2018–19 Buffalo Bulls women's basketball team

The 2018–19 Buffalo Bulls women's basketball team represented the University at Buffalo during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bulls, led by seventh-year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, played their home games at Alumni Arena as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 24–10, 12–6 in MAC play to win MAC East Division. Buffalo won the MAC conference tournament championship game over Ohio, 77–61. Cierra Dillard was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. With that win they earn an automatic trip to the NCAA women's tournament, where they upset Rutgers in the first round before losing to Connecticut in the second round.

2018–19 Buffalo Bulls women's basketball
MAC Tournament Champions
NCAA Women's Tournament, second round
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Division	East Division
Record	24–10 (12–6 MAC)
Head coach	Felisha Legette-Jack (7th season)
Assistant coaches	Cherie Cordoba Khyreed Carter Kristen Sharkey
Home arena	Alumni Arena

2018–19 Mid-American Conference women's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
East
Ohio	14	–	4		.778			30	–	6		.833
Miami (OH)	13	–	5		.722			23	–	9		.719
Buffalo †	12	–	6		.667			24	–	10		.706
Kent State	11	–	7		.611			20	–	13		.606
Akron	7	–	11		.389			16	–	15		.516
Bowling Green	2	–	16		.111			9	–	21		.300
West
Central Michigan	15	–	3		.833			25	–	8		.758
Toledo	11	–	7		.611			21	–	12		.636
Northern Illinois	10	–	8		.556			19	–	13		.594
Eastern Michigan	6	–	12		.333			14	–	17		.452
Western Michigan	4	–	14		.222			10	–	20		.333
Ball State	3	–	15		.167			8	–	23		.258
† 2019 MAC tournament winner

Previous season

The Bulls finished the 2017–18 season 29–6, 16–2 in MAC play to win the MAC East Division. They advanced to the championship game of the Mid-American Conference women's basketball tournament where they lost to Central Michigan. They received an at-large to the NCAA women's tournament where they upset South Florida in the first round to win their first NCAA tournament win in school history. They then defeated Florida State in the second round to advance to the sweet sixteen for the first time in school history. They lost to South Carolina. With 29 wins, they finished with the most wins in school history.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Year	Hometown	Notes
Stephanie Reid	1	G	5'6"	Senior	Melbourne, Australia	Graduated
Liisa Ups	3	G	5'9"	Senior	Wollongong, Australia	Graduated
Katherine Ups	5	G	5'9"	Senior	Wollongong, Australia	Graduated
Mariah Suchan	21	F	6'1"	Senior	Wichita, KS	Graduated
Cassie Oursler	31	G	6'3"	Senior	Grand Island, NY	Graduated

Roster

2018–19 Buffalo Bulls women's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown F 0 Summer Hemphill 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Jr Cardinal O'Hara Buffalo, NY G 2 Finess Dickson 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) RS Fr Homewood-Flossmoor South Holland, IL G 4 Airiel Dickson 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Homewood-Flossmoor South Holland, IL C 5 Zena Elias 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Fr Countryside Clearwater, FL G 10 Hanna Hall 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m) So Lincoln Prep Hamilton, ON G 11 Theresa Onwuka 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Jr Lake Forest Academy Asaba, Nigeria F 12 Courtney Wilkins 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Sr Haileybury College Melbourne, Australia G 13 Autumn Jones 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) Sr Lawrence North Pensacola State Indianapolis, IN G 15 Oceane Kounkou 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr Dawson College Gatineau, QC G 22 Ayoleka Sodade 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Sr Holy Names Catholic Windsor, ON F 23 Keowa Walters 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Fr Vaughan Toronto, ON G 24 Cierra Dillard 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) RS Sr Gates Chili Massachusetts Rochester, NY F 25 Adebola Adeyeye 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Fr The Rock School Brampton, ON F 30 Marissa Hamilton 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) So Ellicottville Central Great Valley, NY F 32 Brittany Morrison 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Sr St. Joseph Academy North Ridgeville, OH F 33 Alexis Adams 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr South Brunswick Monmouth Junction, NJ	Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack (Syracuse) Assistant coach(es) Cherie Cordoba (UNLV) Khyreed Carter (Michigan State) Kristen Sharkey (Buffalo) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: November 26, 2018

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2018* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Bloomsburg	W 94–53	–	27 – C. Dillard	9 – K. Walters	7 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena  Buffalo, NY
Non-conference regular season
November 11, 2018* 1:00 p.m.		at UMES	W 69–63	1–0	23 – C. Dillard	6 – B. Morrison	4 – C. Dillard	Hytche Athletic Center (1,147) Princess Anne, MD
November 11, 2018* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+		Niagara	W 88–61	2–0	25 – C. Dillard	7 – C. Wilkins	5 – H. Hall	Alumni Arena (1,636) Buffalo, NY
November 18, 2018* 5:00 p.m.		at No. 3 Oregon	L 82–102	2–1	32 – C. Dillard	7 – K. Walters	7 – H. Hall	Matthew Knight Arena (5,205) Eugene, OR
November 23, 2018* 5:00 p.m.		vs. Georgetown South Point Thanksgiving Shootout	W 73–64	3–1	33 – C. Dillard	6 – Tied	8 – C. Dillard	South Point Events Center  Las Vegas, NV
November 24, 2018* 5:00 p.m.		vs. South Dakota State South Point Thanksgiving Shootout	W 61–55	4–1	20 – C. Dillard	9 – C. Dillard	10 – H. Hall	South Point Events Center (477) Las Vegas, NV
December 1, 2018* 1:00 p.m.		at Central Connecticut	W 82–69	5–1	27 – C. Dillard	16 – B. Morrison	2 – Tied	William H. Detrick Gymnasium  New Britain, CT
December 4, 2018* 7:00 p.m.		at Canisius	W 84–66	6–1	25 – C. Dillard	5 – M. Hamilton	10 – C. Dillard	Koessler Athletic Center (826) Buffalo, NY
December 7, 2018* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Dayton	L 59–72	6–2	21 – C. Dillard	9 – A. Adeyeye	5 – C. Dillard	UD Arena (1,279) Dayton, OH
December 18, 2018* 7:00 p.m.		at Dartmouth	W 75–69	7–2	26 – C. Dillard	14 – S. Hemphill	5 – C. Dillard	Leede Arena (383) Hanover, NH
December 21, 2018* 12:00 p.m., ESPN+		No. 8 Stanford	L 55–62	7–3	21 – C. Dillard	13 – T. Onwuka	3 – Tied	Alumni Arena (3,412) Buffalo, NY
December 23, 2018* 2:30 p.m., ESPN+		St. Bonaventure	W 90–43	8–3	26 – C. Dillard	8 – A. Adeyeye	6 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena (1,994) Buffalo, NY
MAC regular season
January 5, 2019 2:00 p.m., ESPN3		Ohio	L 71–74 OT	8–4 (0–1)	15 – C. Dillard	10 – S. Hemphill	7 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena (2,116) Buffalo, NY
January 9, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Eastern Michigan	W 91–84 OT	9–4 (1–1)	43 – C. Dillard	9 – Tied	5 – C. Dillard	Convocation Center (1,114) Ypsilanti, MI
January 12, 2019 2:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Miami (OH)	W 66–59	10–4 (2–1)	26 – C. Dillard	11 – T. Onwuka	10 – C. Dillard	Millett Hall (315) Oxford, OH
January 16, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Ball State	W 77–65	11–4 (3–1)	21 – C. Dillard	10 – S. Hemphill	7 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena (1,615) Buffalo, NY
January 19, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN3		at Western Michigan	W 61–59	12–4 (4–1)	19 – S. Hemphill	11 – S. Hemphill	3 – Tied	University Arena (730) Kalamazoo, MI
January 23, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Akron	W 91–72	13–4 (5–1)	25 – C. Dillard	12 – S. Hemphill	7 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena (1,492) Buffalo, NY
January 26, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN+		Northern Illinois	W 93–64	14–4 (6–1)	26 – C. Dillard	14 – S. Hemphill	11 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena (2,174) Buffalo, NY
February 2, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN3		at Central Michigan	L 65–76	14–5 (6–2)	25 – C. Dillard	7 – S. Hemphill	2 – 3 tied	McGuirk Arena (2,228) Mount Pleasant, MI
February 6, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Toledo	W 73–63	15–5 (7–2)	19 – S. Hemphill	7 – S. Hemphill	9 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena (1,507) Buffalo, NY
February 9, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN3		Kent State	W 75–66	16–5 (8–2)	31 – C. Dillard	12 – S. Hemphill	11 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena (2,385) Buffalo, NY
February 13, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Bowling Green	L 72–78	16–6 (8–3)	26 – C. Dillard	11 – S. Hemphill	6 – C. Dillard	Stroh Center (1,154) Bowling Green, OH
February 16, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN3		Central Michigan	L 95–100	16–7 (8–4)	29 – C. Dillard	9 – Tied	7 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena (3,369) Buffalo, NY
February 20, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Ball State Rescheduled from January 30	W 97–58	17–7 (9–4)	24 – S. Hemphill	10 – S. Hemphill	6 – C. Dillard	Worthen Arena (1,036) Muncie, IN
February 23, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN3		at Akron	L 59–70	17–8 (9–5)	23 – C. Dillard	11 – C. Dillard	3 – C. Dillard	James A. Rhodes Arena (479) Akron, OH
February 27, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Ohio	W 73–43	18–8 (10–5)	35 – C. Dillard	18 – S. Hemphill	5 – H. Hall	Convocation Center  Athens, OH
March 2, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN3		Miami (OH)	W 86–61	19–8 (11–5)	31 – C. Dillard	15 – S. Hemphill	8 – C. Dillard	Alumni Arena (3,509) Buffalo, NY
March 6, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Bowling Green	W 75–61	20–8 (12–5)	27 – C. Dillard	16 – S. Hemphill	5 – F. Dickson	Alumni Arena (1,764) Buffalo, NY
March 9, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Kent State	L 53–62	20–9 (12–6)	18 – 2 tied	8 – 2 tied	2 – C. Dillard	MAC Center (1,731) Kent, OH
MAC Women's Tournament
March 13, 2019 2:30 pm, ESPN+	(4)	vs. (5) Kent State Quarterfinals	W 85–52	21–9	22 – C. Dillard	9 – S. Hemphill	5 – H. Hall	Quicken Loans Arena  Cleveland, OH
March 15, 2019 11:00 am, ESPN+	(4)	vs. (1) Central Michigan Semifinals	W 82–77	22–9	30 – C. Dillard	9 – S. Hemphill	7 – C. Dillard	Quicken Loans Arena  Cleveland, OH
March 16, 2019 11:00 am, CBSSN	(4)	vs. (2) Ohio Championship Game	W 77–61	23–9	22 – C. Dillard	21 – S. Hemphill	7 – H. Hall	Quicken Loans Arena (2,765) Cleveland, OH
NCAA Women's Tournament
Mar 22, 2019* 4:30 pm, ESPN2	(10 A)	vs. (7 A) Rutgers First Round	W 82–71	24–9	23 – S. Hemphill	7 – S. Hemphill	8 – H. Hall	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion  Storrs, CT
Mar 24, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN	(10 A)	at (2 A) No. 2 Connecticut Second Round	L 72–84	24–10	29 – C. Dillard	10 – B. Morrison	7 – C. Dillard	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (6,390) Storrs, CT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. A=Albany Regional. All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings

Regular Season Polls

Poll	Pre- Season	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6	Week 7	Week 8	Week 9	Week 10	Week 11	Week 12	Week 13	Week 14	Week 15	Week 16	Week 17	Week 18	Week 19	Final
AP	RV	RV
Coaches

Legend

		Increase in ranking
		Decrease in ranking
		Not ranked previous week
(RV)		Received Votes

See also

2018–19 Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team