Recapping events from Monday, February 17 - Sunday, February 23, 2003

TRACK & FIELD - Teams Grab Third Spot at Indoor SUNYACs; Women Break Five Records

Buffalo State's indoor track and field teams competed at the SUNYAC Championship in Geneva, NY on Saturday, and posted a pair of third place finishes.

Celestine Coney (Lyons/Lyons) and Linda Williams (Rochester/Edison Tech) combined to break five school records as Buffalo State's women's indoor track and field team posted its best SUNYAC finish ever, placing third of nine teams with 52 points. Coney earned 36 of the Bengals 52 points and also ran a leg of the 4x400m relay that captured two additional points. She won a SUNYAC Championship in the long jump with a school record leap of 5.40 meters. She also set Buffalo State bests as she cleared 1.60 meters to earn second in the high jump, and ran 59.90 in the 400-meter run to place third. Coney also placed second in the triple jump and fourth in the 55-meter hurdles. Williams set a pair of school records, sprinting the 55-meter dash in 7.36 and finishing second, and running the 200-meter in 26.63, placing fifth.

Nicole Rowland (Brooklyn/Stephen Austin) also scored points with her fourth place finish in the triple jump with a leap of 10.55m. Autumne Hensel (Akron/Akron) and Meesha Sherry (Lockport/Lockport) joined Coney and Williams on the fifth place 4x400m relay team.

Buffalo State finished in last place in each of the past two seasons, and earned just one point in 2001.

On the men's side, one year after recording its best SUNYAC finish ever, Buffalo duplicated its feat of a year ago, placing third of nine teams at the conference meet with 100 points.

Justin Muise (Kenmore/Kenmore West) paced the Bengals, capturing a pair of SUNYAC titles, running a 22.78 200-meter dash and and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 49.76 in the 400-meter run. Alton West (Oxon Hill, MD/Patuxent) and Eugene Overton (Syracuse/Corcoran) rounded out the sweep of the top-three places in 200-meter dash, recording times of 23.12 and 23.24 respectively.

Rob Kozlowski (Elma/Iroquois) made his mark on the Bengals' record book in the 35-pound weight throw, as his throw of 13.17 meters placed fourth in the competition.

Tammon Benjamin (Mt. Vernon/Mt. Vernon) finished third in the 55m dash and earned the second spot in the 55m hurdles. West added to his performance in the 200m dash by placing third in the 400m run and second in the triple jump. Aaron Master (Grand Island/Grand Island) cleared 4.27m in the pole vault to place third, and Matt Kubiak's (Lakeview/Frontier) time of 2:37.82 was good for third in the 1000m run.

Coney and Masters also competed in the New York State Pentathlon on Sunday. Coney finished as the runner-up with a personal best score of 3,082 points. Masters placed 17th of 19 competitors with a mark of 2,517 points.

What's Next?

Both Bengals teams will be back in action this weekend at the NYSCTC Championships at St. Lawrence.

WOMENS HOCKEY - (5-14-3, 3-6-3) Women Earn ECAC West Playoff Berth

Buffalo State traveled to Cortland this weekend for two games, needing only one point to capture the final playoff spot in the ECAC West division.

On Saturday, Buffalo State fell behind 2-0 early in the third period, until Maddy Loftus (Parsippany, NJ/Pittsburgh Firebirds) netted her seventh goal of the season on assists from Emma Wadsworth (Arlington, VA/Reston Raiders) and Amanda Uschold (Rochester/Rochester Edge). It was too little too late for the Bengals, however, as they were defeated by a 2-1 margin.

On Sunday, Cortland jumped out to the 1-0 lead halfway through the second period, and held this lead until the 18:52 mark of the third when Kim Costanzo (Cheektowaga/Buffalo Bisons) tied the score at 1-1, with assists from Uschold and Jennifer Downey (Freeville/Ithaca Stars). The game remained tied at one through the third period and overtime, earning the Bengals their second consecutive playoff appearance in two years. Mary Keddie (Williamsivlle/Buffalo Bisons) made 30 saves for Buffalo State in the tie.

Buffalo State ends the regular season 5-14-3 overall, and 3-6-3 in ECAC West play.

Who's next?

Buffalo State will travel to Elmira on Saturday, for a semifinal game against the Soaring Eagles at 4 pm.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (17-8, 12-4) Bengals Earn Second-Seed with Three Wins

Buffalo State appears to be getting hot at the right time, as it went 3-0 during the final week of the regular season, and earned the second seed in the SUNYAC playoffs.

On Tuesday, the Bengals hosted Fredonia and jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first half and held on at the end for a 72-65 victory. First-Year SUNYAC Player of the Year candidate Dionne Turnage (Buffalo/Traditional) led the Bengals with 21 points and added seven rebounds. Senior Abby Kochan (Newport/West Canada) added 16 points and eight rebounds, and freshman Desiree Gibson (Rochester/Edison Tech) contributed 13 points to the winning cause.

The Bengals visited Oswego on Saturday and escaped with a 50-48 victory. The two teams traded the lead several time throughout the contest before Buffalo State finally went ahead to stay, when Monique Hanks (Liverpool/Liverpool) hit a jumper with 3:40 to play to give the Bengals a 46-45 lead. Hanks finished with 10 points. Gibson led the offense with 16 points and Kochan recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Buffalo State concluded its regular season at SUNYIT with a 73-51 win. The Bengals sprinted to a 32-19 halftime lead and did not look back. Kochan recorded her second double-double in as many days with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Turnage tallied 18 points and nine boards. Hanks added 14 points and Gibson scored 11.

Buffalo State wrapped up the regular season with a 17-8 overall record and a 12-4 mark in SUNYAC play.

Who's Next?

Buffalo State will host seventh-seeded Oswego on Tuesday night in the first round of the SUNYAC playoffs. Tip-off will be at 6 p.m. The winner will advance to the final four to be played at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Friday and Saturday.

MEN'S BASKETBALL (16-8, 11-5) - Bengals Skidding into Playoffs

Buffalo State's first three-game losing streak this past week could not have come at a worse time, as the Bengals slid from first to third place heading into this week's SUNYAC playoffs.

On Tuesday, Buffalo State led 61-58 with just 3:13 remaining, but fell by a 64-61 final score against Fredonia. Perry Davis (Buffalo/Seneca) was dominant on the glass with 17 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards, and scored a game-high 18 points. Jeremy Konst (Williamsville/Williamsville East) added 14 points and brother Justin Konst (Williamsville/Williamsville East) chipped in 10.

The Bengals visited Oswego on Friday, and fell by a 75-57 score. The Lakers opened up a 37-30 lead at halftime, and expanded the lead in the final 20 minutes. Josh Becker (Hamburg/Frontier) shot 10-of-13 from the field as he tallied 20 points. Justin Konst added 11 points and Davis scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds.

On Saturday, Buffalo State trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half before rallying to tie the score at 65-65 with 2:18 to play, but fell short by a 71-68 final. Davis scored 20 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Bengals. Becker added 18 points and Mike Miranto (N. Tonawanda/N. Tonawanda) scored 11 points.

The Bengals finished the regular season with a 16-8 overall record and an 11-5 mark in SUNYAC play and enter the SUNYAC playoffs as the third seed.

Who?s Next?

Buffalo State will host sixth-seeded Fredonia on Tuesday night in the first round of the SUNYAC playoffs. Tip-off will be at 8 p.m. The winner will advance to the final four to be played at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Friday and Saturday.

MEN'S HOCKEY - (6-18-1, 3-11) Bengals End Season on High Note

Buffalo State ended its 2002-03 season on the road Tuesday night with a 3-2 upset win over then first place SUNYAC-rival Fredonia.

After falling behind 1-0 seven minutes into the game, Greg Prybylski (Cheektowaga/Capitol Centre Pride) tied the score at one with his ninth goal of the season, assisted by Joe Urbaink (Calumet City, IL/Waterloo) and Dave Cadarette (Boyne City, MI/Toledo Jr. Storm). The second period remained scoreless until the 16:15 mark when Urbanik scored his 18th of the year on assists from Prybylski and Jason Sirois (Feeding Hills, MA/Elmira Jr. Jackals). Three minutes later Cadarette scored the eventual game-winner from Prybylski and Morgan McElman (Bayside, NB/Elmira Jr. Jackals). Senior goaltenders Nick Berti (Orchard Park/Fort Erie) and Steve Thering (Fairport/Morrisville) combined for 48 saves in the upset.

Buffalo State ends its season 6-18-1 overall and 3-11 in SUNYAC play.