The difference in the game for the Bulls was their defense as they were able to force 19 Bowling Green turnovers that Buffalo was able to turn into 15 points. The UB offense also protected the ball as well as they have all season as they committed a season-low seven turnovers and limited the Falcons to just three points off of those turnovers. Buffalo improved to 16-0 over the past two seasons when holding their opponents to 50 points or less and are 10-0 this season when holding their opponents under 59 points.
The Bulls opened the scoring on their first offensive possession as Stephanie Reid drove to the bucket and hit an acrobatic layup to give UB the early 2-0 lead. After Bowling Green took the 3-2 lead, Cassie Oursler nailed a layup and JoAnna Smith drilled her first three pointer of the game to make it 7-3 in favor of UB. The Buffalo defense was able to lock up the Falcons shooters down the stretch of the first as Bowling Green had five turnovers in the final five minutes as UB outscored the Falcons 7-5 to take the 14-8 edge after 10 minutes.
Buffalo was able to push their lead out to 15 at halftime behind a strong second quarter from their defense as they were able to force six Bowling Green turnovers in the quarter. The Falcons cut UB’s lead to 18-11 early in the quarter before UB used a 5-0 run to extend their lead to 23-11 after Cassie Oursler connected on a hook shot in the paint. Onwuka was then able to grab an offensive rebound, one of 12 in the first half for UB, and make the ensuing layup to give Buffalo the 25-15 edge. The Falcons cut the UB lead to 27-18 with just over two minutes to go but the Bulls closed out the quarter on a 6-0 run to take the 33-18 edge into the locker room as Smith netted four points and Summer Hemphill made a layup off the inbounds play at the buzzer.
Bowling Green opened the third quarter on a 4-0 run as UB was held scoreless for the first four minutes of the second half before Reid finished off a nice drive to the hoop to make it 35-22 in favor of the Bulls. The Falcons then had a pair of 5-0 runs as Reid drilled a three to stop the first run and Hemphill made an athletic layup to stop the second run. The Hemphill layup sparked the Bulls as Smith connected on a triple and then a layup to make the score 47-33 at the end of the third.
Buffalo was able to grab their biggest lead of the game, 18, just over a minute into the fourth quarter as Mariah Suchan drilled a hook shot and Onwuka grabbed an offensive rebound and finished off the layup. The Falcons began to convert on free throws as they brought the score within 12, 53-41, with just over five minutes remaining. The Bulls then used a 6-2 run to put the game out of reach as Hemphill finished a fast break layup off of a pretty pass from Reid, Reid drilled a jumper and Suchan hit an open jumper. Both teams exchanged buckets down the stretch as UB secured the 61-50 win to level their MAC mark, 3-3.
Onwuka was able to collect her second straight double-double and her third in four career starts as she finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The freshman was all over the court for the Bulls as she snagged five offensive rebounds and forced multiple Bowling Green turnovers with her length. Smith finished off her night with a game-high 18 points, three rebounds and two steals across 32 minutes while Reid finished with 14 points, four assists and two rebounds.
Hemphill continued her strong play in her starting role as she fell just shy of her second straight double-double as she went for eight points and eight rebounds while collecting a block in her 14th straight game. Suchan came off the bench and produced six points and five rebounds in 26 minutes of work while Gabi Bade finished off her game with a career-best six assists and no turnovers in 14 minutes.
For the game, Buffalo held the dominant 34-22 edge in scoring in the paint while also winning the fast break category for the 14th time as they outscored the Falcons 10-4. UB is now 12-2 on the season when outscoring their opponents in the fast break category while also holding the 147-51 edge overall this season. The Bulls continued to attack the offensive glass as they snagged 19 offensive rebounds that they turned into 16 second chance points.
The Bulls will return to the hardwood on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 pm as they welcome the Central Michigan Chippewas to Alumni Arena for a MAC showdown. The game will air live on Time Warner Cable Sports with Howard Simon and Amy Audibert on the call.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT
