ST. BONAVENTURE (3-11) vs. BUFFALO (4-4)
Thursday, Dec. 29 – 4:00 p.m.
St. Bonaventure, N.Y. – Reilly Center
TV: ESPN+
Radio: WSBU 88.3 FM

The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team returns from Christmas break to host Buffalo Thursday, Dec. 29 at the Reilly Center, closing out non-conference play. Tip is slated for 4:00 p.m.

Admission to Thursday's contest will be free of charge.

OPENING TIP

• The Bonnies are looking to regroup following a 66-52 loss to Colgate prior to the holiday break. Breauna Ware led the Bonnies with a career-high 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 26 minutes off the bench.
• Bona's finished the contest shooting 41.7 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from the beyond the arc, but the Raiders shot 53.3 percent from the field to take the win.
• Senior forward I'yanna Lops leads the Bonnies in scoring and rebounding through the first half of the season, scoring 11.2 points and pulling down 5.4 rebounds per game. Lops has made nine 3-pointers this season, marking a new career-high. She also leads the team in blocks with 27, ranking second in the Atlantic 10 and 14^th in the NCAA.

FULL SLATE

• The Bonnies are one of two teams in the Atlantic 10 to play a 15-game non-conference slate this season. Bona's is joined by Saint Louis as the only teams playing 15 games prior to the start of A-10 play. Dayton plays the fewest non-conference games among A-10 foes with 11.

SERIES HISTORY

• The Bonnies and the Bulls are slated to meet for the 33^rd time Thursday at the Reilly Center. Bona's leads the all-time series over Buffalo, 18-14, but have lost the previous five meetings. The two teams last played Dec. 19, 2020 at Alumni Arena in Amherst with the Bulls coming out on top 71-52. At the Reilly Center, the Bonnies are 11-6 against Buffalo.

ABOUT BUFFALO

• Buffalo enters the week with a 4-4 record overall and are winners of three straight games, including victories over Niagara (63-58), LIU (91-59) and Bucknell (58-51). The Bulls lost three out of their first four games of the year to Canisius (57-55), Division II Mercyhurst (70-68), Drexel (53-35) and Rhode Island (71-56). Buffalo was picked to finish 10^th in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll.
• Becky Burke was tabbed to lead the Bulls following Felicia Legette-Jack's departure to Syracuse last spring. Legette-Jack guided the Bulls to a 202-116 record over 10 seasons, including four NCAA Tournament appearances (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022). Burke comes to Buffalo after two seasons at USC Upstate where she helped the Spartans to a 22-8 record last season and earned Big South Coach of the Year honors.
• Buffalo went 25-9 last year and won the MAC with a 16-4 conference record before losing to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament. UB is a completely new team this year: in addition to Burke leading the coaching staff, only one letterwinner returned off last year's team: Jazmine Young, a fifth-year guard who averaged 6.1 ppg last year.
• The Bulls are led by Zakiyah Winfield who is averaging a double-double with 14.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in her first season with the program. Also averaging double figures for the Bulls are Jazmine Young (13.4 ppg) and Re'Shawna Stone (11.1 ppg).

UP NEXT

• With non-conference play in the review mirror, the Bonnies begin Atlantic 10 play on the road at defending A-10 regular season and tournament champion UMass on New Year's Eve. Tip is slated for 2:00 p.m. at the Mullins Center.

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