A little less than one year ago, the Marshall Thundering Herd ended the UB Bulls' season in a first-round Mid-American Conference Tournament game at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, WV. Marshall advanced to the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament following a 69-45 victory over the Bulls for a match-up against Kent State while Buffalo was sent home to regroup for the current season.
The Bulls find themselves struggling as of late, dropping to 1-3 in the MAC and 3-12 on the season following a 71-63 loss at Akron on Wednesday. Coming in off the bench for UB, Talia Merlino led a second-half comeback effort against the Zips with a career-high 13 points on the night. Belinda Gibb also tied a career-high in scoring, with 13 points as well. UB head coach Cheryl Dozier will look to build on the intensified play provided by her bench when the Bulls host a very athletic Marshall squad in Buffalo on Saturday.
"Marshall is the most athletic team in the conference," said Dozier. "We are going to have to do all the little things and play fundamentally sound basketball. We have got to get more production from the bench. I'm going to challenge those kids coming in off the bench, we need to find a spark."
Meunier is the Bulls' current leading scorer, averaging 11.9 points per game while freshman Heather Turner leads not only UB but the entire MAC in field goal percentage at .559 (66-for-118).
Marshall (8-7 overall, 2-2 MAC) is riding a three-game winning streak, most recently coming off a tight 88-87 victory over Ohio University on Tuesday. The Thundering Herd fosters the reigning MAC East Player of the Week in Teyonka Hodge. Aside from scoring the game-winning basket in Marshall's one-point victory over Ohio on Tuesday, the sophomore tossed in 16 points on the night. Sikeetha Shepard-Hall leads the Thundering Herd in scoring, averaging 13.4 points per game this season while sophomore Crystal Champion leads the team in rebounding with 8.7 rebounds per game. Champion's 8.7 boards per game also place her at the top of the MAC in the category.
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 seen limited minutes 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.
Saturday's game will also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the NCAA's "Take a kid to the Game" program. UB is hosting "Hoopla '05," an event that will feature free posters, face painters, jugglers, clowns and inflatables as well as a post-game autograph session with the UB women's basketball team. Doors open at noon and free tickets to the game and to the festivities are available at the UB ticket office in Alumni Arena.
