RICHARD MATHEWS - The Spectrum

NEWS

Bulls strike again in Niagara rivalry

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Dec. 5, 2005

"This is our house!"No, it wasn't Alumni Arena, but for one night, Niagara's Gallagher Center might as well have been on UB's North Campus.Hundreds of UB fans raucously made that chant their trademark Saturday night, as the men's basketball team made themselves at home 20 minutes down the highway and pulled out an impressive 68-59 road win over the Niagara Purple Eagles.UB got off to a fast start, going on a 12-2 run early to break open a lead from which Niagara was never able to recover.The run was highlighted by a magnificent play by freshman Andy Robinson, who stole the ball on the defensive end, pushed it coast to coast and capped the breakaway off with a spectacular dunk that ignited not only the team but the fans from UB in attendance.Head coach Reggie Witherspoon seemed quite happy with the way his team performed, especially the freshmen."It was a learning experience for the younger guys," Witherspoon said.

NEWS

Wrestlers find second-place success in Mat Town

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Nov. 30, 2005

With a second-place team finish and four individual winners, the UB wrestling team made its presence felt last Saturday at the Mat Town USA Invitational, held in Lock Haven, Penn.The Bulls notched a second-place tie with Oregon with 138.5 team points but falling short of Indiana University, who took home the victory with a score of 179 points.The best match of the day came as UB senior Kyle Cerminara, ranked fifth in the nation, faced off against Indiana's No.

NEWS

"New coach, new season, new start"

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Nov. 18, 2005

One glimpse at the women's basketball team's record from last season shows the team has a lot to prove.

NEWS

UB's two rugby squads roll in quest for nationals

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Nov. 11, 2005

Soccer isn't the only sport at UB creating excitement this season. Unbeknownst to most students, the men and women's club rugby teams are generating buzz with their successes in postseason play.The men and women's teams, nicknamed the Mad Turtles and Flying Squirrels respectively, are about to embark on a journey that could put them in a position neither team has been in before.

NEWS

Underground is hip-hop too

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Nov. 2, 2005

Now I won't claim to be an expert in the hip-hop world either, but the "Hip-hop anonymous" (Oct. 31) article doesn't quiet touch on the full spectrum of the hip-hop world.

NEWS

Men and women swimmers drop two over weekend

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Oct. 31, 2005

The men's and women's swimming and diving teams were both at home this weekend for the first time this season, but each team came out with losses in extremely competitive meets.Although the men lost by a score of 144-95 to Miami (Ohio) on Saturday in Alumni Arena, head coach Budd Termin said that the Bulls (0-2 overall, 0-2 Mid-American Conference) performed very well as Miami (2-0, 1-0 MAC) is known as one of the top teams in the MAC."Miami has historically been the second-best team in the MAC and the meet was almost a tie up to the last three events," Termin said.

NEWS

Swimmers splash into 2005 with hopes of turnaround season

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Oct. 21, 2005

The start of a new season marks a renewed sense of optimism and excitement for the women's swimming team, which looks to reverse last year's misfortunes and show everyone that UB can be competitive.This year UB is a much different team, including a change at the top, as new head coach Scott Vanderzell takes the helm.As an assistant coach for the past five seasons, Vanderzell saw the Bulls finish at the bottom of the Mid-American Conference standings last year with a 3-9 record overall and a measly 0-8 record in conference meets.Vanderzell believes the team will become competitive in the MAC this year."I have a very positive outlook on the season," Vanderzell said.

NEWS

Volleyball drops two in a row

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Oct. 10, 2005

After a gritty road trip where the UB volleyball team lost four of five games, last weekend's back-to-back home games came as a welcoming change.Unfortunately for the Bulls, they were unable to capitalize on the advantage of playing in friendly confines as they lost to Miami (Ohio) on Friday by a score of 3-1 and again on Saturday to Bowling Green 3-0.The Bulls (8-11 overall, 0-6 Mid-American Conference) were able to rebound from a heartbreaking first-game loss to Miami.

NEWS

Johnson leads with defensive dominance

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Oct. 7, 2005

An increased sense of responsibility and leadership comes with being awarded the position of team captain.

NEWS

Crew team faces tougher competition this season

By RICHARD MATHEWS | Sep. 30, 2005

Becoming the best means competing with the best. This year, the UB crew team is putting that philosophy in action."We are a competitive program within the crews that we race and what's happened this year is we are starting to row in championship races and not in collegiate-level races," head coach Rudy Wieler said.