The difference in the game was the free throw shooting as the Rockets were able to connect on 28-of-33 from the charity stripe while the Bulls shot just 60.0% (15-for-25). Toledo closed out the game at the free throw line as they made 15-of-18 over the final 10 minutes of the game which didn’t allow UB to mount the comeback.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair as the Rockets were able to take the lead in the first minute as they opened the scoring with a layup. Buffalo then responded with five straight as Stephanie Reid hit a jumper and Cassie Oursler finished a layup to give UB the 5-2 edge. Toledo came right back and took the 7-5 lead before Reid connected on a deep triple to give the Bulls the 8-7 lead. Toledo finished the quarter on a 6-4 run to take the 13-12 edge through 10 minutes as they finished the scoring with an uncontested layup in the final minute.
The Rockets were able to open the game up in the second quarter as they started the quarter on a 6-0 run behind three straight layups inside the paint. After a Brittany Morrison layup ended the Toledo run, the Rockets scored 11 of the next 12 points to make the score 30-15 in favor of the home squad. Gabi Bade ended the run with a pretty layup inside the paint but the Rockets responded with six quick points to force a Buffalo timeout with the home side leading 36-17. UB finished the half on a 6-3 run as Bade and Theresa Onwuka each netted triples as the teams headed to the locker room with Toledo leading 39-23.
The Bulls tried climbing back into the game in the third quarter as they opened the second half out on a 8-0 run spurred by the defense of Reid. After Oursler opened the scoring with free throws, Reid netted back-to-back layups and Smith netted a pair of freebies. After the Rockets made it a 13-point game, 49-36, Smith finished off a layup and Summer Hemphill made a great dish to Suchan who netted the layup and forced a Toledo timeout with UB trailing by nine. The Bulls cut the lead to just eight with two minutes left in the quarter as Reid banked home a runner off the glass but the Rockets were able to finish the quarter on a 5-0 run to take the 57-43 lead into the final quarter.
The Bulls had a quick surge to start the fourth quarter as Onwuka was able to record two straight layups to cut their deficit to 13, but they couldn’t get any closer down the stretch. The Rockets connected on 15 fourth quarter free throws to put the game out of reach and earn the 85-63 home victory over the Bulls.
Reid was the lone bright spot for the Bulls on Wednesday as the junior netted a season-high 24 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals across 36 minutes of action. Reid went over the 20-point plateau for the second time this season while also moving into a tie for fifth place on UB’s all-time assists charts with her 388th career assist. Reid is now tied with Buffalo assistant coach Ashley Zuber.
Mariah Suchan was able to notch her second straight strong game off the bench for the Bulls as she netted nine points and six rebounds across 29 minutes of work. Smith finished off her tough shooting night with six points, three rebounds and three steals while going just 1-for-17 from the floor. With her two free throws in the first quarter, Smith moved into 10th place on the Bulls all-time scoring charts as she has now recorded 1,178 career points for UB.
The Rockets were led offensively by Janice Monakana who finished with a career-high 29 points and six rebounds while going 14-for-15 from the charity stripe. Mikaela Boyd finished off her strong game with 11 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists over 35 minutes of action.
For the game, the Rockets were able to connect on 52.0% of their attempts from the floor while UB was held to just 31.4% shooting and just 16.7% from behind the three point arc. The Bulls lost the rebounding battle for just the fourth time this season as Toledo held the 44-34 edge. The Rockets also held the edge in scoring inside the paint, 36-30, as the Bulls fell to just 1-5 on the year when losing the battle in the paint.
Buffalo will return home on Saturday afternoon as they welcome MAC east foe Kent State to Alumni Arena for a conference showdown. Tip is set for 2 p.m. Saturday and the game will air live on ESPN3 with Paul Peck and Amy Audibert on the call.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT
All WNY is made possible thanks to coffee and sleep deprivation.
We appreciate your readership. We like money, too.
