This Saturday, the UB women's basketball team will take on a local rival, the Niagara University Purple Eagles in non-league action at Alumni Arena this Saturday.
Buffalo will have its work cut out for itself, as Niagara is coming off of a three-game winning streak after putting away Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents St. Bonaventure, Rider, and Loyola.
The Bulls (1-5, 0-0 MAC) plan to put a stop to Niagara's good fortune with an aggressive offense and a rock-solid defense. Senior guard Allison Bennett and freshman forward Heather Turner will lead the Bulls into Saturday's game. Turner led the team in scoring and rebounds in UB's last two contests.
"Obviously we need Allison and Heather to continue having the kind of games they've had," said UB head coach Cheryl Dozier. "We need Brooke Meunier to start to get in the mix of things and really look for her open shots when she's open and really focus on the defensive end."
The Bulls will have to be more cautious than usual about costly ball turnovers to Niagara. UB turned the ball over 27 times in its loss at Bucknell on Tuesday night, as opposed to their opponents' 14 total turnovers.
"We came back in and practiced this morning, we're really focusing on the fundamentals and making sure that we have awareness of what's going on around us on the basketball court so we can limit those turnovers," said Dozier. "You can't be in a position to win games if you're turning it over 27 times. This young team understands that and we're hoping that we can do a better job of taking care of the ball on Saturday."
In addition to their ball-handling woes, the Bulls have had some promising outings from their freshman forward Turner. The West Seneca native scored 18 points in UB's loss to Maine, and she added 19 more against Bucknell on Tuesday.
The Purple Eagles (4-3, 2-0 MAAC) are confident, however, that they will leave Alumni Arena with a win on Saturday night. Niagara is led by senior point guard Eva Cunningham. The senior is regarded as a player that has posed a solid threat to opponents throughout her career.
"You always have got to know where their senior point guard, Eva Cunningham, is on the floor," said Dozier. "She's played three years for Niagara and has had a great career. She's definitely a kid that can come in on any given night and put 25 to 30 points on the board."
Historically, the Purple Eagles have had the edge over UB, holding a 17-7 all-time record over Buffalo.
"We're not concerned about the record against Niagara, we're concerned about coming out and playing two halves of basketball and really being able to go inside with the ball and then come back out with the ball," Dozier said.
The Bulls and the Purple Eagles will put their strategies to the test Saturday night at 5 p.m. in Alumni Arena.
After their match up against Niagara, the Bulls will play seven games over winter break, including games against conference foes Bowling Green, Miami (Ohio) and Ball State. Each of these games is a home contest for UB. The Bulls will play their first game of the spring semester on the road against Akron on Jan. 19.
