Men’s volleyball, hockey, and basketball, alongside women’s hockey and basketball, all took the court and ice this past week – looking to pad their resumes ahead of postseason play. With the regular season dwindling, it’s now or never to do so. In this edition, the first-ever Buffalo State Sports Round-up Team of the Week will be crowned, so which team did enough to receive the honor? Let’s take a look.
Women’s Basketball:
This week, Buffalo State’s women’s basketball team serves as the opener. They competed in three games over a five-day span – one on the road and two at home base inside the Sports Arena.
In their first of three games, the Bengals matched up with the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs in a make-up game, moved from its original Jan. 20 date due to weather. The Mustangs sat in the basement of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), holding an abysmal 1-20 overall record while being winless in conference play.
In a dedicated effort to win just their second game of the season, the Mustangs stormed out in front of the visiting Bengals, leading by two possessions for most of the opening quarter. The Bengals climbed back to tie the game at 17 midway through the second quarter, riding their newfound momentum to finish the half on a 12-2 run.
SUNY Morrisville took a page out of Buffalo State’s book in the third quarter, scoring eight unanswered points in the final five minutes of the third to bring the game to within three with the final ten minutes looming.
At the 6:44 mark, the Mustangs reclaimed the lead until Bengals forward Mya Brown scored seconds later to hand it back to her squad – never giving it up the rest of the way. Clutch free throws down the stretch by the likes of Chyann Kelly and Naya Haymon brought it home for the Bengals, clinching their fourth win of the season.
On Friday night, Buffalo State welcomed a much different level of competition to town. Plattsburgh State came to the Sports Arena boasting a 13-8 record, 8-6 in the SUNYAC, expecting to walk all over the Bengals.
The first half was one to forget for Buffalo State, shooting under 20% from the field, allowing Plattsburgh State to, as they anticipated, waltz into the locker room with a double-digit advantage.
The halftime break gave the Bengals a spark they desperately needed, improving their field goal percentage to 43%, outscoring the visiting Cardinals 19-18 in the third quarter. However, to the dismay of the hometown Buffalo State crowd, the Cardinals soon put out the Bengals hot streak, as the fourth quarter mirrored the first two quarters, helping Plattsburgh State seal a 57-42 victory.
Between Valentine’s Day and Senior Day, there was plenty to celebrate on Saturday afternoon as the Bengals put a bow on their three-game week with a crucial SUNYAC battle against the SUNY Potsdam Bears – a game that could play a factor in SUNYAC Tournament seeding.
Taking the words from NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, everything about the SUNY Potsdam Bears’ game was consistent in the first half – shooting an identical 41.67% from the field and scoring 15 points in each quarter. The same cannot be said for the Bengals. Following an excellent first ten minutes, they shot an ugly 16% in the next ten. They trailed 30-25 at the break.
The day continued to offer more identical surprises, as the Bengals roared out of halftime, just like they did the night prior, outscoring the Bears 21-16 in the third quarter to knot the game at 46 with one quarter left to play.
Unfortunately, the fourth quarter belonged to SUNY Potsdam, as the Bengals fighting spirit was no match for the Bears’ efficiency, shooting over 50% in the quarter to spoil the Bengals’ senior day by a final score of 68-60.
The lady Bengals’ head must remain in the game with the final two regular-season games on tap next weekend, squaring off with SUNY Canton and Oswego State away from home.
Men’s Hockey:
Next up: the men’s hockey team, which had the smallest game schedule of any Buffalo State team this week. They competed in only two games, both at home, against SUNY Canton and SUNY Potsdam. Both teams nearby in the SUNYAC standings made these match-ups all the more important.
Friday night’s battle with the Roos saw the Bengals playing from behind in a hurry, as SUNY Canton found the back of the net within the first seven minutes. They failed to escape their positioning through the next 34 minutes, still trailing 1-0 heading into the third and final period.
At last, a goal was scored at the 9:50 mark of the third period, just not by the Bengals. SUNY Canton tacked on one more in the final minutes, handing the Bengals their second shutout in three games. A wildly different result compared to when the clubs first met a month prior, where the Bengals edged out the Roos 2-1 in overtime.
Celebration was in the air the following afternoon, as the Bengals aimed to bounce back on Senior Day against SUNY Potsdam, a team they had previously lost to in their first game from winter break in January.
Refusing to repeat another painfully slow start, the Bengals blew the doors of the Bears in the first period, scoring two goals to excite the Ice Arena crowd. Lucas Signoretti continued to keep the place hot, adding two more goals in the second period, doubling SUNY Potsdam’s output. The squad did it once more in the third period, sending the seniors off in a blaze of glory with a convincing 6-2 win. Signoretti’s four-game outburst earned SUNYAC Men’s Hockey Rookie of the Year honors. Congratulations!
To close out the regular season, the men’s hockey team hits the road to face the defending three-time Division III National Champions, Hobart Statesmen, and the always-sturdy Oswego State Lakers. The men’s hockey team will have an opportunity to carry some serious momentum into the SUNYAC Tournament if the guys can find a path to victory next week.
Women’s Hockey:
Sticking with the hockey trend, the women’s hockey team was thrown right into the fire this week, playing as the visitors in all three of their games. They got started on Tuesday, making up a previously postponed game against William Smith College.
In their first meeting of the season, the Herons got the best of the Bengals, topping them 4-2. Through the first two periods, it was clear this game wasn’t trending down that same high-scoring path, as the score sat at just 1-0, the Herons in possession of the lead.
In a flash, William Smith added to their lead with an unassisted goal, slowly putting the Bengals’ chances at risk. The squad needed a spark, a wake-up call, anything of the sort to provide them with life. Whatever they were waiting for never arrived – William Smith later scored a power-play goal to dash any last hopes. The 3-0 final score marked the first time the team had been shut out since Nov. 22.
Given a few days to regroup, the Bengals went back out on the ice on Friday night. In front of them stood the Cortland Red Dragons, a team they narrowly lost to earlier in the season.
From the opening puck drop, it was apparent that the Red Dragons were not going to be stopped on this night. Within the first 20 seconds of the game, Cortland’s Grace Karakas buried a goal, in what was far and away the fastest goal scored in any game the Buffalo State Sports Round-up has covered. And much to the displeasure of us Bengal supporters, they were not done, not by a long shot.
The Red Dragons went on to score one more goal in the first period before blowing the game wide open, outscoring the Bengals 3-1 in the second period to make the score 5-1 going into the third.
Unwilling to let up, Cortland matched their current total in the third period alone, scoring five (yes, five) goals to mercifully put the Bengals out, 10-1. This week was going from bad to worse for the club. Nonetheless, they had to put it all behind them, as it was time to honor the Bengal seniors in Saturday’s Senior Day game against SUNY Morrisville – an appreciated step down in competition.
Despite SUNY Morrisville being just 3-19, Buffalo State still had to stay focused – a sentiment that hit them like a truck when the Mustangs found the back of the net rather quickly. The squad soon recovered, matching the Mustangs at one, then taking the lead before the period was over. Ironically, each Bengal goal was scored by a freshman.
The Mustangs continued to hang tough, posting another goal in the second period, which was shortly doubled, yet again, by the Bengals. The score was 4-2 with 20 minutes left to play.
Despite allowing another goal in the final period, the Bengals did what they had to do to remain in the lead until the very end, earning a much-deserved Senior Day win, 4-3.
Sitting comfortably at 12-10-1, the women’s hockey team closes the book on the regular season with trips to Oswego and Canton over the upcoming weekend. One step closer to the SUNYAC Tournament.
Men’s Volleyball:
Moving on, the men’s volleyball team competed in four games this week, the most of any Buffalo State team, which included a weekend tri-match in Dallas, Pennsylvania.
To open the week, the Bengals packed up and hit the road to take on Houghton, which held a lackluster 1-9 record. But don’t let the record fool you, the Highlanders came to play.
The Bengals put pedal to the metal immediately, racing out to a 6-0 lead, though Houghton stayed within striking distance through most of the first set. The Highlanders would get within four on multiple occasions, but the Bengals snuffed out any comeback tries, taking the set 25-18.
The second set started out as a back-and-forth brawl, staying that way throughout its entirety. The set featured nine lead changes, ten ties, and neither team held a lead of more than two. It came down to the wire, locked up at 22. A service error put the Bengals ahead, leading to a kill by Brady Bowman to bring it to set point. Service error kept the Highlanders alive, but not for much longer. Another kill by Brady Bowman closed it out, the Bengals now with a two sets to none advantage.
The third set continued the back-and-forth trend of the match, with the game deadlocked at 21 late. That’s when the Bengals put together their largest rally of the set, scoring four unanswered to complete the shutout, 3-0. The team stayed busy, turning around to make it to Rochester the following night for a date with the Nazareth Golden Eagles. If you thought the last game was close, just you wait for this one.
The Bengals were scorching hot to start, taking a 10-2 lead before Nazareth could even get their wits about them. The Golden Eagles soon recovered, getting to within two, which led to each side trading points with every serve. Playing with the lead, this worked to the Bengals’ favor, eventually winning the set, 25-20.
Now better prepared, Nazareth jumped out to an early lead – a lead that would change hands at every turn. Following the same book as the opening set, the Bengals and Golden Eagles traded points relentlessly, causing the set to be tied at 23. Needing the win to stay alive, Nazareth scored back-to-back points to beat the Bengals to the 25-point mark. It was all tied up at one set apiece.
Replicating the first two sets, the Bengals took the ensuing set, while the Golden Eagles lived to see another set by winning the fourth set, all to bring a fifth and deciding set to life.
Each team canceled out the other’s early rally, leading to another point-trading war that caused the race to 15 to exceed the point total. With the set tied at 17, in need of a two-point lead to win it, the Bengals beat the Golden Eagles to the punch. Brady Bowman delivered, yet again, in the clutch with a kill, allowing Jackson Stang to win it with a service ace. This win put the Bengals at 10-1.
For Valentine’s Day, the squad celebrated by crossing state lines to take part in the Misericordia Tri-Match. They had every intention of taking home their third tri-match victory of the season. To their surprise, the hosting Misericordia Cougars shut down that thought in convincing fashion.
While the Bengals fought their hearts out in every set, they struggled to maintain a lead the entire game. The Cougars could not be contained, hounding the Bengals en route to a 3-0 shutout win, giving the team a taste of their own medicine. Luckily, it proved to be the rude awakening they needed.
Later that day, the Bengals stood across the court from Manhattanville University. They fell behind by as much as five in the set, but crawled back to tie it with a five-point rally. Another rally gave the Bengals the lead before Drew Bowman sealed the set win with a service ace.
From there, the Bengals found their rhythm. The squad cruised through the second set, winning 25-18, then finished the day by taking the third set handily, 25-19. Despite not claiming the tri-match win, flipping a shutout loss into a shutout victory is nothing to scoff at.
Another busy week awaits the men’s volleyball team, as they play host to Penn State Behrend on Wednesday, then turn around to compete in two tri-matches over the weekend: the Thiel Tri-Match and the Mount Union Tri-Match.
Men’s Basketball:
To round out this week’s round-up, we take a look at the men’s basketball team. They had a full plate of three games, two of which were on home soil at the Sports Arena.
On Tuesday, they got their road game out of the way, traveling for a make-up game against the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs. The Bengals fell behind early and struggled to make up ground, facing a 19-point deficit at the half. Shortcomings in shooting the ball – 28% field goal percentage, 23% from three – aided in their inability to keep pace.
Determined to fix their problems, the Bengals found their way on the offensive side of the basketball, shooting a much-improved 51% from the field. Sophomore standout Oryan DeJesus led the turnaround, netting 25 points on the night.
To the squad’s misfortune, the Mustangs had an answer for everything sent their way, matching the Bengals’ 53-point output in the second half. Hanging nearly 100 points, SUNY Morrisville took the home win, handing Buffalo State their third-straight loss.
Friday night, the Bengals returned from their three-game road trip, with 11-10 Plattsburgh State lined up. A close first half quickly spun the Cardinals’ way, getting their lead up to double digits. Though before the first 20 minutes were up, the Bengals trimmed it down to just four.
In the second half, neither team trailed by more than six, and with two minutes to go, Plattsburgh State held onto a one-point lead for dear life. A bucket by Oryan DeJesus was shortly equaled by the Cardinals’ Reem Welsh. Moments later, Oryan DeJesus came through again, giving Buffalo State the lead with just 32 seconds remaining. One last defensive stop finished the job, as the Bengals snapped their losing skid with a 66-64 win.
The following afternoon, like their fellow Bengals, the men’s basketball team doubled up on the celebration, honoring their seniors on Valentine’s Day. The team intent on spoiling the fun: the 1-22 SUNY Potsdam Bears.
The Bengals smacked the Bears in the mouth immediately, scoring 11 points before they could even get a point of their own. Everyone knew where this game was headed. But, in the next few minutes, the Bears erupted, going on a 17-4 run to claim the lead. Several lead changes and runs later, the Bengals held a one-point lead heading into the break.
The second half stuck with the trend, as leads disappeared and scoring runs only increased, so much so that a late run by the Bengals was enough to give them a double-digit lead with little time remaining. The team’s efficiency took center stage, nailing 17 of their 31 shot attempts to score 48 points in the half. And that was enough to bring home the Senior Day win, topping SUNY Potsdam 83-73.
Snapping a three-game losing streak with back-to-back home wins — including a Senior Day victory — and playing their most efficient basketball at the most critical point of the season, the men’s basketball team is recognized as the first-ever Buffalo State Sports Round-Up Team of the Week. Congratulations to the team on their success!
Now holding a 9-14 record, the men’s basketball team has two games left to play in the regular season. This upcoming weekend, they close it out by traveling to SUNY Canton to play the Roos and Oswego State to play the Lakers.
Congratulations to all the seniors who were honored during Saturday’s Senior Day festivities. Continue showing your support for Buffalo State sports as regular seasons end, postseasons begin, and the spring sports schedule creeps in. See you next week.
