BUFFALO — Behind a career-high 12 points and nine rebounds by junior Mariah Suchan, the University at Buffalo women’s basketball team (6-0, 0-0 MAC) was able to stay unbeaten as they snuck past a feisty UCF squad on Thursday night at Alumni Arena, 66-65. The win gives UB their second straight 6-0 start to a season, marking the first time the Bulls have done this in program history.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 14-point lead, it seemed as though the Bulls were going to be able to cruise to their sixth straight win to start the season but that was not the case. Zykira Lewis was able to catch fire down the stretch of the fourth quarter as she netted 19 of her game-high 23 points including five three-pointers in the final 10 minutes to help the Knights fight back.
Lewis drilled a triple with 16 seconds remaining to bring UCF within one, 66-65, and the Bulls missed a pair of free throws that gave the Knights a chance for the win. On the ensuing possession, Jamesha Paul missed a layup and Nyala Shuler grabbed the offensive rebound and attempted a put back that was rejected by Summer Hemphill to seal the one-point win for the Bulls, 66-65.
After a slow start to the game offensively, Cassie Oursler was able to net the Bulls first bucket of the game three minutes in as she took a Stephanie Reid feed and finished off the layup, making the score 4-2 in favor of the Knights. A Summer Hemphill free throw tied the game, 7-7, with 3:01 left in the quarter but the Bulls ended the first on a 9-2 run to take the 16-9 edge after 10 minutes. Courtney Wilkins hit a three-pointer before Gabi Bade beat the buzzer with a deep three after a feed from Wilkins.
The Knights cut the Bulls lead to three a minute into the second quarter before a Brittany Morrison offensive rebound and layup sparked a 6-0 run as Katherine Ups and Suchan were also able to net layups, giving UB the 22-13 edge with 3:25 left in the half. UB was able to outscore UCF 8-5 down the stretch as the Bulls got another buzzer beater right before half as Smith took a Bade feed and buried the corner jumper, to send Buffalo to the locker room with the 30-18 lead.
The Bulls came out of the locker room strong in the third quarter as they opened up on a 10-3 run to extend their lead out to 19, 40-21. Smith and Reid each netted a pair of layups while Oursler got a layup of her own as UB looked to run away from the Knights. The visitors were able to respond quickly with a 8-0 run of their own to bring the game within 11, 40-29, before freshman Theresa Onwuka was able to score a layup from Wilkins and Suchan finished off the quarter with a free throw to give UB the 14-point lead after three quarters.
The Bulls started off the fourth quarter trading baskets with the Knights before Onwuka made a nifty layup after a Bade pass, giving UB the 47-31 edge with 8:15 left in the game. UCF then went on a 9-2 run to draw within nine, 49-40. A Suchan free throw with 2:42 left gave the Bulls a 15-point lead and what most thought would seal the game but Lewis got hot for the Knights and drilled four three-pointers down the stretch to get UCF within one but the Bulls were able to hold on with a huge block by Hemphill to seal the win.
Suchan was a presence down low for the Bulls all game long as she netted a career-high 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting while grabbing nine rebounds, five of which offensive. Smith finished off her game with 15 points, a season-high nine rebounds and a season-best seven free throws while Reid netted 10 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed three rebounds in the win. Oursler continued her strong play despite being in foul trouble for most of the game, finishing with nine points, four rebounds and three blocks in just 17 minutes of work.
For the game, UCF shot 37.7% from the floor while the Bulls were limited to 35.1% and just 21.4% from behind the arc. The Bulls were able to force 13 turnovers that they turned into 20 points while also netting 17 second chance points on 17 offensive rebounds. Buffalo stayed perfect on the season when winning the rebounding battle as they held the narrow 44-42 edge for the game.
The Bulls will return to Alumni Arena on Sunday afternoon as they welcome the Hofstra Pride to Buffalo for a non-conference showdown. Tip is set for 12:00 pm on Sunday and will air live on ESPN 3 with Paul Peck and Amy Audibert on the call.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT