Campus Watch

Manhattan-Niagara live blog

MBB live blog: Loyola at Canisius

Final: Loyola 70, Canisius 52

Second half

3:32 left: Loyola leads, 64-49. The Greyhounds should cruise the rest of the way in this one.

7:47 left: Loyola leads, 55-43. The Griffs ahd dut the lead to eight, 51-43, in a steal and fastbreak layup by Belardo, but Loyola responded with back-to-back buckets.

11:35 left: Loyola leads, 44-35. The Griffs have fight. What they don't have is cosnistency.

15:58 left: Loyola leads, 39-24. And the wheels have come off for Canisius as the Greyhound's run now is 23-2 spanning two halves. 

17:18 left: Loyola leads, 32-24 and Canisius calls time out. The Greyhounds had a series of offensive rebounds and chances to reboot their offense. Not a good way for the Griffs to keep pace in the game.

Halftime: Loyola leads, 28-22. The Greyhounds used a 12-0 run to lcose out the half and quash the fsat start from the Griffs. Shane Walker has 11 points and nine rebounds for Loyola while Josiah Heath leads teh Grifs with six.

First half

3:12 left: Loyola leads, 23-22. A traditional three-point play by Justin Drummond and a pair of free throws from Shane Walker gave the Greyhounds the lead. Canisius can't get good looks at the other end.

6:30 left: Canisius leads, 22-18. Physial game with lots of whistles. Typical MAAC game. And very much up in the air at the moment.

10:24 left: Canisius leads, 20-14. Freshman forward Josiah Heath has been impressive early in the game, scoring six points on a combination of good control in the low post (and good passes from the guards) and a nice soft shooting touch from 15-feet out.

Double header days mean a late start to the men's blog as Canisius hosts Loyola. The Greyhounds are in a three-way tie for first in the MAAC while the Griffs are in the basement at 1-9.

But with 14 minutes left in the first half Canisius leads, 12-7 as Alshwayn Hymes and Franklin Milian each have five points.

WBB live blog: Rider at Canisius

Final: Canisius 60, Rider 54.

The Griffs imporve to 10-11 overall and 4-6 in the MAAC with Kayla Hoohuli and Ashley Wilkes each scoring 13.

Second half

5:56 left: Canisius leads, 47-37. There's some solid defense by the Griffs and a bit of ball luck, too. On the offensive end Wilkes is having another great game with 13 points.

11:38 left: Canisius leads, 36-35. Three-pointers from Emily Fazzini and Kornelija Valiuskyte have helped the Broncs keep pace with the Grffs.

13:50 left: Canisius leads, 33-29. Wilkes scored seven straight points incluidng a three-pointer which was immediately followed by a three from Ashley Durham to regain the lead for the Griffs. The run forced Rider to call timeout.

15:59 left: Rider leads, 27-25. The Broncs scored the first six points of the half to take the lead. A nice finish in the low post by Ashley Wilkes ended the run and seemed to steady the Griffs.

Halftime: Canisius leads, 23-21. Hoohuli leads all scorers with nine points, all on three-pointers. Neither team shot particularly well as the Griffs hit 26.9 percent (7 of 26) and Rider 26.7 percent (8 of 30).

First half

3:45 left: Canisius leads, 19-15.Courtney VandeBovenkamp will be shooting two free throws out of the time out. Another physical defensive class in the MAAC.

11:01 left: Canisius leads, 11-9. Hoohuli stretched it to three straight three-pointers for an 11-6 Griffs lead but Canisius missed some shots and Rider connected to close the gap.

15:31 left: Canisius leads, 8-6. Three-pointers by freshman Kayla Hoohuli are the difference for the Griffs early on, though Rider's MyNeshia McKenzie has two from outside also, incluidng one that a flat, dead bank in from where the rin and the backboard meet.

Pregame

Today is the last of six doubleheaders at the Koessler Athletic Center and the Canisius women's team is looking to put together back-to-back wins tipping off against Rider at noon. The Golden Griffins defeated Loyola, 65-55, on Friday when junior Ashley Wilkes had a career-high 19 points in 23 minutes.

Team captain, junior Allison Braun, remains out indefinetly with a leg injury. In her last 14 games she was shooting  50.7 percent from the field. Sophomore Jamie Ruttle leads the Griffs in scoring (11.0) and reboudning (5.3). The Griffs are 9-11 overall and 3-6 in the MAAC.

Rider is 10-10 overall and 2-7 in the MAAC and winless on the road in the conference this year. Sophomore MyNeshia McKenzie leads the team with 11.4 points a game.

Bona-Richmond Game Analysis

St. Bonaventure 62, Richmond 47

How Bona Won: Fifth-year coach Mark Schmidt knew from the start of his Bona tenure that he wanted an exemplary defensive team. He just didn't have the athletes to make it happen. Until now. The Bonnies limited Richmond to 5 second-half field goals and 26.5 percent shooting overall They destroyed the Spiders on the boards, 43-27. Bona bolted out to a 10-0 lead and never was seriously threatened in winning for the ninth time in the last 12 games.

Player of the Game: Fouls put the handcuffs on Andrew Nicholson (how many times have you heard that in his career?). But he still managed 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists -- all in 28 minutes. He fouled out with 3 1/2 minutes left.

Play of the Game: Bona made it 6-0 when Nicholson pivoted from eight feet, took a long step, stumbled and launched an underhanded scoop shot that found the net. And you wonder why NBA scouts are smitten with his athletic ability?

Play of the Game II: Chris Johnson was huge off the Bona bench. Momentum seemed to be slipping away when he produced a steal and finished a three-point play off a Matthew Wright pass a little over four minutes into the second half. That made it 39-30. Johnson finished with 11.

Future Watch: Kendall Anthony, a 5-foot-8 guard, came off the bench to score 21 for Richmond, matching his career high. He's legit. He's lightning. And he's only a freshman.

Stat of the Game: Richmond went 6 of 22 from behind the arc. They were 16 of 33 in their last game, a 102-58 dismantling of Fordham (which beat GW Saturday, by the way).

What It Means: Bona improved to 12-7 overall and 5-2 in the A-10. They're in a three-way tie for first.

In the House: A great crowd of 4,589 savored every minute of it. Well, almost every minute.

Next Up: The next two games probably will determine Bona's chances of taking the A-10 regular-season crown. They visit Saint Louis Wednesday. Then they're at UMass a week from Wednesday. A 1-1 road trip would be a major success.

Bob DiCesare

Bona vs. Richmond Live

Niagara-Loyola Game Analysis

Loyola 69, Niagara 57

How Loyola Won: That was maybe the best "D" anyone's played on Niagara at Taps this season. The Greyhounds were hawking in their man-to-man coverage and were determined not to surrender open looks. And they succeeded. Niagara went just 22 of 56 from the field and their frustration seemed to carry over to the foul line, from where they were 7 of 18. Loyola's talented. I liked them at Bona back in mid-December. The Purple Eagles can be satisfied with the roundabout split.

Player of the Game: Justin Drummond should be the spokesperson for an "I Love NY" campaign. He had a career-high 26 at Bona. He followed up with 21 against Niagara while playing a season-high 34 minutes. He loves taking it to the hoop. And he can shoot free throws (11 of 12). He took over the game.

Stat of the Game: Niagara went 7 of 18 from the free throw line.

Unsung: Joe Thomas gave the Purple Eagles a nice lift off the bench after Scooter Gillette ran into foul trouble early in the second half. Thomas scored six points and grabbed five boards in 19 minutes. Of course he missed all three free throw attempts.

They Said It . . .

Niagara coach Joe Mihalich on Loyola: "I think that' the best team they've had. Chemistry, the whole bit. All the pieces."

Mihalich on Niagara's free throw shooting: "Three of them were one and ones, so really you're 7 for 21. It was a kicker, no doubt about that."

In the House: A mere 1,626 on Beach Night at the Gallagher Center.

What It Means: Loyola retained a share of first in the conference at 8-2. Niagara fell to 4-6.

Next Up: The Purple Eagles welcome Manhattan to Taps at 4 Sunday. Loyola plays at Canisius at 2:15.

Bob DiCesare

Manhattan-Canisius live blog

Pregame at Taps

Crowd should fill out shortly

Niagara vs. Loyola Live

Logjam atop the A-10

The St. Bonaventure men's basketball team needed overtime to win on the road last night against Rhode Island, the only winless team in Atlantic 10 league play. But a win is a win, and suddenly the Bonnies are tied for first in a tightly  packed A-10 race. Bona is in a five-way tie for first at 4-2 with St. Louis, Dayton, UMass and LaSalle. Temple, the highest A-10 team in the RPIs at No. 16, is a half-game back at 3-2. Five other teams have three losses.

That means 11 teams are within a game of first in the A-10, which actually has 13 teams (the Atlantic Baker's Dozen?). The Bonnies are only eighth among A-10 teams in the power rankings at No. 88, however. A home loss to Arkansas State drags down their rating. Too bad they lost close games to Illinois and North Carolina State. The Bonnies host Richmond on Saturday, then play a huge road game at St. Louis, which is currently 16-4 overall.

Meanwhile, the Bona women are ranked 27th in the AP poll and are 28th in the RPIs. They're 19-2 overall and 6-0 in the A-10. The Bonnies' two losses were to teams rated higher in the women's RPIs -- No. 7 Delaware and No. 15 Villanova. Barring a total collapse, Bona should make the NCAA Tournament. They'll have a strong case as an at-large if they don't win the A-10 tourney. No Western New York women's team has ever gotten an at-large berth. Only one team, Canisius, has gone as a conference champ.

--- Jerry Sullivan

WBB Live Blog: Saint Joe's at St. Bonaventure

Final: St. Bonaventure 68, Saint Joseph's 61 And the Bonnies find a way to win. Ortega finished with 20 points and the Bonnies improved to 19-2 overall, 6-0 in the A-10.

Second half

3:53 left: Bona leads, 58-54. The Bonnies had a nice run with a pair of buckets from CeCe Dixon combined with defensive stops. Bona got a defensive stop and a steal by Jessica Jenkins who pulled up for a quick three but missed it. The ball went out of bounds and will be Saint Joe's ball out of the time out.

7:54 left: Saint Joe's leads, 52-50. The Bonnies last five points have come from the free throw line. It hasn't been pretty on either end.

11:52 left: Tied, 45-45. The Hawks took a 45-38 lead but the Bonnies found a spark in Doris Ortega who already has her career high with 16 points. Good defense has turned into offensive opporuntities, including a key stop, break led by CeCe Dixon who spotted up Chelsea Bowker for a 3-pointer.

15:49 left: Saint Joe's leads, 37-36. It's been a flat start for the Bonnies.

Halftime: St. Bonaventure leads, 32-31. Admittedly, that was one of the poorer performances I've seen from the Bona women, particularly on the defensive end. The good news, even with the poor performance Bona is still leading.

Doris Ortego leads all scorers with 10 points for Bona while Megan Van Tatenhove has seven and Jessica Jenkins six. The Hawks have balanced scoring and shot 48.3 percent (14 of 29) fromthe floor. The Bonnies have an 18-15 advantange on the boards but need to defend better and do a better job working for shots. The offense has been an individual effort for the most part in the opening 20 minutes with ony three assists on 13 baskets.

First half

3:52 left: Bona leads, 30-26, The Bonnies are doing a good job with the Hawks press but not converting enough. Also, the Bonnies could use some better defense, or at least more consistency on the defensive end. The last part of that segement was a lull. Energy is key for the Bonnies going into halftime.

7:11 left: Bona leads, 23-22. The Hawks came out of the last timeout on a 7-0 run to tkae a 20-14 lead. Ah, but then the Bonnies remembered to play defense and got back in the groove thanks to some aggressive play by Megan Van Tatenhove. 

11:57 left: Bona leads, 14-13. Jessica Jenkins gathered a loose ball in traffic, backed up and hit a three-pointer. How she routinely makes those shots with no sense of balance is a mystery. The foul situation, however, could come into play. The Bonnies have been whistled for four already. Saint Joe's? None.

15:33 left: Saint Joe's leads, 9-5. The Hawks got out to a quick start. Bona had some good looks but missed shots. 

OLEAN -- The charmed season continues at the Reilly Center tonight as the St. Bonaventure women's basketball team hosts Saint Joseph's. The Bonnies just missed cracking the Associated Press Top 25 this week with 42 points, the second best among those receiving votes. Bona is 5-0 in the Atlantic 10, the only undefeated team in the conference. The Bonnies are 6-0 in January.

Saint Joe's meanwhie is 13-5 overall and 3-1 in the A-10. They needed overtime to beat Fordham at home an barely hung on to defeat Xavier. With four seniors in the starting lineup the Hawks are due for a break out game and would love nothing more than to upset the Bonnies.

--- Amy Moritz

UB-EMU Game Analysis

UB 65, Eastern Michigan 47

How UB Won: Execution. Eastern Michigan's zone and slow-down offense tests a team's patience threshold. The Bulls took a punch in squandering a 10-point first-half lead but got down to business in the second half. Twenty assists on 22 baskets and a second-half shooting percentage of 66.7 shows how effective they were in solving the riddle. They also turned 11 EMU turnovers into 22 points.

Player of the Game: Jarod Oldham had three of his 10 assists in the first 5 minutes of the second half when UB went from up one to up nine. He turned it over just three times. He grabbed four rebounds. Point guard was UB's mystery position coming into the season. It's not a mystery anymore. The 6-3 sophomore from Decatur, Ill., is playing beyond his years.

Stat of the Game: EMU 7-footer Da'Shonte Riley blocked 7 shots. He's a transfer from Syracuse and only a sophomore. Akron's Zeke Marshall plays like the 7-footer that he is. Riley plays 7-3.

Play of the Game: Mitchell Watt's behind-the-back bounce pass that found Javon McCrea for a layup.

Pick Me Up: Zach Filzen loosened up the Eagles' zone by going 5 of 10 from 3. He made one bomb with the shot clock winding down that had guard Darrell Lampley shaking his head in disgust.

They Said It . . .

UB coach Reggie Witherspoon: "That was the biggest team we've played and the tempo of the game was a challenge to us that I think as the game went on we got better at handling. But initially the tempo of the game was difficult. There was no rhythm to it.'

Javon McCrea on going up against Riley: "I don't think it rattled me that much. I think I handled it well." (McCrea made 6 of 10 shots en route to a game-high 17 points).

Witherspoon on the challenges of playing the divisional crossovers: "Guys are a little less familiar with each other. The players are. When you're playing against a team twice a year by the time these guys are seniors . . . they know. When they only see each other once and maybe there are some personnel changes, they're not as familiar."

Filzen on the West: "We don't obviously play them as much. It's a little bit different but I think overall we're just trying to win every game. . . . They're all Division I basketball teams."

What It Means: UB opens its crossover schedule with a conquest of one of the West Division co-leaders. But so did East-leading Akron, a winner at Ball State. The Bulls have won three straight and are 11-6 overall, 4-2 in the MAC.

In the House: Just 2,154 turned out. On a campus with an enrollment of 25,000. The students must work up a healthy hate only for Akron.

Next Up: The second of six straight crossovers is Saturday afternoon at Northern Illinois.

Bob DiCesare

UB vs. EMU Live

Big 4 Hoops Chat

Mixed reactions to Paterno's death

Count me among the many who had mixed feelings about Joe Paterno after he died from complications of lung cancer earlier this week. There was Paterno the football coach, Paterno to the educator and Paterno the man who turned a blind eye in the sex-abuse scandal that rocked Penn State.

Paterno was considered an icon in State College and beyond for more than 60 years for both his success in athletics and commitment to academics. Attitudes toward him changed when authorties said Paterno failed to notify police after hearing accusations that former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky had molested boys. 

It was one of the biggest scandals to rock college sports and left people conflicted by their opinions of Paterno, a tortured soul when he died at age 85. Why didn't he do more to help children? We'll never know for sure. He will forever be remembered as a terrific coach, but sadly the link between him and Sandusky will forever hang in the backdrop.

Here's the link to Buffalo News Editor Margaret Sullivan's blog http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sulliview/2012/01/for-a-few-shameful-hours-news-of-paternos-death-was-greatly-exaggerated.html 

Here are some reactions to my column earlier in the week from readers, cut and pasted from my email:

-- "MANY PEOPLE FEEL JOE PATERNO COACHED TOO LONG, ME INCLUDED.  CAN’T HELP BUT THINK A YOUNGER JOE PATERNO WOULD HAVE HANDLED THE SANDUSKY ORDEAL DIFFERENTLY" 

-- "When I think of Coach Paterno I think of people like my father when he coached, old school, honest, there for the kids more than the wins.  I believe that Joe's program got away from him, probably years ago.  I can not imagine a person in their 80's coach little league let alone big time!  I just wish that Penn State would have retired him in such a way that would have given him dignity.  He was not going to do it on his own.  They should have looked after this man the way he looked after kids.  Like you said, it is all very sad."

-- "Sex between consenting adults is usually recognized as none of our business. College students are adults and not children. College staff members are ethically not to engage in sex with students and their are employment rules covering this. What I read to believe what happened was not a criminal act but an unethical act that the University Officials mishandled but not Joe Paterno who reported it to them.
 
"Coaching a football team could result in disastrous grade results from a staff member who was sympathetic to Sandusky. This is one of the political minefields coaching has to navigate that are not publicly recognized. Losing star players could easily destroy a team and the University's alumni support.
 
"Anyway the media really misreported this as child abuse when the participant said nothing was wrong."

-- "It's a tough subject to discuss - the dichotomy between who Paterno was and what he wasn't, all at once.  For me, it's all incredibly gray, which you expressed very well. For most  not connected to Penn State I think it's usually more black and white."

--- Bucky Gleason

Video: Bona post-game following win over Fordham

The Bonnies post-game press conference after their 95-51 victory over Fordham:

Bona-Fordham Game Analysis

St. Bonaventure 95, Fordham 51

How Bona Won: It was a complete mismatch when Fordham's Chris Gaston had to miss game because of a one-game suspension. He's one of conference's better players, averaging 15.4 points and 10.5 boards. Without him, Bona had everything its way on the inside. Andrew Nicholson and Da'Quan Cook combined for 37 points and 17 rebounds. It was never, ever a game.

Player of the Game: Cook seized the opportunity from the outset and finished with a season-high 18 points and eight rebounds. He was 6 of 11 from the field.

Stat of the Game: The Bonnies went 24 of 26 from the foul line. That's 92.3 percent. Cook and Youssou Ndoye had the misses. I imagine they'll be running suicides next practice.

Stat of the Game II: Fordham shot 41.7 percent in the second half -- and still finished at 29.1 for the game. The Rams made 6 of 31 first-half shots.

In the House: 4,119 turned up and had a jolly-good time.

They Said It:

Fordham coach Tom Pecora: "Today's my birthday. Nice present, huh?"

Bona coach Mark Schmidt: "We emphasize all the time the three aspects of the game -- defending, rebounding and taking care of the ball. In all three facets I thought we excelled."

Eye-Opener: Circumstance afforded freshman guard Jordan Gathers 20 minutes off the bench. He has game: 12 points, seven rebounds and 5-of-7 shooting from the field (including 2 of 4 from three). Strong on the ball, too.

What It Means: Bona's 10-7 overall and 3-2 in the A-10. They're 7-1 at the Reilly Center.

Next Up: The Bonnies travel to Rhode Island Wednesday to face former coach Jim Baron, who's on the hot seat. Road wins are hard to come by. The Bonnies need this one.

-- Bob DiCesare

Bona vs. Fordham Live

Fordham Minus Top Player vs. Bona

Fordham will be without 6-7 forward Chris Gaston, one of the top players in the Atlantic 10, for this afternoon's 2 p.m. start at Bona. Gaston was ejected for throwing a punch late in the first half of Wednesday's win over Rhode Island. The transgression carries a one-game suspension.

Gaston averages 15.4 points and 10.4 rebounds. He went off for 35 against West Texas and had 18 and 10 in the Rams' upset of nationally ranked Harvard.

Did You Know?: Cool item in the Fordham press notes. The Rams participated in the first game ever played with the 3-point line -- on Feb. 7, 1945. The arc -- at 21 feet -- was used on an experimental basis, with Columbia making 11 and Fordham nine. What's more, players had the option of shooting two-point free throws from behind the arc. Eight of those were made. Neat stuff. I had no idea.

-- Bob DiCesare

Niagara-Canisius Game Analysis

Niagara 75, Canisius 56

How Niagara Won: Redshirt Antoine Mason is the scorer it looked like he would be before injury cut short his true freshman season. And Marvin "The Microwave" Jordan? When he's hitting threes, watch out. The scoring exploits of those two, Juan'ya Green's passing and a zone that befuddled Canisius during the game's key juncture was all Niagara needed to run its winning streak to a season-high three games. The Purple Eagles are simply more talented and deeper.

Player of the Game: Mason said earlier in the week how he relished rivalry games. It showed. He had a game-high 22 points in his Niagara-Canisius debut and cut short a late Canisius rally with a mid-range jumper in the face of tough defense. That gave Niagara a seven-point lead with a little more than 5 minutes left. The Purple Eagles soared from there.

Missing in Action: This is the second time Harold Washington has disappeared against a Big 4 rival. He was no where to be found at UB. He faded to the background in this one, scoring just six points and none until 6:35 remained. Washington, a junior transfer, came in averaging 17.6.

Best Supporting Roles: Jordan's fully embraced entering off the bench. He entered and produced three straight threes as Niagara went from down 15-11 to up 20-11. And Green continues to show impressive maturity for a first-year player. Although he came in as the nation's leading freshman scorer, he subordinated himself to a director's role for a second straight game, dishing out a career-high 11 assists to break the mark of nine he set last game out. Looks like he just wants to win.

Stat of the Game: The Griffs went 7:03 without a field goal while Niagara's lead went from 26-19 to 37-21.

Stat of the Game II: Canisius shot just 26.9 percent in the second half. All told, the Griffs made just 12 of their final 49 shots.

Out Indefinitely: Canisius reserve guard Reggie Groves didn't see the floor. He twisted a knee last week and already suffers from severe arthritis in the knees. Coach Tom Parrotta said Groves's future is uncertain.

They Said It . . .

Niagara coach Joe Mihalich on Jordan's torrid start: "I'll always ask the assistants what the warmup was like. All three of them talked about Marvin. They said 'MJ is ready to go.'

Mason on Jordan: "Once the shots started falling it opened up the whole floor. We needed Marvin, The Microwave, to heat up."

Canisius guard Gaby Belardo on the Griffs' offensive struggles : They had some good adjustments in the second half. They were playing tough defense on us. They knew me and Shwan (Alshwan Hymes) were on fire in the first half. They made some adjustments on me and him."

What It Means: Niagara's up to 4-4 in the MAAC and 9-11 overall. The Griffs are 4-14, 1-7.

In the House: A virtual sellout at 2,196. Good showing by the student body. It would have been crisis stage on Main Street had the students turned their backs on a Niagara game.

Next: The upcoming five games should define Niagara's capabilities. They're at Manhattan Sunday, then get Loyola and Manhattan at home before road games at Fairfield and Rider. A 3-2 showing would position them well for the stretch. Canisius continues its search for answers Sunday at Rider.

Bob DiCesare

Canisius-Niagara Live

WBB live blog: Niagara at Canisius

Final: Niagara 66, Canisius 60

Second half

3:57 left: Niagara leads, 58-53. It's still too close to call, but Niagara appears to have control of the game. The Griffs aren't immune from creating dramatic comebacks, but the Purple Eagles have plenty of confidence at the moment.

7:44 left: Niagara leads, 50-47. A hard-earned offensive rebound by Jamie Ruttle, a put back and a foul cut the lead to three for Canisius but the Griffs have not been able to get over the hump. On the flip side, Niagara is doing just enough to stay ahead, coming up with the big plays when necessary.

11:20 left: Niagara leads, 46-44. The Griffs are on an 8-2 run and seem to have a bit more energy in the last few possessions. 

15:40 left: Niagara leads, 40-36. It's a back-and-forth affair at the moment. So far Niagara has been able to weather the storm, so to speak, but the Griffs are gritty and not ready to concede on their home court.

18:34 left: Niagara leads, 36-33. The Purple Eagles called timeout after Canisius began on a 5-0 run incluidng a three-pointer from Jen Morabito and an offensive putback from Ashley Wilkes.

Halftime: Niagara leads, 36-28. Consider the Purple Eagle are only averaging 50 points a game this season. Niagara is shoooting 47.1 percent (16 of 34) and have 10 points off turnovers and seven second-chance points. It's a balanced scoring sheet for Niagara, led by nine points from Lauren Gatto and Kayla Stroman. For Canisius, Ashley Durham has 10 points, thanks to an 8-for-8 performance from the free throw line.

First half

3:02 left: Niagara leads, 31-21. The Griffs cut the lead to four, 23-10, a three-pointer from Jen Morabito, but threes from Ali Morris and Kayla Stroman paced the Purple Eagles to the first double-digit lead of the game. Ashley Durham will be shooting a pair of free throws out of the time out.

7:26 left: Niagara leads, 21-12. What a performance from the Puprle Eagles. They're finding lanes and gaps in the defense to score points and frustrating the Griffs on the other end. Canisius is settling for three-pointers but not getting any rebounds.

11:27 left: Niagara leads, 13-10. Meghan McGuinness hit a three-pointer to give Niagara the lead. After the teams seemed content to trade missed shots and turnovers, the Purple Eagles started hitting shots and, more importantly, getting offesnive rebounds to reset their offense and produce points. The Griffs offense went cold in that segement.

15:39 left: Canisius leads, 8-4. The Griffs are active and aggressive on defense, but Niagara is quick in the backcourt and can create off turnovers and in the open court. Ashley Wilkes has four points for Canisius, getting good seals in the low post and soldi feeds from the perimeter.

Pregame

And the Battle of the Bridge invades the Koessler Athletic Center for a basketball doubleheader. Our first game features the women with both Canisius and Niagara looking to end two-game losing streaks.

The Golden Griffins (8-9, 2-4 MAAC) have won the last three meetings and seven of the last 10 with Niagara. It's the 80th meeting between the schools with Canisius holding a 47-32 edge. Canisius continues to be a team which shares the ball well, notching an assist on 69 percent of their field goal attempts -- sixth best in the country. Ashley Durham is averaging 4.2 assists per game.

Niagara (5-13, 2-4 MAAC) is led by sophomore Kayla Stroman who is averaging 9.7 points a game with 58 assists. The Purple Eagles are averaging just 50.5 points a game this season.

--- Amy Moritz

UB-Akron Game Analysis

UB 82, Akron 70

How UB Won: Zach Filzen found room to shoot. The bench came up big in the first half. Jarod Oldham continues to evolve into a quality Division I point guard. And Mitchell Watt and Javon McCrea played strong against Akron's imposing front line. It all factored in as the Bulls reduced the number of MAC unbeatens to zero.

Player of the Game: Filzen's 21 were huge but Oldham was The Man at point guard. He went for 11 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes. Only a sophomore, he could throw a triple-double on books before his days here are over.

Opposing Player of the Game: Quincy Diggs came off the bench for 17 points and five rebounds and nailed a pair of threes.

Stat of the Game: UB produced 23 assists on 29 field goals. It was a complete turnaround from Saturday's second half at Miami, when the lumbering offense was plagued by turnovers and managed just 13 shots.

They Said It . .

UB's Mitchell Watt on Akron's front line: "Akron's post playes are pretty tough. I'm pretty impressed with both of them, especially Cvetinovic. He has a motor so he keeps you honest all game. There's really no sitting back with that guy. And Zeke's a (7) footer. So it was a good challenge. I think everybody rose to it."

UB coach Reggie Witherspoon on Cameron Downing's seven-point, three-minute first half: "He did play pretty good didn't he? The Deisel. Big guys sometimes, there's ups and downs, sometimes there's three steps forward two steps back. But we had a lot of conversations with him. And we had a deep conversation last night. He made me tear a hole in my pants. ...It's about getting him to be assertive and aggressive."

Akron coach Keith Dambrot on the showdown: "We knew we were going to get Buffalo's best shot.Their back was against the wall. They had to win. We knew they were going to come at us hard. We knew they're phsyically strong enough to play with us.""

Dambrot on Ohio's 87-65 victory over Kent State Wednesday: "That shocks me. I know Ohio's a good team. They did to us down there last year. But I've never seen that happen to Kent since I've been in the league."

In the House: They announced that 1,700 students were in the crowd of 3,095, the highest student representation since 2005.

What It Means: UB's 2-2 in the MAC and tied for second with Kent, Ohio and Bowling Green. Akron continues to lead the pack.

What's Next: The Bulls travel to Bowling Green Saturday while Akron renews its rivalry with Kent.

-- Bob DiCesare

UB vs. Akron Live

Big 4 Hoops Chat

Niagara-Marist Game Analysis

Niagara 86, Marist 67

How Niagara Won: Niagara had just too many scorers, too many offensive options, for a Marist team that can't say the same. The Purple Eagles came out focused, blew out to a 13-3 lead and never looked back. Marist might have used youth as an excuse except that the Purple Eagles are just as young. Niagara starts two true freshmen, a redshirt freshman, a sophomore and a junior.

Player of the Game: Never mind his 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Antoine Mason's best effort came when he hustled back in transition, cut through a crowd in the lane and came out of nowhere to block a Marist layup attempt.

Player of the Game II: Sophomore Malcolm Lemmons went for 15 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes.

Stat of the Game: Niagara cruised even though Juan'ya Green failed to score in double figures for the first time in his career.

In the House: There were 1,133 at Taps.

What it Means: Niagara improved to 8-11 overall, 3-4 in the MAAC.

Next Up: It's Niagara at Canisius at 8:30 Thursday night.

-- Bob DiCesare

Niagara vs. Marist Live

Saint Peter's-Canisius live

WBB live blog: Bowling Green at Buffalo

Final: Bowling Green 79, Buffalo 59

Second half:

3:28 left: Bowling Green leads, 73-53. We're just waiting for the final horn at this point.

7:28 left: Bowling Green leads, 61-48. The falcons look to be en route to their fourth straight MAC win.

11:52 left: Bowling Green leads, 51-38. Shooting is not pretty this half as both teams are in the 20s, but the Bulls are worse for the wear hitting just 21.4 percent (3 of 14).

15:52 left: Bowling Green leads, 43-34. The Falcons opend the half on a 7-0 run to go up, 43-30 -- the first double-digit lead of the game. The Bulls missed their first four shots of the half before Hedderson made things happen on offense.

Halftime: Bowling Green leads, 36-30. Much closer than conventional wisdom would tell you. But conventional wisdom is, well, never fun. Hedderson has 13 points for the Bulls whil Jasmine Matthews leads the Falcons with 11 points. The Bulls are shooting 44 percent (11 of 25) while Bowling Green is hitting 46.9 percent (15 of 32).

First half

3:25 left: Bowling Green leads, 29-25. The Bulls are playing good defense, but at times are failing to secure the rebound, giving the Falcons second looks and opportunities to reset their offense. Brittany Hedderson drove the lane and was fouled. She will shoot one free throw out of the time out.

6:19 left: Bowling Green leads, 26-19. Ah, the game of runs. The Bulls went on an 8-0 run, fueled by three-pointers from Nicki Hopkins and Margeaux Gupilan to tie the game, 19-19. But Bowling Green then went on a 7-0 run of its own to regain the lead. Both teams, right now, believe they can win the game. If that remains, we could be in for a good one here in Alumni.

11:03 left: Bowling Green leads, 16-9. Turnovers are hurting the Bulls as their defense is adequate, on a few possessions even pretty darn good, but they're coughing up the ball on the other end, giving them little to show for it. The Falcons aren't quite in their groove yet, either. Not the sloppiest game I've seen this year, but lots of fumbles.

15:58 left: Bowling Green leads, 9-7. Brittany Hedderson hit two three-pointers to pace the Buffalo offense while Alexis Rogers has four points for the Falcons with some good moves inside. Back and forth and tight game to start.

Pregame

If you're talking Mid-American Conference women's basketball, you're talking Bowling Green. The Falcons are one of two undefeated teams in conference play (along with Miami) and are looking to extend to a 4-0 start this afternoon against the University at Buffalo in Alumni Arena.

Bowling Green (13-3) is off to a 3-0 start in the MAC for the seventh straight season. Junior guard Chrissy Steffen leads the Falcns with 15.1 ppg while senior guard Jessica Slagle is averaging 10.1 points. Sophomore forward Alexis Rogers anchors the paint with 10.8 ppg and 8.3 rebounds per game.

The Bulls enter the game on a four-game losing skid. The Bulls are looking for their first win in the MAC and are 5-12 overall. Brittany Hedderson leads the team with 19.5 points per game -- the only Buffalo player averaging double figures.

Bowling Green has won the last 14 meetings against Buffalo and Falcons coach Curt Miller is 16-1 against the Bulls.

--- Amy Moritz

Niagara-St. Peter's Game Analysis

NIAGARA 85, SAINT PETER'S 73

How Niagara Won: By getting everyone into the offense and complicating matters for a Saint Peter's team that typically plays pretty good defense. Antoine Mason got things going on the offensive end, and Scooter Gillette provided a big boost early with two blocks on the defensive end. The Peacocks struggled to match up with Niagara's scoring prowess on the perimeter.

Player of the Game: There's no picking just one out of the triumverate of Juan'ya Green (20 points), Mason (19) and Marvin Jordan (18). So we'll go with a tri-MVP. Meanwhile, Chris Prescott (22) was definitely The Man for the Peacocks.

Stat of the Game: Niagara went 20 of 25 at the foul line, 10 points better than their season average of 70 percent.

In the House: Just 962 showed up for the 9 p.m. tipoff on a cold, snowy night on Monteagle Ridge.

What It Means: Niagara's creeping closer to .500 at 7-11 overall and 2-4 in conference. And, as coach Joe Mihalich has noted, what would appear as the toughest part of the MAAC schedule is behind them.

Next Up: The Purple Eagles entertain Marist on Sunday afternoon.

-- Bob DiCesare