University at Buffalo
9-716-11; MAC
Miami (OH)
3-137-20; MAC
Sharkey Ignites UB Win at Miami
3/1/2014 12:00:00β―AM | Women's Basketball
OXFORD, OH – After a stretch of nine straight Mid-American Conference games that would come down to the final minutes, the Buffalo women's basketball team was right at home Saturday afternoon, riding a big first half lead that narrowed late before free throws clinched a 74-61 win over Miami (OH) (7-20, 3-13 MAC). Kristen Sharkey would hit 10-11 free throws in the second half and scored 22 points with 14 rebounds to lead UB (16-11, 9-7 MAC).
The Bulls came out with redemption on its mind after a frustrating loss to Ohio on Thursday night, and came out strong on both ends of the court in the first half. After a sluggish opening half in the Jan. 30 meeting at Alumni, the Bulls would take a 41-27 lead into the break and would lead by as much as 20 points. After not scoring its 20th point until the 2:45 mark in the first meeting with the Redhawks, the Bulls hit that mark with over 13 minutes left to play.
The offense was led by Loesing's 15 points and three three point field goals, but the team saw great performances from all eight players who saw action. Margeaux Gupilan scored four points with five assists and three rebounds in the first 20 minutes, and Alexus Malone continued to show off her improved range with a pair of threes. After allowing Miami to shoot 60 percent through the first seven minutes of the game, the UB defense would ultimately hold the Redhawks to just 31 percent overall in the half.
Much like Ohio on Thursday night, the Redhawks were hungry to snap a slump on its home court and would fight back in the second half. Freshman Jillian Spurlock would score 17 of her team-high 19 points in the final 20 minutes and an early 16 point lead for Buffalo would soon be trimmed to single digits. A 7-0 run over a two minutes stretch starting at the eight minute mark would make it a four point game, 59-55, still with six minutes to play.
Sharkey would put the comeback hopes to rest, though, hitting eight straight free throws over the final five minutes of the game to keep Miami at an arm's length. The 22 points and 14 rebounds snapped a three-game slump where she shot just 11-28 from the field, and gives her nine 20-point games in this career year. She would also match a career high with the 14 boards.
Loesing would finish the game with 19 points in just 21 minutes, and Gupilan would finish with nine assists and just a single turnover. Karin Moss continued to come on late in the season, with seven points that included a dagger three late in the game. She is now averaging over 10 points in the last four games.
It would be an important win, as UB's win coupled with a loss by Western Michigan puts UB back in the coveted fourth position in the MAC standings. It also clinches the team's first season above.500 since 2002-03 and tied with the 2010-11 squad with the most wins in a season over the last decade. With a final road record of 8-8, the team also clinched the first season at .500 or better on the road since 2007-08.
With just two games remaining in the regular season, both will come in the friendly confines of Alumni Arena. The final week begins Wednesday with a rematch against Akron. Tip off with the Zips is scheduled for 7 pm in a rematch of a Feb. 2 game that featured 193 combined points.
