WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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BUFFALO, NY - University at Buffalo head women's basketball coach Cheryl Dozier has announced the signing of three student-athletes for the 2001-02 season. Freshmen Allison Bennett (Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge) and Trisha Hedges (Toronto, Ontario/Richview C.I.) and sophomore transfer Rochelle Cherry (Rochester, NY/Nazareth Academy/South Florida) will join the Bulls in the fall, along with Buffalo's three early signees - freshmen Erin Lawrenson (Elkland, PA/Elkland Area High School) and Talia Merlino (Newtown, PA/Notre Dame (NJ) High School) and junior college transfer Angela Granger (Belmont, NY/Jamestown-Olean Community College) - to make up the Bulls' class of 2001-02.

Bennett, a 5'9" guard and four-year letterwinner, is coming off an outstanding senior season at Kenton Ridge High School in Springfield, OH where she helped head coach Ed Foulk's Cougars average over 100 points a game during the regular season. Bennett averaged 24.0 points during her senior year as well as adding 6.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 5.0 steals per contest. She scored a career-high 51 points on February 3, 2001 in a game against Shawnee High School and established a school record with eight three-pointers. Bennett was an All-District, All-League, All-County and All-Ohio selection as a senior, and she earned All-Ohio honorable mention honors as a junior. She scored 1,430 points in her high school career and also plays for the Ohio Red AAU team that finished among the top five in the nation last year. Bennett chose UB over Georgetown, Cleveland State and Arkansas-Little Rock.

"Allison is the first player we've signed out of Ohio, and it's nice to know that we were her choice when looking at the quality of the other schools that were interested in her," said Dozier. "She'll come in right away and compete for playing time at the guard spot. She has a scoring mentality, and we're very excited about her shooting ability and her ability to drive to the basket."

Hedges, a 6'3" center, chose UB over various schools in her native Canada. A Provincial Team selection in 2000, she averaged over 21 points and 15 rebounds per game for head coach Ric Hollowell's Saints. Hedges was a three-year letterwinner at Richview C.I. High School as well as team captain and Most Valuable Player as a senior. Hedges led the Saints to two straight TDSB (Toronto-area) City Championship titles, and she was named to numerous all-tournament teams during her high school career. She also participated in the Nike All-Canada Camp.

"Trisha will give us depth right away in the post position which we'll need with the graduation of Tiffany Bell," said Dozier. "One of her biggest attributes is her rebounding, and she can run the floor very well for her size. She has great hands, and she's a very strong student as well. She'll succeed here both academically and athletically over the next four years."

Cherry, a sophomore transfer from the University of South Florida, will have to sit out during the 2001-02 year in accordance with the NCAA's rules regarding transfer student-athletes. Another 6'3" center, she played just three games for the USF Bulls in 2000-01, recording two points, eight rebounds and two blocks before suffering a season-ending injury. Cherry enjoyed a stellar four-year career at Nazareth Academy in Rochester, helping head coach Chris Belmont's team to the Class B Championship game as a junior and a senior. She averaged 14.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as a senior and 17.1 points and 12.9 rebounds per game as a junior. Cherry ended her four-year career at Nazareth Academy with 385 blocks and was a three-time Rochester Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester "Super 15" selection.

"We're excited to bring Rochelle back to this area and closer to her hometown," said Dozier. "She reminds me a lot of Tiffany Bell in the sense that she can rebound and she can play strong with her back to the basket as well as facing up. She'll have a year to learn the system and will then be an impact player in 2002-03."