UB WOMEN’S BASKETBALL BEATS RUTGERS IN WNIT GREAT 8, ADVANCES TO FAB 4
When the University at Buffalo Women’s Hoops team found themself in a 10-point hole to Rutgers during the second quarter, there was zero panic in their game, as come from behind victories have become customary for the Bulls. In the Great 8 of the WNIT yesterday, the UB Bulls clawed their way back and defeated the Scarlet Knights, 71-64.
In front of over 2,000 fans at Alumni Arena Sunday afternoon, the Bulls trailed for almost the entirety of the first three quarters. For the seventh time this season, UB found a way to win despite entering the fourth quarter with a deficit. Buffalo’s stellar ball movement, high-flying defense, and clutch free throw shooting aided their victory to advance to the WNIT Fab 4.
The Bulls recorded an assist on 18 of their 19 made field goals as a team, led by Lake Shore High School grad Noelani Cornfield’s 7 dimes. Chellia Watson posted a game high 28 points for the Bulls, with 13 of those coming in the fourth quarter. The Bulls 2-2-1 three-quarter court trap was at its best down the stretch, helping lead to 18 points off of 14 Rutgers turnovers. Once Buffalo took the lead in the fourth quarter, it was their consistency at the free throw line that sealed the victory. UB ended the day with 27 free throws made in their 30 attempts at the stripe.
Buffalo is the first team to punch their ticket to the WNIT Fab 4, to be played either Tuesday or Wednesday evening at a to be determined host site. It’s the first time that UB has ever made it to the WNIT Fab 4, and the first time in program history that they will be playing basketball in the month of April. The Bulls await the winner of Cleveland State vs Purdue Fort Wayne, who play this evening at 7PM Eastern.
SABRES FLATTENED BY FLYERS; RETURN THE FAVOR TO CAPITALS IN BACK-TO-BACK
What a see-saw weekend it was for the Buffalo Sabres. On Saturday, the Philadelphia Flyers looked like the ‘77 Canadiens, beating Buffalo 7-4 in Philly. With very little time to dwell on the defeat, the Sabres took to the nation’s capital and flipped the script, taking down the Eastern Conference-leading Washington Capitals 8-5 on Sunday.
Head Coach Lindy Ruff described the game Buffalo played in Philadelphia as “Christmas Hockey”, given how many gifts the Sabres handed out over the course of the afternoon. Buffalo suffered 15 giveaways throughout the day, and gave up two goals to the Flyers’ power play unit. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who has been riding the bench as of late, allowed seven goals on the 32 shots he faced, though Ruff credits those goals against to the lack of effort by Sabres back-checkers, not poor goaltending.
Alas, the Sabres responded less than a day later, with James Reimer between the pipes. After a 1-1 tie in the opening period, the Sabres got contributions from Ryan McLeod, Alex Tuch, and Sam Lafferty in the second frame. Leading 4-2 entering the third, Buffalo couldn't seem to put the game on ice. Despite Tage Thompson’s second of the game and a Jack Quinn goal to give them a 6-3 lead in the third, the Sabres began to flounder, giving up two goals against in the span of five minutes, allowing the hometown Caps to seize momentum. Alex Tuch’s 31st goal of the season, and second of the game, was the nail in the coffin Buffalo needed to insure the bounce back victory, with another bonus of an empty net goal from Peyton Krebs. Reimer ended the day making 24 saves on the 29 shots he faced.
With just nine games remaining, the Sabres need a miracle to make the postseason, but still, they are not mathematically eliminated just yet, despite their position of last place in the Eastern Conference standings. Buffalo heads from one capital to another, as they are in Ottawa tomorrow night for a meeting with Brady Tkachuk, Dylan Cozens and the Senators, who are currently in a Wild Card spot. Puck Drop from Canada’s capital is at 7PM.
BANDITS LOSE TO VANCOUVER AT HOME
For the first time all season, the Buffalo Bandits have lost back to back games. After suffering an 11-10 defeat at Albany last week, the Bandits fell at home to Vancouver, 13-12, on Saturday night.
Despite an Ian MacKay hat trick, Buffalo blew an 11-9 fourth quarter lead in Banditland, allowing three goals in the span of a four minute stretch in the final frame. MacKay’s 3rd goal of the game brought it back within one with three and a half minutes left, but Buffalo wasn’t able to muster up any more offense on their home floor.
The Bandits are now tied with the Saskatchewan Rush for the top spot in the standings with an 11-4 record. Thanks to the head-to-head victory, Buffalo owns the tiebreaker for first place. Just three games remain in the regular season. The path doesn’t get much easier for the Bandits this coming weekend, as they head out west to Colorado for a meeting with the 8-7 Mammoth on Saturday night.
BISONS & BLUE JAYS WEEKEND RECAP
The baseball season is officially in full swing (pun entirely intended, thank you), with both Buffalo and Toronto splitting their games they played respectively over the weekend.
Up North, the Blue Jays began the year with a 12-2 loss at home to the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. From there on out, though, Toronto took game two of the divisional series, 8-2. Before the visitors won game three 9-5. In the fourth and final game yesterday, the Blue Jays tied the series at two games a piece, with a 3-1 win at Rogers Centre. Toronto remains home for a three game series against the Washington Nationals, which begins tonight at 7PM.
Opening Day was beautiful for the Bisons in Buffalo on Friday, and the result was just as favorable as the weather. Buffalo defeated Rochester, 6-2, in the first game of the new season. On Saturday, the Bisons suffered an 8-3 loss, after beginning the game down five runs halfway through the first inning. The third game between Buffalo and Rochester was postponed due to rain downtown, that game is to be made up on April 23rd. The Herd heads to Memphis for a six game road swing in Tennessee, starting tomorrow evening, at 7:45.
The Scoreboard is presented by Zenner and Ritter Heating and Cooling.
