1
North Carolina A&T 10, UB 4
North Carolina A&T 9, UB 3

After waiting a day due to rain, UB opened the 2008 season by dropping both ends of a doubleheader to North Carolina A&T on Saturday, falling in game one, 9-1, and in game two, 10-4.

Jacob Rosenbeck had four hits on the day for the Bulls.

Zach Anderson started the opener on the mound for UB and was locked in a pitchers' duel through five innings with the Aggies' Tim Johnson. North Carolina A&T led 1-0 after five innings before the Bulls broke through to tie the score in the sixth on a two-out homer by senior Nick Walcazk. The Aggies responded with an eight-run sixth inning to take the victory.

In the nightcap, UB jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first when Chris Ciesla drove in Adam Skonieczki and Rosenbeck scored on an error. But just as in game one, North Carolina A&T answered back with three runs in the second to take the lead, 3-2, and go on to the 10-4 victory.

In Sunday’s finale, the Bulls fell to the Aggies, 9-3. Ciesla and Rosenbeck each had three hits for the Bulls in the loss. UB is now 0-3 on the season.

The Bulls will be back on the diamond next weekend for a four-game set at Morehead State in Morehead, Ky.

Softball

Iowa 6, UB 1
No. 2 Arizona State 12, UB 3
Radford 12, UB 2
Miami (OH) 6, UB 1
Illinois State 10, UB 0

UB opened the 2008 campaign at the Arizona State University Tournament on Friday, taking on Iowa and No. 2 Arizona State University.

The Bulls fought hard but came up short in both games, falling to Iowa, 6-1, and dropping the nightcap to ASU, 12-3.

In the first contest, Iowa scored four runs through the first two innings, but the Bulls put one on the scoreboard in the fourth.

The Hawkeyes slowly built onto their lead, scoring one in the fourth and one in the sixth to grab the 6-1 victory.

In the nightcap, ASU used its potent offense to scored seven runs in the first inning and added five more to take a 12-0 lead into the fourth. The Bulls scored one run in the fourth and two in the fifth.

In the second day of the tournament, the Bulls took on Radford of the the Big South conference and MAC foe Miami (OH). The Bulls suffered losses in both games, falling 12-2 to Radford and 6-1 to the RedHawks.

In the day’s first contest, UB faced a hot-hitting Radford squad that put seven runs on the board in the top of the first and five more in the second. Despite holding RU scoreless for the rest of the game, UB could only score two runs in the game—one in the third inning and another in the fifth.

In the day’s second game, the RedHawks scored a quick run in the bottom of the first, but the Bulls battled back, scoring a run in the top of the third.

Miami then scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth and three more in the sixth to take the 6-1 victory.

On Sunday, the Bulls could not put any runs on the board, falling 10-0 to a hard-hitting Illinois State squad. The Redbirds scored eight runs in the top of the second inning on five hits and two UB errors, and added two more runs in the fifth for the 10-0 win.

UB will return to action tomorrow against Morehead State in the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Tournament.