BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo announced today that Cheryl Lynn Dozier has been named the 10th head coach of the women's basketball program, replacing Sal Buscaglia who left UB for the head coaching job at Manhattan College in April.

Dozier, 31, has been an assistant coach for the past nine seasons, including the past five at Michigan State where she has helped the Spartans advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament twice and claim a Big 10 title in 1996-97. As an assistant at Michigan State she has most recently served as the Spartans' Director of Recruiting and has also overseen the Michigan State Basketball Camp.

In addition, Dozier has also coordinated MSU's scheduling, implemented all aspects of the strength and conditioning program and has worked specifically with post players during practices and game situations. During her last three years at Michigan State, the Spartans compiled a 51-35 record.

"Cheryl impressed everyone on our committee with her energy, her commitment to student-athletes and certainly with the experience she has gained in the Big 10 at Michigan State," said Bob Arkeilpane, the Officer in Charge of the Athletic Department who oversaw the search committee. "We saw in Cheryl someone with a tremendous desire to succeed, balanced with a great understanding of the pressures of being a student-athlete at the Division I level. We are confident that with her experience both on and off the court and her familiarity with the Midwest that she is the right coach to lead us into the Mid-American Conference."

"The academic stature of the University is very strong and was one of the main factors in my decision to come to Buffalo," said Dozier. "The other biggest factor was the commitment to athletics that exists which is evidenced by where they have been in the past 10 years and where they are going."

A native of Westland, MI, Dozier played collegiately at Aquinas College where she earned four letters and served as team captain for two years. She earned bachelor degrees in communications and physical education from Aquinas in 1989.

After graduating from Aquinas, Dozier began her coaching career at Lake Superior State where she was an assistant coach for two seasons (1989-91) before moving to Mid-American Conference member Ohio University. She was an assistant at Ohio for two years (1991-93) before joining Karen Langeland's staff at Michigan State in June of 1993.

Dozier looks forward to returning to the MAC as a head coach.

"I consider the MAC to be one of the top six conferences in the nation in terms of women's basketball. The opportunity to play in a league like that will only enhance the athletic level of the school," she said.

Dozier takes over a Buffalo program that went 18-10 last season and has won 20 or more games five times in the 1990's. The Bulls move to the MAC this season after spending the past four years in the Mid-Continent Conference.