The difference in the game for the Bulls was the play of their defense, especially on Presley Hudson who was averaging 30.3 points in MAC games before only scoring eight on Saturday. The duo of Stephanie Reid and Gabi Bade were able to lockdown one of the best scorers in the conference as she turned the ball over five times in the game. UB held the Chippewas to just 56 points, 20 points under their average on the season, as they improved to 11-0 on the year when holding their opponents under 59 points.
The Bulls opened up the game on a 9-4 run as Smith scored the first five points of the game before Theresa Onwuka hit a three pointer and Summer Hemphill sank a free throw. Trailing 11-7, the Chippewas were able to go on a quick 8-0 run over the next two minutes to take the lead, 15-11. Onwuka capped a 7-4 run by the Bulls to end the quarter with a smooth jumper from 18-feet out as Buffalo trailed Central Michigan 19-18 after 10 minutes of action.
The Chippewas opened up the second quarter with back-to-back layups by Tinara Moore to take their biggest lead of the game, 23-18, with 7:46 left in the first half. Buffalo responded quickly as Smith hit a pair of free throws and then Summer Hemphill finished off a fast break layup and free throw to tie the game, 23-23. The two sides exchanged buckets over the next three minutes before the Bulls closed out the quarter on a 4-0 run to take the 35-31 lead into the locker room.
UB came out of the locker room strong in the third quarter as Cassie Oursler finished off a layup and Smith drilled another three pointer to give the Bulls the 40-31 lead. The Chippewas picked away at the Buffalo lead as Amani Corley finished off a layup to make the score 44-39 in favor of the Bulls. Smith hit another triple to give UB the eight-point lead but Central Michigan outscored the Bulls by three down the stretch to make the score 52-47 in favor of the Bulls after three quarters.
The Buffalo defense really locked in over the final 10 minutes as they held the high scoring Chippewas to just nine points. The Bulls outscored CMU 8-0 in the paint over the final 10 minutes as Onwuka had her best quarter of the game, notching seven points while playing all 10 minutes. Smith capped the scoring effort for the Bulls with her fourth triple of the game to give UB the 11-point win, 67-56.
Smith led the Bulls in scoring for the 10th time this season as she netted a season-high 29 points on 11-for-25 shooting. The senior also grabbed five rebounds and sank four triples while playing a season-high 38 minutes. Reid had a great game facilitating as she tied her career-high with 12 assists while scoring three points in just 28 minutes of work. Reid tied her career-high that she set last season in the MAC Championship game against the Chippewas.
Onwuka had a very efficient afternoon for the Bulls as she netting 14 points, four rebounds and two assists while going 6-for-8 from the field. Hemphill just missed her third double-double of the season as she netted 10 points, nine rebounds, a career-high three assists, two steals and one block. She has now notched at least one block in 15 straight games for UB. Oursler had a strong game in the paint for UB as she netted eight points, six rebounds and two blocks across 24 minutes of action.
For the game, the Bulls shot 42.1% from the floor while the Chippewas were limited to just 32.2% as UB improved to 11-0 this season and 28-1 over the past two seasons when shooting a higher percentage from the floor than their opponents. The stingy Buffalo defense forced 14 Central Michigan turnovers and they turned those chances into 24 points. UB once again won the fast break category, 10-2, as they are now 13-2 on the season when holding the edge in fast break scoring. On the year, UB has outscored their opponents 157-53 on the fast break.
The Bulls will return to Alumni Arena on Wednesday night as they welcome the Ball State Cardinals for a MAC showdown. Tip is set for 7:00 pm on Wednesday and will air live on ESPN3 with Paul Peck and Amy Audibert on the call.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT
