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.
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 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, 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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Summer Hemphill found herself wide open in the closing seconds against Western Michigan. Senior guard Cierra Dillard launched a full-court pass and found Hemphill for the buzzer-beating layup, giving the Bulls a 61-59 win and a spot on ESPN’s top-10 plays. Most importantly, Hemphill, a junior forward, found more than a highlight reel play –– she found redemption.
Families across Erie County hunkered down Tuesday night, knowing they would be greeted with over a foot of snow when they woke up.
Head strength and conditioning coach Lewis Caralla is leaving UB after one season to be the head strength coach at Georgia Tech, Caralla announced Thursday on Twitter. It will be Caralla’s third job in three years. Caralla, who joined the Bulls last Jan. 19, brought new enthusiasm to the Buffalo weight room and field with his highly energetic style.
Solutions by The State News
