Women's Basketball Reaches Milestone; Milleville Scores 1,000th Point; Indoor Track and Field a Name for Itself at Fredonia Invitational; Women's Hockey Upsets Conference Foe Utica; Men's Basketball Gets Revenge over Blue Devils; Men's Hockey Returns From North Country Empty Handed; Swimming and Diving Tunes-Up For SUNYACs



WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (17-3/910-1) - Bengals Reach Milestone; Milleville Scores 1,000th Point



Buffalo State began the week by becoming just the 19th program in Division III history to win 500 games, defeating Fredonia 69-60. On Saturday, senior Chrissy Milleville (Niagara Falls/Niagara Wheatfield) became only the seventh player in school history to score 1,000 career points in a 82-40 home win over Medaille.



On Tuesday, Buffalo State traveled to Fredonia and defeated the Blue Devils 69-60, in the teams' first meeting since Fredonia ended Buffalo State's season in the 2001 SUNYAC playoffs. Buffalo State dominated much of the first half, leading by as many as 16 points, and taking a 37-29 advantage into the locker room at halftime. The Bengals let Fredonia hang around in the second half, but never allowed the Blue Devils to get closer than five points on route to the nine point victory. All five Bengals' starter scored in double-figures led by Julie Jackson's (Syracuse/Bishop Ludden) 15 points. Milleville and Monica Polka (Youngstown/Lewiston Porter) each scored 14, Abby Kochan (Newport/West Canada) added 12, and Monique Hanks (Liverpool/Liverpool) chipped in 10.



Buffalo State took a break from conference play on Friday, when it hosted cross-town rival Medaille. The Bengals outmatched the Mavericks, as Buffalo State cruised to a 42-point victory. Milleville led the Bengals with 21 points, as she brought her career total to 1,001 points. She also recorded a career-high nine steals. Kochan scored 14 points and Polka had 10 points and 16 rebounds. Freshman Oandhi Brown (Syracuse/Corcoran) added 11 points.



Buffalo State improved to 17-3 overall and 10-1 in conference play.



Who's Next?



Buffalo State will travel to Brockport on Tuesday to face the Golden Eagles who are currently tied for second place in the conference with Cortland at 9-2. The Bengals will stay on the road on Saturday when they travel to Utica/Rome for a 6 p.m. contest.



Milestones?



* Buffalo State's women's basketball team recorded its 500th victory since the program turned varsity in 1965. Buffalo State is just the 19th women's team in Division III to reach this milestone.

* Chrissy Milleville (Niagara Falls/Niagara-Wheatfield) has scored 1,001 career points, as she became the seventh player in Buffalo State history to joint the 1,000 point club.



Dominating?



Buffalo State's 42-point victory over Medaille was the Bengals largest margin of victory since a 53-point win over Potsdam on February 12, 2000.



INDOOR TRACK & FIELD - Bengals Make a Name for Themselves at Fredonia Invitational



The Buffalo State Indoor Track and Field teams traveled to Fredonia and the men won their first Indoor Track and Field meet in recent history at the Mary Phillips Memorial Fredonia State Invitational. The men scored 163 points in the five-team meet, blowing past second place Fredonia who earned 98 points on the day. The women's squad placed fourth out of five teams with a total of 33.5 points. As a special reward, each first-place athlete was awarded an engraved mug honoring Mary Phillips.



Leading the Bengals was Buffalo State Co-Student Athlete of the Week, Joe Niezgoda (Alden/Alden) who dominated the distance events by taking first place in two individual events and one relay event. Niezgoda won the 800m (2:01.9), the 1,500m (4:10.7), and contributed to the winning 4x800m relay (8:26.51) along with AJ Walsh (Hamburg/Frontier), Matt Kubiak of 9:37.41. Walsh also had a third-placed finish for the Bengals in the 1,500m (4:17.60). In the 400m, Joe Halter had a second place finish with a pace 53.39.



The Bengals showed off the strength of their sprinters in the 55m and 200m events. In the 55m, Bengals placed in a remarkable first, second, third, fourth, and fifth place. Markus Allen (Commack/St. John's the Baptist) set the pace at 6.55. Following Allen to the finish line was John Lesure (Rochester/Greece-Athena) in second (6.73), Dan Conti(West Seneca/Maryvale) in third (6.74), Aaron Kinard (Queens/Springfield Gardens) came in fourth (6.77), and Eugene Overton (Syracuse/Cocoran) (6.87) completed the Buffalo State sweep.



The fantastic five sprinters nearly completed another sweep in the 200m sprint. Allen led the way again setting a scorching pace at 23.09. Kinard raced into a close second place at 23.35. Lesure and Conti came in third (23.52) and fourth (24.14) respectively. Eugene Overton finished the Bengal domination with a sixth place finish and a time of 24.42.



The women also had impressive showings at the Mary Philips Memorial. Autumn Hensel (Akron/Akron) captured a victory mug with her first place finish in the 400m (1:03.87). Nicole Rowland (Brooklyn/Stephen Austin) had two third place finishes in the 55mHH(9.41) and long jump (10.20m) competitions. The women's 4x800m relay took third place with a pace of 11:24.61.



In field events, Lesure and Conti exhibited their multitude of talents by seizing first and second place in the long jump, adding to an already impressive day of sprinting competitions. Lesure placed first with a distance of 6.61m and Conti bound to a 6.34m mark. Lesure also won the triple jump by scoring a distance of 13.08m. Mike Rhim (Medina/Medina) placed third in the triple jump with his mark of 12.54m. Luis Espinosa (Medina/Medina) also won the shot put event with a distance of 13.60m.



Who's next?



Buffalo State now begins preparation for the SUNYAC Championships. The team will travel to Hobart for SUNYACs, which take place February 15-16.



WOMEN'S HOCKEY (6-11/6-10) - Bengals Upset Conference Foe Utica



Buffalo State scored its biggest victory of the year Sunday by upsetting the Utica College Pioneers in the team's final home game of the season. Inspired by the Senior Day ceremony, Bengal seniors Leah Delormier (Rooseveltown/North Country CC) and Dyanne Roberts (Rome/Rome Blades) led the squad to a thrilling 3-2 win.



After a scoreless first period, The Bengals raised the intensity in the second period of play and forced the Pioneers into multiple neutral zone turnovers. The Bengal fore-checking scheme resulted in the game's first two goals. Jessica DeCarlo(Liverpool/ Syracuse Stars) netted the first with Roberts assisting on the goal. Roberts then scored the second goal of the game with an assist from fellow senior Delormier. Utica scored twice in the third to tie it up, but Buffalo State was up to the challenge as "freshman phenom", Bree Cote (Copperton, UT/Aspen Avalanche) scored her tenth goal of the season to give the Bengals the lead for good. Mary Keddie (Williamsville/Buffalo Bisons) had another outstanding performance in net stopping 37 shots.



Buffalo State dropped the first game of the series by a final of 5-2. The Bengals jumped out to an early lead behind Cote's unassisted goal in the first period. Utica scored the next four goals until Kim Costanzo (Cheektowaga/Buffalo Bisons) scored her second goal of the season on a perfect give-and-go with Cote. Keddie made 37 saves in the first game.



For the series, Cote led the Bengal scoring attack with two goals and one assist for three points. Keddie made a total of 74 saves on 81 shots.



Who's Next?



The road to the playoffs only gets tougher, as the Bengals travel to Elmira to take on tests.



Hot Streak



Bree Cote (Copperton, UT/Aspen Avalanche) broke the record for most consecutive games scoring a goal with her six goals in five games. The previous record was held by teammates Janelle Schmitt (Arlington,WA/Northwest Admirals) (four games, seven goals) and Leah Delormier (Rooseveltown/North Country CC) (four games, four goals). Cote has scored at least one point in each of the last five games. In addition to her goals, Cote also recorded her first assist of the season. The Buffalo State record for most consecutive games scoring a point is shared by two Bengals at six games, held by Schmitt (nine goals and four assists) and Emma Wadsworth (Arlington, VA/Reston Raiders) (13 goals and seven assists).



Playoffs in Sight



With the Utica series split, Buffalo State remained two points ahead of Cortland and in sole possession of the fourth and final ECAC West playoff spot. Only four games remain in the regular season and Buffalo State is in control of its own destiny as it gears up for the post season. Currently, Buffalo State is 6-11 and 6-10 in conference-play, while Cortland is 7-14 overall but 5-12 in conference. The two teams will play each other twice to close the regular season.



MEN'S BASKETBALL (13-4/9-2) - Bengals Get Revenge over Blue Devils



Buffalo State met Fredonia on Tuesday night for the first time since last season's SUNYAC playoffs, when the Blue Devils sent the Bengals packing with 63-62 win. The Bengals avenged the playoff defeat with a 70-46 thrashing.



The Bengals emptied their bench in a 24-point win, as fourteen players scored for Buffalo State. Josh Becker (Hamburg/Frontier) led the Bengals with nine points, and Jeremy Konst (Williamsville/Williamsville East) scored eight. Justin Konst (Williamsville/Williamsville East) and Perry Davis (Buffalo/Seneca) each chipped in seven points, and Pat Adams (Brooklyn/Boys and Girls) was the top-rebounder with six.



Buffalo State is now 13-4 overall and sits alone in second place in the SUNYAC with a 9-2 mark.



Who's Next?



Buffalo State will visit conference leader Brockport on Tuesday for a battle for the SUNYAC's number-one seed. Brockport is 19-1 on the season, with its only loss coming at Buffalo State two weeks ago. On Saturday, Buffalo State will visit Utica/Rome, who has won two straight, and is currently tied with Fredonia and Cortland for the conference's final playoff spot.



Stacking Up?



Senior center Pat Adams (Brooklyn/Boys and Girls) ranked 15th in Division III in rebounds-per-game according to the most recent NCAA statistics. He is currently averaging 9.8 rebounds-per-game. He also ranks 30th with 2.2 blocked shots-per-game.



MEN'S HOCKEY (10-11/5-6) - Bengals Return From North Country Empty Handed



When Buffalo State left for its annual trip to the North Country this past weekend, it was in third place in the SUNYAC. After losses to Plattsburgh and Potsdam, however, the Bengals returned in sixth.



On Friday night, Buffalo State visited defending national champion Plattsburgh. After falling behind 4-1 early in the second period, Buffalo State rallied on some timely goals and clutch goaltending by Nick Berti (Orchard Park/Ft. Erie Meteors) to pull within 4-3 6:03 into the third period. The Cardinals iced the game with a shorthanded goal with 4:38 remaining, however, and claimed a 5-3 win. Berti made 40 saves in the loss. Mark Yoder (Ft. Wayne, IN/Grand Rapids) led the Bengals with a goal and an assist. Joe Urbanik (Calumet City, IL/Waterloo) and Todd Nowicki (Tonawanda/Wheatfield Blades) also found the back of the net for Buffalo State, and Rocky Reeves (Anchorage, AK/Ventura) added two assists.



The Bengals entered Saturday's clash with Potsdam two points ahead of the Bears. Potsdam scored four even sr play. The Bengals did kill all seven Potsdam power plays.



Buffalo State fell to 10-11 overall and into tie with Potsdam in the SUNYAC with a 5-6 record. The Bears hold the tiebreaker with the Bengals, knocking Buffalo State into sixth place in the conference.



Who's Next?



The Bengals have a busy week ahead of them, as they will return to game action Tuesday at ECAC West foe Utica at 7:30 p.m. On Friday, Buffalo State will return to league-play when it hosts Oswego at 7 p.m. Cortland will visit the Ice Arena Saturday night for another 7 p.m. start.



Unfamiliar Territory?



Despite the two losses this weekend, Buffalo State is still in the driver's seat to make its first-ever playoff appearance. They are currently six points ahead of seventh-place Fredonia. A win or a tie by Buffalo State in its final three games, or a loss or tie by Fredonia in its final three contests assures the Bengals of their first trip to the postseason. Home ice for the opening round appears to be a long-shot after the weekend, but if the Bengals still have a chance to host if they win at least two of three and get help.



Humanitarian?



Rocky Reeves (Anchorage, AK/Ventura) has been named one of four national finalists for the 2002 Hockey Humanitarian Award, given annually to "college hockey's finest citizen." This marks the second year in a row that the Bengals captain has earned this distinction. He will be presented with a plaque recognizing this accomplishment prior to Friday night's contest against Oswego. The presentation will begin at roughly 6:50 p.m. at center-ice.



SWIMMING & DIVING (Men: 3-7; Women 4-7) - Bengals Tune-Up For SUNYACs



The Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Teams had this past week off from competition as they prepare for the SUNYAC Championships. Buffalo State looks to make waves at this year's competition at the E.C.C. Burt Flickinger Aquatics Center in Buffalo, New York, on February 13-16. Under the leadership of Head Coach Mike Switalski, many of the Bengal swimmers feel they are peaking at the right time and hope to break personal and school records while challenging for the SUNYAC Championship. The men's and women's teams each placed fifth out of nine teams in last year's SUNYAC Championship.