Although the UB women's basketball team's record this season might not be something to brag about, its 80-61 victory over the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks earlier this season was quite a statement.
Tonight, Buffalo (4-19 overall, 2-10 MAC) will take on Miami (13-11 overall, 7-6 MAC) in Ohio for round two of the season series.
The Bulls are coming off a 66-46 loss at MAC East division leader Marshall on Saturday. The loss was Buffalo's fifth in a row and 10th in its last 11 games. The Bulls trailed by just one at halftime, 26-25, and by five with fewer than seven minutes to go, 51-46. However, the Thundering Herd was able to pull away, embarking on a 15-0 run to end the game.
The Bulls are still looking for their first road win of the 2004-05 season. They are 0-13 on the road so far and have lost their last 16 road games dating back to last season.
"We try to go game-by-game and take the good with the bad, we can't really predict the win because we've been a rollercoaster all season," said senior guard Allison Bennett. "We do have confidence though because we did beat them once, and we have that shot again."
To hang tough with the RedHawks, the Bulls will have to shut down Miami's star player, Cindi Merrill. Merrill is tied for 13th place in Miami's school history with 1,059 career points and is the reigning MAC East player of the week.
"Cindi Merrill always has carried her team, we just can't let her have an easy look at the basket," said Bennett, who had her career-high 21 points against Miami earlier this season.
Another UB player, guard Belinda Gibb, also believes the Bulls can successfully rebound from their second-half meltdown against Marshall.
"I hope we've recovered, we stuck with them for the first half, if we take that and do it at Miami, we'll be fine," said Gibb.
Bennett echoed the sentiments of her teammate.
"We go in every game expecting a win even though we've been bumpy, I hope we bring the same intensity as the last game, but also Miami is ready to pay us back for their loss," said Bennett.
UB head coach Cheryl Dozier indicated that both Merrill and Amanda Jackson will be key players to watch out for, both being pre-season all-MAC selections.
"We played our best game all year against Miami, it's a tough place to play on the road again, but we need to play hard and capitalize in some way," said Dozier. "It's tough to play a team twice in one season and they are a tough match up, but we really want this win."
Once again, the Bulls will rely on the post play of their star freshman, Heather Turner.
"Turner has done a great job all year with rebounding and scoring, all the guards, everyone, contributes for a win," said Gibb. "If we stick to our game plan, run when we're told, that's what will help us out.
Tip off is set for 7 p.m. tonight in Oxford, Ohio.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
