Men’s basketball (14-11, 7-5 Mid-American Conference)
After the suspension of sophomore guard Lamonte Bearden, the Bulls allowed Toledo (16-9, 7-5 MAC) to score a game-winner with 1.4 seconds left to leave Alumni Arena with a 71-69 victory.
It didn’t get better against Ohio.
The Bulls were crushed by the Bobcats (16-8, 7-5 MAC) 95-74 on Friday, the worst conference loss in the short Nate Oats era. The Bobcats got out to an early lead in the first half, finishing with 44 first half points. The Bulls, scoring just 28 points in the first 30 minutes, couldn’t recover.
One bright side from Friday’s game was freshman guard CJ Massinburg. With Bearden out, Massinburg finished with a career-high 36 points with five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Massinburg also went 10 of 13 from the free throw line.
The Bulls travel to Akron, Ohio to face Akron (20-5, 9-3 MAC) on Tuesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Women’s basketball (12-11, 4-8 MAC)
On Saturday, the Bulls recorded the most points in a quarter (31) during the second quarter of Buffalo’s win over Bowling Green (8-13, 4-8 MAC) on Saturday.
The Bulls finished that quarter 11-of-14 shooting, en route to seven point lead at the end of the half and the team’s fourth conference victory of the season. The Bulls are 2-2 in their last four conference games.
Sophomore guard Stephanie Reid finished with 21 points and four assists, while junior guard Joanna Smith had 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes of play. Freshman center Mirte Scheper notched her second consecutive start and finished with 11 points and six rebounds.
The Bulls return to Alumni Arena to face Eastern Michigan (15-8, 6-6 MAC) on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Wrestling (10-8, 2-5 MAC)
The Bulls came away with two victories this weekend, earning the program’s first 10-win season since the 2003-04 campaign.
On Friday, the Bulls defeated in-state rival Binghamton (11-6, 7-3 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) 24-12. Freshman Kyle Akins led off the Bulls with a pin fall victory, the first of four consecutive wins for Buffalo. The Bearcats would win the next four, creating some intrigue for the rest of the dual meet, but freshman Jake Gunning won his match as the Bulls swept the last two matches as a team.
On Sunday, the Bulls defeated conference opponent Northern Illinois (6-9, 1-6 MAC) 20-17, giving the Bulls their 10th victory of the season. Akins and Gunning both scored victories in their matches, while sophomore Joe Ariola won the game-deciding match.
The Bulls will remain home to host conference opponent Northern Iowa (3-10, 2-5 MAC) and close out the regular season. The first match is set for 7 p.m.
Women’s tennis (4-0)
The Bulls had one match this week, defeating Niagara 7-0, to remain undefeated for the season.
The Bulls got off on the right foot when the doubles combination of junior Laura Holterbosch and freshman Chantal Martinez-Blanco won their respective matches, a 6-3 victory over Niagara’s Haley Hollins and Sydnee Wheeler. The Bulls would then sweep the rest of the match.
The Bulls return to action on Friday when they travel to Morgantown, West Virginia to face West Virginia (3-2). First match is set for 10 a.m.
Softball (1-4)
The Bulls opened the 2016 season in Hammond, Louisiana for the 2016 Lion Classic.
They’ll return home to Buffalo with a 1-4 record.
The Bulls lost 4-3 to Tennessee-Martin (4-1) and 8-4 to Southeastern Louisiana (5-1) on Friday. After dropping their first two games of the season, the Bulls picked up their lone victory of the tournament, defeating Tennessee State (1-4) 7-1 on Saturday. Freshman pitcher Lace Smith finished with six innings pitched, one earned run allowed and seven strikeouts. Senior second baseman Kenzie Koch finished with a homerun and two RBIs.
Buffalo couldn’t sustain the success, however, dropping their last two events of the Lion Classic – a 3-1 loss to Nicholls State (4-1) and a 8-0 loss to Southern Illinois (3-2).
The Bulls travel out to Hampton, Virginia for the Hampton Invitational on Friday, Feb. 26. The first game is set for 9 a.m.
Track and Field
The men and women continue to prepare for the MAC Championships at the end of the month.
For the third time this season, senior Brian Crimmins broke a school record, finishing with a time of 2:22.74 in the 1000 meter run. Senior Tyler Scheving previously held the record in 2015. Crimmins finished first in the event.
And with that came more records being broken. Scheving improved on his school record, finishing with a 1:48.92 in the 800-meter run. Scheving’s old time was 1:49.25, finished second overall and first among MAC competitors. Senior Malayah White finished third overall in the women’s 60-meter dash with a time of 7.62.
Junior Amy Shaw broke the school record for the 5000-meter run, finishing with a time of 16:34.04. Jenny Koeppel set the previous record at the 2005 ECAC Championships. Shaw finished in fifth place, but first among MAC competitors.
The track and field teams will travel to Cornell University for the Deneault Invite on Saturday.
email: sports@ubspectrum.com
