Women's team braves blustery winter break

Erratic production on offense continued to haunt the women's basketball team as they lost six of eight games over winter break.

The inconsistency shown by the Bulls can be attributed to the team's youth and inexperience on the floor, with only one senior cracking the starting five and just two seniors on the roster overall.

The Bulls did register two wins, including a convincing defeat of Miami of Ohio on Jan. 12, bringing their overall record to 3-11. They opened up the Mid-American Conference portion of their schedule with a 1-2 record.

UB dropped its most recent MAC contest to Ball State on Jan. 15 by a score of 75-55 at home in Alumni Arena.

Last season's leading scorer and leading rebounder, junior Brooke Meunier currently leads the Bulls in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game. Freshman Heather Turner has been turning some heads as well, averaging 10.3 points per game. Turner has held her own in the post for the Bulls this season and leads UB in rebounding, averaging 6.8 rebounds per game.

Also noteworthy for the women, junior Lauren Burd has been added to the Bulls' active roster to bring the total number of active players to 11. Burd, also a member of UB's volleyball team, joined the basketball team prior to UB's Jan. 2 game against East Carolina. A part of the Bulls' roster at various points throughout the past two seasons, Burd, a post player, maintains career averages of 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds in the 27 games she has been active in.

Sophomore transfer Viorica Badinici has not played since Dec. 17 due to a leg injury. Prior to her injury, Badinici was a dominating force in the paint for the Bulls, averaging 6.3 points and 3.6 rebounds through the first eight games of the season. Also, due to academic reasons, senior forward Tahcahrah Owens is no longer a member of the team.

Niagara 68, UB 65 (OT) at Alumni Arena, Dec. 11

The Bulls overcame a 12-point deficit to force overtime against local rival Niagara. Meunier led a second half charge by the Bulls to finish the night with a career-high 25 points. UB had two other players register double figures in scoring, with Turner chipping in 13 points and 16 rebounds and Allison Bennett finishing the evening with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Youngstown State 75, UB 43 at Youngstown, Ohio, Dec. 14

Youngstown State shot a stellar 51.9 percent from the floor and had four players finish in doubles figures in scoring to easily trounce the Bulls. Belinda Gibb led the Bulls in scoring with 10 points, while Viorica Badinici chipped in six points and five rebounds.

Canisius 81, UB 65 at Koessler Athletic Center, Dec. 18

Buffalo committed 26 turnovers, and shot a paltry 38.1 percent from the charity stripe as Canisius converted the 26 UB turnovers into 26 points. Meunier was the leading scorer for the Bulls with 15 points while Allison Bennett and Turner each tallied 14 points apiece. Turner, a consistent bright spot for the Bulls turned in the third double-double of her freshman campaign, grabbing a game-high 12 boards on the night.

Oakland 93, UB 54 at Rochester, Mich., Dec. 21

Playing their fourth game in 11 days, the Bulls were steamrolled by the Grizzlies in front of 545 fans inside Oakland University's 'O' Rena. Despite outrebounding Oakland by a 38-37 margin, UB was unable to answer OU's 60-percent shooting effort from the floor, ultimately surrendering 26 turnovers to the Grizzlies. Meunier led UB with a team-high 17 points and seven rebounds, while Stephanie Bennett contributed a well-rounded seven points, seven rebounds and six assists for Buffalo.

UB 50, East Carolina 48 at Alumni Arena, Jan. 2

UB claimed its second victory of the season on a three-point basket by Meunier with just over a minute left in regulation, while three players finished the game with double figures in the scoring column. Meunier's 17 points keyed the Buffalo attack, while Stephanie Bennett finished with 12 points and Gibb ended the night with 10 points and a career-high six assists.

Bowling Green 70, UB 45 at Alumni Arena, Jan. 5

Poor first half shooting, and an 0-for-11 offensive run that contributed to 22.7-percent first half shooting allowed the Falcons to enjoy a 22-point half time lead en route to a convincing 25-point victory over the Bulls. Stephanie Bennett led the Bulls with 13 points, while Allison Bennett contributed 10 points and Turner chipped in with six points and a team-high eight rebounds.

UB 80, Miami (Ohio) 61 at Alumni Arena, Jan. 12

The UB offense erupted to score the most points since the 2002 season and the Bulls recorded an important league victory over preseason MAC East favorite Miami. Buffalo shot 30-for-53 from the floor for the game, led by Allison Bennett's career-high 21 points. Stephanie Bennett threw down a career-high 18 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Meunier finished the night with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Turner supplemented the UB offense with 11 points and seven assists to even the Bulls MAC record at 1-1.

Ball State 75, UB 55 at Alumni Arena, Jan. 15

The Bulls' single-game winning streak was snapped by a dominant Cardinals squad, capping off a four-game home stand for UB. Ball State controlled the glass, outrebounding the Bulls by a 42-33 margin, converting 15 second-chance points and scoring 13 points off of 19 Buffalo turnovers. Stephanie Bennett and Turner led the Bulls offensively, scoring 11 points apiece and Turner collected a team-high eight boards for the Bulls. Allison Bennett also reached double figures with 10 points and Meunier added nine points and five assists for the Bulls.