University at Buffalo
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Buffalo State
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Bulls Pull Away From Bengals in Second Half of Win
11/2/2013 12:00:00β―AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY - Buoyed by the inside presence of junior Kristen Sharkey, the Buffalo women's basketball team wrapped up the exhibition season Saturday afternoon with a 76-54 win over Buffalo State. With a tie game at halftime, and a brief lead for the Bengals early in the second half, the Bulls rallied back and ultimately cruised to the win. Sharkey would finish with 22 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
While both teams would struggle from the field offensively, Buff State would find its niche on the boards with a commanding 35-23 advantage at halftime to head to the locker rooms tied up 30-30. Sharkey would hit 7-10 attempts in just 15 minutes on the court in the first half, and added four rebounds. As a team, the Bulls were 12-33 on field goals, but just 2-14 from three. The team would eschew the deep ball in the second half, and would find great success in the paint to put the game away.
After a three pointer from the Bengals' Olivia Luciani gave the visitors a 35-32 lead with 18:16 remaining, the Bulls would wake up and roll off a 19-2 run, capped off by a Cherridy Thornton three pointer that forced a Buff State timeout at the 12:52 mark. The senior Thornton, who had just one point in the first half, joined with Sharkey down low to provide the second half offense for UB. She would hit 5-8 shots and pull down six rebounds over the final half alone.
Motivated by the rebounding deficit at halftime, Buffalo hit the glass hard in the win, ultimately turning a negative 12 margin into a 55-53 advantage at the end of the game. Of the 32 rebounds in the second half, UB had 14 offensive rebounds that would turn into 16 second-chance points. Sharkey would let Thornton handle much of the scoring, and would turn her focus to rebounding. She had nine in the second half alone, highlighted by four on the offensive end.
The defense was present from start to finish for UB, as it forced 27 turnovers and made 18 steals. All but one player on the roster had a steal, and six players would have multiple take aways. Senior Margeaux Gupilan would have three steals to go with six assists, four points and four rebounds. Freshman Alexus Malone earned her second start in as many games this preseason, and added important toughness to the post. She hit 2-3 shots and would be a frequent visitor to the free throw line, ultimately scoring nine points along with five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Buffalo's bench again was key in the win, outscoring Buff State's reserves 35-16. Along with Thornton's 13 points, Sloane Walton would chip in 11 points and freshman Joanna Smith had seven.
Now with a pair of tune ups under its belt, UB will open the 2013-14 regular season on Friday, traveling to Binghamton in a matchup of SUNY rivals. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 pm.
