3-0
Massachusetts
1-2
Women's Basketball Knocks Off UMass, 56-48, To Improve To 3-0 On The Year
11/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
AMHERST, MA – The University at Buffalo, The State University of New York women's basketball team (3-0, 0-0 MAC) improved to 3-0 on the season with the 56-48 victory on the road at UMass on Saturday. The stingy UB defense forced 23 turnovers while Joanna Smith tied a career-high with 21 points, nine rebounds and three steals to give the Bulls their first 3-0 start since the 2000-01 campaign.
"I am very excited about how we came after this game defensively," stated head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. "UMass was a really good team but our kids stayed true to who they are and they didn't show anything outside of who they are. We played without fear today and I was excited about that."
The story of the game for the Bulls once again was the defense as they forced 23 turnovers. UB has now forced 19 or more turnovers in all three victories this year. With a slim five-point lead, Katherine Ups made the play of the game as she blocked a shot on the defensive end which led to a Smith three-pointer with 1:21 remaining, to give UB the eight-point edge. The UB defense held tough down the stretch to win their first road game of the season.
Smith helped spark the Bulls early in the first quarter as she scored the first six UB points to help push them to the 14-7 lead just over five minutes in. The Bulls were held scoreless down the stretch of the first as UMass pulled within 14-10 after 10 minutes of action.
The Bulls again won the scoring battle in the second quarter as they used four three pointers including one off the bench from sophomore Courtney Wilkins to take the 29-23 lead into the locker room. Wilkins finished the second quarter with five points for the Bulls.
The UB offense has their best quarter in the third as they were able to produce 17 points to extend their lead to 11 points. Liisa Ups started off the scoring with a steal and layup and then Smith converted on a free throw and a deep ball. Sophomore Mariah Suchan then took over, scoring six straight points for UB to give them the 12-point lead. Freshman Gabi Bade finished off the scoring in the third with a three-pointer after a great pass from Karin Moss.
The Minutewomen outscored UB in the final quarter but it was not enough as the stingy UB defense held UMass to only 48 points. The Bulls have held all three opponents this season to under 50 points.
Suchan had a career game for the Bulls as she finished with eight points, five rebounds and a career-high four steals in the win. Stephanie Reid continued her strong point guard play as she finished with 10 points, a team-high six assists and three rebounds while Wilkins finished with a career-high five points off the bench.
The Bulls shot 41.7% from the floor in the victory while they held the Minutewomen to just 33.3% from the floor and 16.7% from long range. UB led the free throw battle, going 9-11 from the line while also holding the 15-13 edge in assists for the game.
The Bulls return home on Wednesday afternoon to take on the Cornell Big Red at Alumni Arena at 2:00 pm. As a thank you to the UB community, admission to Wednesday's game will be free.
