CLEVELAND, OH – Buffalo women’s basketball lost Saturday to Kent State to secure them as the four-seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament. The Bulls automatically advanced to the quarterfinals and were happily greeted by the Golden Flashes in the first round. Buffalo lost by nine points last Saturday. On Wednesday, they won by 33.
The women’s basketball team celebrated senior day on March 2, but the team’s final home game wasn’t until March 6. It was the last time for fans not traveling to Cleveland for the Mid-American Conference tournament to see senior guard Cierra Dillard. Dillard came to UB three years ago from UMass-Amherst. Dillard led the Minutewomen in points and steals before transferring and returning closer to home in Buffalo.
Men’s basketball head coach Nate Oats had a different starting lineup for the first time this season. Seniors Dontay Caruthers, CJ Massinburg, Jeremy Harris, Nick Perkins and Montell McRae started the final home game of their careers together. The Bulls defeated Bowling Green 84-73 in front of the largest crowd at Alumni Arena this season of 6,709.
As Buffalo athletics continues to prosper, more athletes are signing professional contracts abroad after graduation. Recently, men’s and women’s basketball has been the main producers of talent with multiple players going to Australia and Europe to continue their playing careers.
Back to back. The No. 19 UB Bulls claimed the Mid-American Conference regular season title for the second-straight season as they defeated Ohio 82-79 Tuesday night.
“We are enough.” The back of every shirt UB women’s basketball players wore on Saturday had those words. The Bulls defeated Miami (OH) by 25 points, but the victory wasn’t the most important part of the performance.
The 2019 NFL Scouting Combine took place over four days in Indianapolis this past week. Two UB football alumni, quarterback Tyree Jackson and wide receiver Anthony Johnson, each took to the field in Lucas Oil Stadium to perform.
Over 6,600 fans are in attendance watching the nationally ranked UB men's basketball team take down Kent State. The Bulls are up by 11 and CJ Massinburg just hit another three-point shot. Terrell Richardson and Bobby Lundy rush down the court to try and find a lucky fan to launch a T-shirt at as the PA announcer yells out “Tees for threes.”
No player has more tackles over the last three seasons than Khalil Hodge. At 419 total tackles, he has 73 more than the next-highest player in college football. This week marks the annual NFL combine where the top prospects across all of college football will perform drills in front of coaches, scouts and general managers from all 32 NFL teams. In total, over 300 athletes were invited to compete, 37 of which are linebackers, eight of which are from mid-major conferences and not one was named Khalil Hodge.
The Buffalo Bulls continue to be the hottest team in town with another win against the Akron Zips on Tuesday night. Buffalo kept a rowdy crowd on the edge of their seats until the final four minutes where it finally took control. The Bulls (25-3, 13-2 Mid-American Conference) defeated Akron (15-13, 7-8 MAC) 77-64.
The UB men’s basketball team drew a record-breaking number of 6,688 fans to Alumni Arena on Friday. The standing-room only crowd roared throughout the Bulls’ 80-57 win over Kent State as the Buffalo bounce house was in full effect.
Buffalo men’s basketball has rattled off five-straight wins after losing a heart breaker to Bowling Green on Feb. 1. The Bulls defeated some of the top competition in the Mid-American Conference with wins against Toledo and Kent State. They also beat Akron on the road 76-70 earlier this month.
The UB women’s tennis team has won back-to-back Mid-American Conference Championships and made it to the finals in the past three years. The women are coming off a 6-1 loss to West Virginia at home this past weekend. It was a rare loss and one that made them have to reconsider their reasoning for competing.
Buffalo has never seen a crowd like this one. The Bulls, in front of 6,688 fans, dazzled to the delight of the largest crowd they’ve had since Alumni Arena was redesigned. Buffalo (24-3, 12-2 Mid-American Conference) beat Kent State (19-8, 8-6 MAC) 80-57 on Friday night, their 24th-straight win at home, and clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming MAC tournament. The Bulls led the game in field goal percentage, assists and steals while only committing 10 turnovers.
Leon Atkins remembers getting accepted to UB as one of the greatest moments of his life. The junior track athlete is the first person in his family to get accepted to college, but he never set his sights on continuing his education or his running career.
The Bulls could have scored 6 points in the first half and won. Instead, they scored 52. UB men’s basketball comfortably defeated Ohio 114-67 on Tuesday night. It was the highest-scoring output they’ve had all season and the most points against a Division-I opponent ever.
The UB football roster continues to change for next season with three more players potentially transferring. Running back Emmanuel Reed, tight end Tyler Mabry and wide receiver Charlie Jones all submitted paperwork to enter the NCAA transfer portal. UB has two days to submit their names into the portal once they fill out the paperwork. Coaches from other schools are then allowed to contact them. Wide receiver K.J. Osborn already announced he will be leaving UB to play at University of Miami next season.
There was no love lost between the Bulls and Chippewas Saturday afternoon. Women’s basketball head coach Felisha Legette-Jack sat in the media room at Alumni Arena next to her star player, senior guard Cierra Dillard, both visibly upset. Legette-Jack gave a thousand-yard stare toward the green screen in the back of the room as she delivered her opening statement.
“Swing and a miss” is a common phrase uttered by baseball broadcasters and the unfortunate result of UB softball’s first five games of the season. Softball (0-5) travelled to Fullerton, California last weekend to compete in the Titan Classic against teams from across the country. The Bulls lost every game but managed to remain close, losing twice in extra innings.
Behind chants of “Buffalo is in Canada” from the Akron student section, the Bulls proved again why they are the best team in the Mid-American Conference.
Solutions by The State News
