This week, back in its original form, the Buffalo State Sports Round-up is here to recap the last seven days of Bengals athletics, covering each game, moment, and unreal play that went down on and off campus grounds. There’s plenty to dive into, so let’s get right to it. Amid the nasty winter weather, how many BSU teams are finding a way to win? Here’s where we find out.
Men’s Hockey:
Having lost three of their last four games and struggling through much of their winter break schedule, the men’s hockey team was determined to find the success they hadn’t dug up in nearly two months. A golden opportunity presented itself this past Friday night: a home rivalry game against the Fredonia Blue Devils.
The Bengals didn’t bother playing with their food, scoring two goals in the first five minutes of the game – capitalizing on an early power-play opportunity. Before the first period concluded, Fredonia notched a power-play goal of their own before Buffalo State freshman forward Lucas Signoretti moved the Bengal lead back up to two.
The second period saw each team knock in a goal apiece, making the score 4-2 in favor of the Bengals with 20 minutes left to play.
Buffalo State held possession of the puck for much of the first half of period three, though a costly two-minute tripping penalty set the Blue Devils up for a huge power-play goal – their second of the game.
A penalty on Fredonia allowed the Bengals to regain possession of the puck down the stretch, but they were unable to nail the put-away goal. Which, in turn, allowed the Blue Devils’ last gasp to pay off, as forward Mathieu Fournier completed a hat-trick with an improbable game-tying goal at the 19:47 mark. Overtime was now on tap.
The extra period would only last four minutes, as a Lucas Signoretti power-play goal sealed a much-needed “Battle By The Lake” victory.
The team must prep for a road trip next weekend, as they look to carry their winning ways over to Plattsburgh State on Friday night and Skidmore College on Saturday afternoon.
Women’s Basketball:
Getting into the Buffalo State basketball scene, the women’s basketball team hosted a pair of games this past week, matched against stiff competition. In the first of the two, Cortland came to town, boasting an impressive 9-0 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) record.
The Bengals stuck around early, only trailing by five at the end of the first quarter. However, a scoring flurry by the Red Dragons in the final minutes of the half shot their lead up to 17, making it a 42-25 Cortland advantage at the break.
There wasn’t much scoring being done in the third quarter, though that wasn’t the case in the fourth. Cortland outscored the Bengals 24-13 in the final ten minutes to secure a dominant 78-47 road win. Regardless of the loss, Bengals senior guard Naya Haymon shined brighter than anyone on the floor, netting a game-high 20 points to go along with five steals.
Friday night arrived, and with it came a “Battle By The Lake” rivalry match-up in the Sports Arena between the 11-6 Blue Devils and the 2-15 Bengals. It was going to take a team effort for Buffalo State to pull off the upset.
Fredonia came out swinging, leading by as much as 12 in the opening quarter before the Bengals cut it down to six. Each side traded runs in the second quarter, but a late surge and last-second bucket by sophomore guard Amya Moore put Buffalo State in front 36-35 at the half.
Despite a few close calls, the Bengals remained in the lead the rest of the way, gutting out a massive upset 69-64 on the back of four players scoring double-digit points. They needed a team effort to win, and that’s exactly what happened.
The women’s basketball team hopes to keep riding the high of victory into next weekend’s road trip, travelling to New Paltz for a battle with the Hawks on Friday night and matching up with SUNY Oneonta on Saturday afternoon.
Women’s Hockey:
Rolling back over to hockey, the women’s hockey team wanted to spit the taste of a defeat versus Cortland out of their mouths as soon as possible. The soonest that chance came was Friday afternoon’s contest against William & Smith College at the Ice Arena.
The game opened quietly, as each team combined to miss 21 shots over the first 20 minutes. The action picked up significantly in the next 20.
Before the halfway mark of the period, both the Herons and the Bengals had each found the back of the net. A tripping penalty on the Bengals in the closing minutes gave way for William & Smith to sink a power-play goal and take a 2-1 lead into the third and final period.
Now in full control, the Heronns kept the puck away from the Bengals while drilling two more goals, putting the game on ice. The loss dropped Buffalo State to 10-7-1 and a lackluster 2-5 SUNYAC record.
Buffalo State’s women’s hockey team was originally scheduled to play another game against William & Smith College on Saturday night; however, the game was postponed due to the weather. The make-up date is TBD, as of this writing.
Next weekend, the club competes in two games, both on home ice. Friday night’s contest is scheduled to be against Plattsburgh State, with Saturday afternoon’s game scheduled opposite SUNY Potsdam. Go support on campus!
Men’s Basketball:
The men’s basketball team wrapped up its four-game homestand this past week, squaring off with Cortland on Tuesday night, looking to get one back on the Red Dragons after a defeat over winter break, and finishing it off with a “Battle By The Lake” match-up against Fredonia, aiming to complete a season-sweep of their arch-rival.
Facing Cortland was a daunting task for the Bengals, as the Red Dragons arrived on Buffalo State grounds having won their last four games, while the Bengals had claimed only one win in their last five. Despite that fact, the Bengals refused to back down from their opposition, keeping the game within single digits at the half, 32-23. An upset was more than in play.
But, just as the second half started, the Bengals’ hopes dried up. Halftime adjustments proved to be the difference-maker for Cortland, exploding for 48 points while shooting over 60% from the field. Buffalo State upped its scoring total in the second half as well, though an abysmal showing at the charity stripe and an inability to keep the Red Dragons off the scoreboard diminished any chances they might’ve had, losing by a final score of 80-54.
When you’re in a slump, it’s difficult to find ways to escape it. Luckily for the men’s basketball team, a way fell right into their laps on Friday night. After both the women’s basketball team and the men’s hockey team defeated Fredonia earlier in the night, they were now graced with the opportunity to complete the ultimate rivalry sweep.
The Bengals and the visiting Blue Devils traded buckets over the first ten minutes, each team struggling to find a rhythm, but a late swing in Buffalo State’s favor took them into the locker room with a five-point lead.
That lead continued to expand deep into the second half until Fredonia hit their stride, connecting on 50% of their shots – a staggering 27% increase from the first half – and tying the game with 2:09 left to play.
Three clutch free throws by sophomore guard Oryan DeJesus regained the lead for Buffalo State, but it didn’t last. With 14 seconds to go, Fredonia’s Chris Williams laid it up and in to give the Blue Devils their first lead since the score was 12-11 at the 8:17 mark of the first half.
Unbelievable. Are the Bengals really going to lose like this? On this night?
Absolutely not.
Oryan DeJesus received the inbound, drove left, turned, and kicked it over to junior guard Jacob Opare, who shimmied right, pulling up just inside the three-point line to rattle home the game-winning shot – the second game-winning shot on campus against Fredonia that night. The team swarmed Opare in celebration, capping off an unforgettable game.
If that won’t get the men’s basketball out of a slump, then I don’t know what will. Next weekend, the Bengals are back on the road for some SUNYAC action against New Paltz on Friday night and SUNY Oneonta on Saturday afternoon.
Men’s Volleyball:
Unfortunately, due to inclement weather, Buffalo State’s undefeated #16-ranked men’s volleyball team was unable to travel to the Baldwin Wallace Invite in Berea, Ohio.
On the bright side, the next time you can catch the red-hot Bengals is this Friday night in their home opener against the St. John Fisher Cardinals. Scratch all your plans and go support!
It’s great to be back writing the Buffalo State Sports Round-up, and in case there are any worries, we’ll have a new one in store every single week this semester. Stay tuned for the packed schedule ready to be covered next week, right here at The Record.
