3-6
Canisius
3-4
Hedderson Shoots Bulls To Victory Over Canisius
12/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team used a total team effort to snap a five-game losing streak, defeating Canisius, 62-57, Wednesday night at Alumni Arena. Senior Brittany Hedderson scored a career-best 31 points, while four Bulls reached double figures in the rebounding department. The win improves UB's record to 3-6 on the year.
The game between the two cross-town rivals was tight through out with neither team leading by more than eight points. The Bulls got out to a 9-3 lead early on in the contest, but Canisius would make a run to take an early lead. With UB up 13-9, Canisius used a 10-2 run to go up by four. The Golden Griffins led by as many as five in the opening half, but a Valerie Majewski layup with 13 seconds left in the half pulled the Bulls within three at the break.
The Bulls immediately wiped out their halftime deficit as Hedderson hit one of her four three pointers on the night just nine seconds into the half. Canisius regained its halftime edge, taking a lead at 35-32 with 14:09 remaining, but that is when the Bulls responded with a game-changing 10-0 run, capped off on a layup from Teresa Semalulu. The Griffs again cut the UB lead to two, but Hedderson answered with back-to-back triples, giving the Bulls their largest lead of the game at 48-40 with 6:41 remaining.
Canisius again made a comeback, even taking a 54-53 lead with 3:42 left. UB responded to that with a 6-0 run, capped off on a layup from Hedderson, off a nice pass from Semalulu. The Griffs again pulled within two with 22 seconds left, but the Bulls got solid free throw shooting off the bench as sophomore Margeaux Gupilan came in to hit a pair. Another free throw from Hedderson gave the Bulls their final margin of victory.
"I am really proud of the effort our team came out with tonight," said head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "This win was really important for us because I think there were some games that we feel we let slip away and we can't get those back. We have had a tough road. This is just our third home game of the season and it was nice to be home."
Hedderson finished with a career-best 31 points, the first player to hit 30 in a game since Kourtney Brown achieved it last season. After scoring just nine points in the opening half, Hedderson had 22 points in the final 20 minutes, on 7-of-10 shooting. She also added five rebounds, three assists, a block and two steals.
As a team, the Bulls had 54 rebounds, their most in a game since recording 54 against Niagara on December 1, 2007. UB had four players in double figures in rebounding, led by career highs of 11 from Semalulu and freshman Christa Baccas. Semalulu added six points, three assists and two steals. Senior Beth Christensen and redshirt sophomore Nytor Longar each added 10 rebounds. Longar just missed a double-double with nine points, adding a block and a career-high four steals.
Canisius (3-4) was led by 20 points from Jamie Ruttle and 10 points from Jen Morabito. Ashley Wilkes recorded seven rebounds, while three players finished with four assists.
UB will face its second straight Big Four opponent on Saturday when it travels to St. Bonaventure. Tip off against the Bonnies is set for 4:30 pm.
