SET A TIMER: THE UB WOMEN FACE KENT STATE THIS AFTERNOON
SET A TIMER: THE UB WOMEN FACE KENT STATE THIS AFTERNOON
Plus: Coach Mo catches a pair of three-star wide receivers in the transfer portal.
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THEY’RE BACK: UB WOMEN’S HOOPS FACES KENT STATE AFTER 12-DAY LAYOFF
It has to be a coach’s nightmare: an unscheduled two-week break right as the season lifts off.
That’s the pandemic, folks, and even though the UB women’s basketball team has eight wins in its previous 10 games, it’s tough to say what to expect today when the Bulls (9-4 overall, 3-0 in Mid-American Conference play) face Kent State at 5 p.m. in Alumni Arena.
Buffalo Women’s Basketball: Where Were We?
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When last we saw Buffalo, the team KO’d Bowling Green for an 82-66 road victory. The game exemplified the team’s season to this point—the ability to pour in buckets, outscoring the Falcons 25-6 in the second quarter while shooting nine-of-14 from the field—before letting BGSU cut a 43-21 halftime lead as close as 11 points twice in the second half.
The UB women are a spectacularly entertaining team to watch. Buffalo plays a high-scoring style of basketball led by dynamic sophomore guard Dyaisha Fair (pictured above, #2) and fifth year senior Summer Hemphill. Buffalo averages 78.4 points per game, 21st in Division 1 hoops, and Fair is the nation’s fourth-leading scorer at 23.6 points per game (Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is the current leader with 25.2 per game).
At the same time, the Bulls allow over 69 points per game, seventh in the MAC—and four of the five teams beneath them (Central Michigan, Miami, Eastern Michigan, and Northern Illinois) are the worst teams in the conference. Only Ohio (8-4, 2-1), the top-scoring team in the conference, successfully plays the same kind of live-fast-or-die hoops as UB.
One more quick note from UBBulls.com:
The Bulls are ranked 55th in the latest NET rankings, the highest of any MAC schools. They are also ranked 14th in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
Buffalo’s Rotation Cheat Sheet
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Here’s who you are likely see on the floor for the Bulls today:
Dyaisha Fair, G. Fair’s been the subject of recent profiles for The Buffalo News and WIVB-TV, an impressive media breakthrough in a town not necessarily known for its interest in college sports in general or women’s sports in particular. Fair’s the team’s leading scorer but also averages 4.1 assists per game, second behind backcourt mate Dominique Camp (pictured above). She is fourth on the team in rebounds (4.4 per game).
Summer Hemphill, F. Hemphill has double-doubles in five of Buffalo’s 13 games, and averages nearly 17 points and nine boards per contest. “She’s proven everybody wrong,” Head Coach Felisha Legette-Jack told Paul Peck in a recent episode of UB Bulls Insider. “She is one of the most masterful human beings I have ever met. She’s an incredible student. She’s an amazing basketball player. Her best is yet to come. If you haven’t met Summer Hemphill yet, you are missing out on something amazing.”
Dominique Camp, G. Camp tied the school record for assists when she recorded 16 against Central Michigan on Dec. 29. Camp’s moved into the starting lineup in recent weeks, responding both with playmaking (28 assists in her last three games) and more consistent shooting. She’s eight-for-14 from the field and averaging 11 points in her last two games.
Adebola Adeyaye, F. After a quiet season on the scoresheet, the senior from Brampton, Ontario—the Bulls’ second leading rebounder (6.5 per game) behind Hemphill—dropped 10 and 15 on Central Michigan and Miami (Ohio), respectively.
Georgia Woolley, G. The Australian freshman already has a game-winning buzzer-beater under her belt and scored in double figures in seven consecutive games, including 22 against Niagara and 23 vs. Bucknell. After starting the season one-for-13 from three, Woolley’s shot nearly 40 percent from distance. She’s started three games but more often plays the role of the game-changer who can bring the heat off the bench.
Loren Christie, F. While Woolley brings the heat, Christie brings the height. A 6’3 junior from Hertfordshire, England, Christie averages over three blocks and three boards in just over 13 minutes per game.
Cheyenne McEvans, G. McEvans missed the Bowling Green game but had started 10 out of 12 contests this season. She’s scored in double figures five times, including 16 against Princeton, and is third on the team in assists and rebounds.
Ramatoulaye Keita, F. A redshirt sophomore, Keita has appeared in eight games and played a season-high 13 against Bowling Green.
Jazmine Young, G. Young’s started all 10 games in which she has appeared, but hasn’t played since Dec. 22 against Bucknell. She averages over eight points and five rebounds per game.
Nia Jordan, G. The junior from Philadelphia hasn’t appeared since the Bucknell game, either. In seven games, Jordan has 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
KENT STATE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: WHAT TO KNOW TODAY
Image from kentstatesports.com
The Golden Flashes (10-5, 2-4) whipped Eastern Michigan, 83-58, on Jan. 15, marking just the second victory in six games for Head Coach Todd Starkey’s bunch after winning four in a row to close non-conference play.
KSU garnered some national attention when the team took down then-#19 UCLA in the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 26. The Flashes also picked off Penn State in that early-season tournament.
Kent State is ranked 95th in the NCAA NET rankings and 75th in the nation in scoring at 71.3 points per game. The Flashes allow 60 points a game, which is 109th of the 348 teams in D1 women’s basketball.
Some scouting notes from kentstatesports.com:
The Golden Flashes (10-5, 2-4 MAC) sit at No. 18 in the Mid-Major Top 25 and have played stellar defense to start MAC play, limiting opponents to only 60.8 points per contest and 38.3% shooting. The defense was at its best over the final 22 minutes of Saturday's 83-58 victory over Eastern Michigan, holding the Eagles to 6-of-25 shooting during a 49-20 run that blew the game open. Kent State's offense also found its rhythm, shooting a season-best 51.9% from the field (27-of-52) and posting its highest-scoring game against a Division I opponent. Bridget Dunn finished with a career-high 19 points to lead all scorers, while Nila Blackford and Casey Santoro added 15 points each.
Kent State has defeated a pair of Power 5 opponents this season. The Flashes rank 17th in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.374) and three-pointers per game (9.0), Kent State is 21st in rebounding margin (+8.9) and has yet to be outrebounded.
Senior Lindsey Thall is having the best season of her career with averages of 13.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore Casey Santoro has been one of the nation's most productive non-starters with averages of 12.9 points and 3.8 assists per game while ranking 38th nationally with a 2.28 assist-to-turnover ratio. Junior Katie Shumate adds 12.5 points per game. Junior Nila Blackford (9.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg) and senior Hannah Young (7.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg) have helped the Flashes dominate opponents on the glass. Freshman Bridget Dunn (9.6 ppg) is averaging a team-high 13.7 points per game during MAC play.
Should be a good one! You can (and should) watch see the game on ESPN3.
FOOTBALL NEWS: SAY HELLO TO (SOME OF) UB’S NEW RECEIVING CORPS
I was wondering why Maurice Linguist seemed so frisky on Twitter yesterday afternoon:
Was it the Bills’ big win on Sunday? Was it normal recruiting hype?
It was not, as the Twitter machine soon revealed:
Justin Marshall is a three-star wide receiver who’s transferring to the Nickel City from the University of Louisville, where he was an impact player for a Cardinals team that went 6-7 overall and appeared in the Servpro First Responder Bowl.
Marshall is the second wide receiver to enter the portal, following the footsteps of Jordan Watkins, and the fourth player overall to do so. Running back Hassan Hall and offensive lineman Desmond Daniels will also complete their collegiate careers elsewhere.
Playing in all 12 of the Cardinals’ games during the 2021 regular season, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound redshirt junior had 23 receptions for 322 yards and a touchdown. He finished fourth on the team in catches and fifth in yardage.
The Conyers, Ga. native finishes his Cardinals career with 36 receptions for 544 yards and one touchdown across 37 games played.
That’s a hell of a pickup for Coach Mo. We’ve spent plenty of time wringing our hands about transfer portal losses this offseason—this one’s a clear-cut win.
Credit to UB Bull Run for spotting another WR commitment to the Bulls—(former) Arizona State receiver Geordie Porter.
Porter’s also a three-star transfer and has two years of eligibility remaining. He was underutilized by the Sun Devils, where he made 14 receptions in 12 games over three seasons for 250 yards and one touchdown.
It’s nice to see the flow reversed! Let’s see what else Buffalo can pull from the portal. There certainly are holes left to fill.