Sports - The Spectrum

Hodge walks off Ford Field at the MAC Championship game. Written on the wrap around his wrist is "10/29" and "12/3," his brother’s birthday and death day.

SPORTS

No combine necessary

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 28, 2019

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.

Sophomore guard Jayvon Graves rises up for the slam dunk. His block on one end and slam on the other shifted the momentum during the final five minutes.

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Bulls on fire

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 28, 2019

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.

Senior forward Nick Perkins drives for two of his career-high 27 points in front of a sold-out Alumni Arena on Friday.

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Record amount of fans pack into Alumni Arena

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 25, 2019

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.

Senior forward Jeremy Harris goes for a reverse layup. Harris finished with a team-high 19 points along with eight rebounds.

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The Edge: UB vs Akron

By Sports Desk | Feb. 25, 2019

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 Bulls pose to celebrate their win. The women’s tennis team opened its 2019 spring season with two dominating performances.

SPORTS

Two championships later

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 25, 2019

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.

Freshman forward Jeenathan Williams finishes off a dunk for his only points of the game. The Bulls won in front of a sellout crowd of 6,688.

SPORTS

Bulls win in front of largest crowd ever

By Germain Brown and ANDREW FITZGERALD | Feb. 23, 2019

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 competes at the Wolverine Invite, hosted by the University of Michigan. Atkins broke the school record for the 600m event with a 1:18.86 time.

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Running through the past

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 21, 2019

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.

Freshman forward Jeenathan Williams drives into the paint. Williams finished with his best offensive performance of the season with 13 points on 6-10 shooting.

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Make a statement

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 21, 2019

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.

Junior tight end Tyler Mabry goes out for a pass. Mabry is one of three new Bulls to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

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Three more players enter transfer portal

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 17, 2019

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.

Senior guard Cierra Dillard looks for the foul after a layup. Dillard finished with 29 points and seven steals despite temporarily leaving the game after getting elbowed in the face.

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Losing on a technicality

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 17, 2019

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.

Senior pitcher Ally Power winds up for the pitch. Under new assistant coach Jody Hennigar the Bulls pitching staff looks to be better than ever.

SPORTS

First five down

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 14, 2019

“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.

Senior guard CJ Massinburg dribbles at the three-point line. Massinburg led the Bulls with 21 points and four rebounds, including going 11-12 from the free-throw line.

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Buffalo takes down Akron

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 14, 2019

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.

SPORTS

Bulls rebound against Central Michigan

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 11, 2019

UB men’s basketball came back from an 18-point deficit to defeat Central Michigan 90-76 on Saturday. The Bulls, without senior Nick Perkins for the first half, struggled to find their offensive rhythm before outscoring the Chippewas 52-33 in the second half.

Senior guard Cierra Dillard is swarmed by defenders while attempting a layup. Dillard, one of the NCAA’s leading scorers, finished with 31 points against Kent State.

SPORTS

Dillard shines in win over Kent State

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 11, 2019

Senior guard Cierra Dillard continued her MVP season with 31 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in the Bulls’ 75-66 win over Kent State on Saturday. Buffalo’s (16-5, 8-2 Mid-American Conference) starting lineup dominated the night and scored 71 out of 75 points. The Bulls forced turnovers and got out in transition to give them the edge. Sophomore starting point guard Hanna Hall was limited to just 17 minutes after taking a hard hit in the second half.

The Bulls train for their upcoming match. Buffalo will take on Central Michigan this Friday at 7 p.m. in Alumni Arena.

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Finishing strong

By NIKKO LAZZARA | Feb. 7, 2019

The Bulls, in a season with its share of ups and downs, return to Alumni Arena after three weeks away and want to continue their winning ways. Buffalo wresting (9-4, 2-2 Mid-American Conference) is back this Friday night to face off with the Central Michigan Chippewas (3-6, 2-3 MAC) at 7 p.m. The Chippewas lost four of their last five matches. The Bulls look to finish their final month of the season on a hot streak with three-straight home matches. Head coach John Stutzman believes individual motivations will propel the team to success.

Senior forward Jeremy Harris attempts a floater against Daemen. Harris has struggled in his past three games making 8-32 shots.

SPORTS

Shoot less, drive more

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 7, 2019

Buffalo loves to shoot from three. Every player on the men’s basketball starting lineup can shoot from deep and there is no question as to why they do it so much. They’re number 23 in the nation for three-point attempts this season with 629.

Lance Leipold runs onto the field during the opening game of the 2018 season. The Bulls head coach signed a new contract worth $615,000 per year.

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Buffalo extends Lance Leipold through 2023

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 7, 2019

Head football coach Lance Leipold received a five-year contract extension running through the 2023 season, UB Athletics announced on Tuesday. Leipold came to UB in 2014 and just completed his fourth season as head coach. He led Buffalo to a school-record 10 wins and 7-1 record in the Mid-American Conference this season. The Bulls appeared in just their second MAC Championship game and earned the third-ever bowl berth. Leipold receives a $159,500 salary increase with the extension.

Senior guard Dontay Caruthers picks up his dribble in the corner in a previous game. Caruthers had a career-high 28 points in UB’s loss against Bowling Green.

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No. 18 Bulls fall to Bowling Green

By Sports Desk | Feb. 3, 2019

Bowling Green is now the top team in the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls (19-3, 7-2 MAC) found themselves in front of a sold-out Bowling Green crowd Friday night to take on the Falcons (15-6, 7-1 MAC).

SPORTS

Women’s tennis starts spring season with two wins

By Sports Desk | Feb. 3, 2019

Miller Tennis Center reopened for business this weekend as men’s and women’s tennis each hosted their first home matches of the season. The women’s tennis team picked right up where it left off last season, when the Bulls won their second-straight Mid-American Conference Championship. Now the team is on track for a third.

The Bulls celebrate their third Mid-American Conference championship in four years. Head coach Nate Oats wants to build a great program not just a great team.

SPORTS

Bulls don’t want to be this year’s Loyola Chicago

By NATHANIEL MENDELSON | Feb. 3, 2019

Loyola-Chicago, as an 11 seed in the NCAA March Madness tournament, made a magical run to the final four last season. The Ramblers took over the television screens of millions of Americans, who watched in awe as the unknown school and its 99-year-old mascot Sister Jean stole hearts and produced one of the best underdog stories of the year.