VOLUME 33, NUMBER 12 THURSDAY, November 29, 2001
ReporterSports Recap

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Basketball

Men's

Niagara 63, UB 62
UB 100, Chicago State 92
UB 58, Canisius 56

It was an exciting week for the Bulls as they opened the season with a 2-1 record that included the snapping of a 27-game road winless streak and a dramatic finish against cross-town rival Canisius.

The week began Nov. 19 with the Bulls falling to Niagara, 63-62, despite early foul trouble that forced the team to play its four freshmen and lone sophomore a combined 94 minutes.
Athletes of the Week

Clement Smith of the men's basketball team scored the game-winning basket on a dunk with one second remaining in UB's 58-56 victory over Canisius in the Bulls' home opener on Saturday. In three games during the week, Smith scored 22 points and pulled down 15 rebounds in helping the Bulls to consecutive victories for the first time since the 1999-2000 season.

Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe of the women's basketball team recorded her first career double-double—scoring 11 points and grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds—in UB's 70-50 victory over Niagara in the Bulls' home opener Nov. 20.

UB jumped out to a 12-9 lead 4:49 into the first half, but starters Robert Brown and Darcel Williams picked up early fouls, which limited their playing time. Brown recorded his third foul less than five minutes into the game, while Williams had two fouls in the first 4:54.

However, the Bulls, who were already handicapped without the services of three-year starter and 1,000 point scorer Louis Campbell because of an injury, called on freshmen Mark Bortz and Jason Bird, and sophomore Jason Walcott as UB trailed by just four points at the half, 39-35.

Freshman Turner Battle, who earned the start for the Bulls, scored on a layup to begin the second half as UB went on a 14-2 run to take its biggest lead of the game, going up by eight points—49-41—with 13:27 remaining.

Niagara chipped away and eventually regained the lead—57-56—on a two-pointer by Alvin Cruz with 4:16 left. UB rebounded as Bortz drained a shot from the top of the key just 13 seconds later. Niagara then connected on back-to-back layups to go up by three points before Bortz hit another shot to pull UB within a point. After two Niagara free throws, UB got the ball back with 17 seconds left and down by three points, but the Bulls missed two straight layups before Williams eventually laid the ball in with one second on the clock.

Five players scored in double digits as UB defeated Chicago State, 100-92, in a complete team effort on Nov. 21. The victory snapped a 27 game road winless streak for the Bulls spanning nearly two years

Williams had a game-high 24 points, Brown finished with 17 points, junior Davis Lawrence collected 11 points and senior Gabe Cagwin and Battle had 10 points each for the Bulls.

UB shot 54.2 percent from the field—32-of-59—and 50 percent at the line—25-of-50—while Chicago State hit 52.2 percent from the floor—35-of-67—and was 63 percent from the line—17-of-27. The Bulls also added 11 three pointers, with seven of those coming in the second half.

The Bulls capped off the week downing Canisius, 58-56, as senior Clement Smith dunked Battle's pass with one second left for the victory in Saturday night's home opener.

With the victory, the Bulls improved to 2-1 on the season and have won back-to-back games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, when they defeated Akron and Western Michigan in consecutive home games.

Battle tied the game at 56-56 on a jumper with 1:08 left on the clock.

Following a UB timeout, Canisius junior Toby Foster missed a jumper but the Griffs retained possession when the Bulls knocked the rebound out of bounds. With 16 seconds left, Lawrence was called for a foul, sending Brian Dux to the line. However, Dux missed both shots and Smith grabbed the rebound to set up the game-winning play. Following a timeout by both teams, UB inbounded the ball at half court with five seconds left. Battle put the ball in Smith hands, who promptly dunked the ball with authority to give UB the victory.

Women's

UB 70, Niagara 50

UB used a balanced scoring attack and strength on the defensive boards to shut down the visiting Niagara Purple Eagles, 70-50, in Alumni Arena Nov. 20.

The Bulls (1-2) picked up their first win of the season, led by junior Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe with 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds, and sophomore Jessica Kochendorfer, with a game-high 18 points. UB shot 43.6 percent in the game to Niagara's 22.1 percent, and outrebounded the Purple Eagles by a 57-34 margin.

UB sophomore Virginia Jennings opened the scoring with two early free throws and the action then went back and forth for the rest of the first half. There were seven ties in the first 20 minutes, with the last one coming with 1:59 left in the half, 28-28. After a free throw by UB freshman Allison Bennett, the teams exchanged three-pointers to send the Bulls to the locker room with a slim 32-31 lead. A jumper by Niagara's Eva Cunningham tied the score for the last time, 38-38, with 15:35 left on the clock, but the Bulls then embarked on a 17-3 run to take control of the game and put things out of reach.

Cross Country

Slick finishes 91st at NCAA Championships

Cross-country runner Jerimie Slick placed 91st in a field of 244 racers at the NCAA Division I National Championship, held at Furman University on Nov. 19. Slick completed the 10-kilometer course in 30:54.

The junior became the first UB athlete in more than 30 years to compete in the NCAA Division I Championship, qualifying for the national championships with his strong performance at the NCAA Northeast Regional meet in Boston Nov. 10. He finished eighth in a field of 249 runners, completing the 10-kilometer course in 30:15.30.

Slick also earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors at the MAC Championships in Ypsilanti, Mich. Oct. 27, finishing sixth in 25:21.9 along the eight-kilometer course, his top time of the season at the distance.

Wrestling

Northern Illinois 22, UB 13
UB 33, Eastern Michigan 6

UB split a dual-meet doubleheader on Sunday, downing MAC rival Eastern Michigan, 33-6, but falling to host Northern Illinois, 22-13. The Bulls are now 1-1 overall and in league action.

Against NIU, four Bulls won their respective matches, with Kyle Cerminara registering a victory by major decision. Ryan Bentley, Bill Jacoutot and Dave Guarino also won by decision.

 

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