Buffalo State’s Jake Simmons and Staci McElroy were named the men’s and women’s basketball State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Rookies of the Year respectively.  Simmons and McElroy along with senior Antonio Samedi were also all named to All-SUNYAC honorable mention.

Simmons exploded on the scene this season as the fourth highest scorer in the league averaging 16.8 points-per-game.  A theatre major, he also led the league with 2.36 steals-per-game and 2.68 3-pointers-per-contest, and set a new Buffalo State record, hitting 67 total treys on the season.

McElroy had a similar impact as a freshman for the Bengals’ women.  A versatile player at both ends of the court, the dietetics and nutrition major finished ninth in the conference in scoring averaging 12.4 points and was fifth in the league averaging 7.5 rebounds.  She was also sixth in the league with 55 steals.

Samedi made the most of his senior season, averaging 13.5 points and was fifth in the SUNYAC with 7.6 rebounds-per-game.  The computer information systems major also led the league and was among the national leaders with 3.5 blocks-per-contest and set a school record with 78 blocked shots this season, and eclipsed the school’s career mark with 177 blocks in his four-year career.

Buffalo State’s men finished the season 11-14 overall and tied for fifth at 9-9 league play.  The Bengals lost in the SUNYAC quarterfinals.  The women’s team posted the program’s highest win total since winning 13 games in 2003-04, finishing 12-14.  The Bengals were also 7-11 in SUNYAC play and tied for sixth in the regular season, falling in the league’s quarterfinals.