Canisius guard Isaac Sosa has been named to the Academic All-District 1 team, the only player in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference so honored. Sosa has a 3.48 gpa in finance and is the first Griff on the District team since Darren Fenn in 2000-01.
UB has put two players on the Academic All-Mid-American Conference team. They are receiver Alex Neutz, who has a 3.59 in management, and defensive end Colby Way, a 3.49 in computer engineering. Three Bulls -- receiver Rudy Johnson, tight end Matt Weiser and QB Alex Zordich, achieved honorable mention status.
How UB Won: The offense rolled all night as the Bulls shot 57.7 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from three, established a season-high for points and became the first team this season (including Michigan) to reach 90 on the young Chippewas. Smaller CMU couldn't deal with UB's inside game as the Bulls 4-5 players combined to shoot 20 of 29. The MAC West remains a drain on the MAC's conference RPI -- and its reputation.
Player of the Game: Junior forward Cameron Downing went off for a career-high 21 points, including a clear-the-runways dunk, while junior guard Auraum Nuiriankh supplemented his career-high 18 points with 10 rebounds -- his second double-double of the season. You choose.
How Charlotte Won: Senior Jennifer Hailey scored 21 points and pulled in 13 rebounds as the 49ers dominated the points in the paint statistics (40-20). They shot 40.7 percent for the game (24 of 59) and scored 22 points off 15 offensive rebounds.
Most surprising stat: That St. Bonaventure was in this game. No disrespect, but on paper, the Bonnies had little business being in this game. The 49ers were picked to finish third in the A-10 and came in with a 3-1 conference mark, 14-4 overall. They're bigger than the Bonnies. More experienced than the Bonnies. And yet, Bona was never truly out of the game, even as they spent much of the night with three freshmen on the floor.
How Niagara Won: Marvin Jordan's three from the left corner with 2.9 seconds remaining stood as the winning points when Billy Baron's last-instant jumper was deemed to have come after time expired. Jordan's shot was set up by point guard Juan'ya Green, who raced up court, drove the lane and dished off as defenders converged.
Player of the Game: Jordan struck for a season-high 23 points on a night when leading scorers Antoine Mason and Green were limited by foul trouble. He played 34 minutes and went 9 of 18 from the floor with four rebounds and three steals.
Game Analysis: The Billikens defend the perimeter better than any team I've seen this year and took Bona's sharpshooters right out of the game. The Bonnies adjusted in the second half and struck for 34 points, but that 38-23 halftime deficit was too much to overcome.
Player of the Game: Saint Louis received production from a variety of players. Dwayne Evans had a game-high 18 points. Cody Ellis had two of his four steals late to derail Bona's comeback effort. But I loved the defensive work of junior guard Mke McCall Jr., who made life miserable to the Bonnies behind the arc. He had nine points, four rebounds and three steals.
Western New York native Bob DiCesare covers UB football, Big 4 basketball and writes an occasional column. He still holds a grudge against Chris Ford who, he's convinced, cost St. Bonaventure the 1970 NCAA basketball championship.
Rodney McKissic began his journalism career in 1989 after graduating from the University of Cincinnati and has worked for The Buffalo News since 2001. A proud father of four children, he enjoys reading in his spare time.
Amy Moritz, a native of Lockport, hhas covered colleges for The Buffalo News since 1999. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism/mass communication from St. Bonaventure University and a master’s degree in humanities from the University at Buffalo. An endurance athlete, she has completed several triathlons, half marathons and marathons.
