The turning point in the game came late in the second quarter as the Bulls were able to cut the Ball State lead to just four with 3:56 remaining as Summer Hemphill finished off a layup after an assist from Reid. The Cardinals responded with an 11-0 run to close out the opening half to take the 46-31 lead into the locker room and they never looked back, leading the rest of the game.
After Theresa Onwuka opened the game with a jumper, the Cardinals went on an 8-0 run over the next three minutes to hold the 8-2 edge. UB didn’t go away as they went on an 8-0 run of their own as Smith and Onwuka drilled triples and Cassie Oursler sank a corner jumper, giving UB the 10-8 edge midway through the opening quarter. The Cardinals got a corner triple from Moriah Monaco with 3:19 left in the quarter to take the 17-12 edge but UB came right back and got an offensive rebound and put back from Oursler to cut the Ball State lead to three, 17-14. Ball State finished the quarter on a 7-2 run to take the 24-16 lead into the second quarter.
Monaco connected on another corner triple to extend the Cardinals lead out to 10, 27-17, just under a minute into the second quarter. Smith’s second three pointer of the game gave UB some momentum as they pulled with 30-24 before Carmen Grande connected on a jumper to give the Cardinals the 35-26 edge with 4:58 left in the half. After the media timeout, UB saw Courtney Wilkins drill a triple and Hemphill finished off a layup to get within four, 35-31. Unfortunately for the Bulls they couldn’t get any closer as the Cardinals finished off the quarter on a 11-0 run to take the 46-31 lead into halftime.
The third quarter opened up with a Hemphill layup but Ball State was able to respond and take the 17-point lead, 52-35, after Renee Bennett connected on a jumper with 7:55 left in the third. UB came roaring back as over the next three plus minutes the Bulls went on a 12-2 run as Smith netted five points, Oursler sank four and Onwuka netted a triple to get UB within 54-47. The Cardinals were able to get another big three pointer from Monaco to end the run and push the lead back to 10, 57-47, with four minutes left. The Cardinals and Bulls exchanged buckets down the stretch as Ball State held the 67-58 lead through 30 minutes.
After Monaco banked in her sixth three pointer of the game just over two minutes into the final quarter to give the Cardinals the 70-60 lead, UB gave it their best chance to complete the comeback as they went on a 8-2 run behind a pair of Smith three pointers. With the lead cut to four, 72-68, the Bulls offense went cold and the Cardinals received two more triples from hot-shooting Monaco to push the game out of reach. A Cassie Oursler layup brought UB within eight, 81-73 but the Cardinals connected on eight free throws down the stretch to put the Bulls away.
The Buffalo offense produced their highest scoring output in 13 games on Wednesday night as they were able to pour in 75 points. Reid controlled the offense for the Bulls as she was able to record her third double-double of her career while setting a new career-high and program record with 16 assists. Freshman Summer Hemphill continued her strong play as she notched her third double-double of the season as she scored 10 points and snagged 13 rebounds while also recording two blocks, giving her a block in 16 straight games.
Smith had another strong offensive game for the Bulls as she netted a team-high 26 points, three rebounds and two assists while going 9-for-25 from the floor and 6-for-15 from behind the arc. The six three pointers were a season-high for Smith who also moved into third place on the Bulls all-time three pointers made list (167) with her first triple of the game. Oursler was strong down low for the Bulls before fouling out as she netted 14 points, seven rebounds, a block and a steal in 22 minutes. Onwuka finished off her night with 10 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists in the loss.
For the game, the Cardinals shot 45.3% from the floor while UB was limited to just 38.0% shooting. Ball State owned the edge in free throw shooting as they made 22-of-27 for the game while UB went 12-of-17. The Buffalo defense forced 17 Ball State turnovers but the Cardinals held the 19-16 edge in points off of turnovers. UB assisted on 22 of their 27 field goals in the contest while the Cardinals had 20 assists on 29 makes.
The Cardinals were led offensively by Monaco who was able to net a career-high 35 points on 12-for-21 from the floor and 8-for-16 from behind the arc. Renee Bennett also finished off her strong game with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Carmen Grande finished with eight points, 10 assists and three rebounds in the win.
The Bulls return to the hardwood on Saturday afternoon as they travel to MAC west foe Western Michigan. Tip is set for 2:00 pm and will air live on ESPN3.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT
