Jeenathan Williams had 19 offers from Division-I programs after high school. He had the chance to go to Syracuse. He could’ve gone to Virginia. But when selecting a college, basketball wasn’t even Williams’ main concern. He wanted to come home.
Tunney Murchie made the single largest donation in UB women’s basketball history on Tuesday. Murchie –– a 1975 graduate of UB and former player and assistant coach for the UB hockey team –– donated $100,000 to help fund the team’s summer tour to Spain.
The UB men’s basketball team (17-9, 8-5) defeated MAC rival Ball State (14-12, 7-6) 72-59 at Alumni Arena Tuesday. This marked the third-straight win for the Bulls, who are now in third place in the MAC East. UB got off to a slow start, shooting 1-14 in the first seven minutes. But the Bulls managed to tie the game just before halftime and went into the tunnel knotted up at 29.
By the time Ronaldo Segu reached ninth grade, he had a scholarship offer from Florida State University and an Instagram following that numbered in the tens of thousands. And by the time he graduated high school, Segu had earned 20 Division-I offers and became something of an online sensation — videos of his signature HESI move have been viewed millions of times.
Women’s basketball dropped its fifth-straight game Saturday afternoon in a 69-58 loss to Ball State (17-7). UB (13-10) had scoring troubles early on as the Cardinals held them to 11 of 33 from the field in the first half.
UB women’s basketball (13-9) lost to MAC rival Western Michigan (12-10) 74-62 at University Arena Wednesday. The loss drops the Bulls to 4-7 in MAC play, further endangering their chances of making a postseason run.
Jim Whitesell ‘perplexed’ by turnovers Over the past five games, men’s basketball is 2-3 and has dropped contests to Kent State and Eastern Michigan. During this period, the Bulls have turned the ball over 86 times. “To me, it’s perplexing,” head coach Jim Whitesell said.
UB has nine former football players in the professional ranks. For the first installation of a three-part series on former UB athletes, The Spectrum takes a look at the UB grads who excel on the gridiron:
The numbers are in, and they aren’t pretty. The 2020 UB football recruiting class ranks 131st in the country, a 25-place drop from last year, according to 247Sports.
UB women’s basketball (13-8) dropped its third-straight game to the Toledo Rockets (11-10) at Alumni Arena Saturday, falling 78-62. With the loss, the Bulls drop to third place in the MAC East.
UB has had trouble hanging on to leads during its 2019-20 campaign. Despite the Bulls’ late-game struggles this season, they managed to hang on in a close one Friday. The men’s basketball team (15-9) got off to a great start at home where they defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas (13-9) 65-60.
UB men’s basketball coach Jim Whitesell is stressing consistency as his team encroaches on the MAC Tournament in March. The 2020 Bulls have been characterized by a lack of consistency, stemming from inexperience and occasional lapses on defense.
Last season, the Bulls were one of the worst fielding teams in the nation. To help solve the problem, head coach Mike Ruechel brought in Riley Johnson, a former Syracuse University softball player and head coach at Division II Le Moyne College.
UB men’s basketball (14-9) lost to MAC rival Eastern Michigan (12-10) 66-62 at the EMU Convocation Center Tuesday.
Last September, UB football entered Beaver Stadium as a 31-point underdog to the then No. 15 Nittany Lions. The Bulls didn’t let that deter them: for 30 minutes, they were the better team. At the half, they led Penn State 10-7.
UB has struggled in close games this season. Friday's contest against Bowling Green proved no different.
The UB women’s basketball team (13-6) dropped a 98-93 heartbreaker to MAC rival Central Michigan (15-4) in double overtime at Alumni Arena Wednesday. The Bulls overcame a nine-point first-quarter deficit with a furious late-game rally. They forced double overtime but ultimately came up short to the reigning MAC regular-season champs.
Demone Harris is capping off a storybook season with a trip to the Super Bowl. The former UB star linebacker will have a chance to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy when his Kansas City Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon, former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant died after his helicopter crashed near Calabasas, CA, killing all nine people onboard, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Felisha Legette-Jack became the winningest coach in UB women’s basketball history with a 57-44 victory over Kent State at the MAC Center Saturday. With her 156th win, she passed Sal Buscaglia for sole possession of first place.
Solutions by The State News
