University at Buffalo
6-0
Clemson
1-6
Bulls Improve To 6-0 With A 61-51 Win Over Clemson At The UCF Thanksgiving Classic
11/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Joanna Smith Post Game Interview
ORLANDO, FL – Behind a career-high 26 point outburst from junior Joanna Smith, the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York women's basketball team (6-0, 0-0 MAC) remained in the ranks of the unbeaten with a 61-51 win over ACC's Clemson Tigers. UB improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2000-01 when they went 8-0 to start the season.
The turning point in the game came in the third quarter as UB entered trailing 25-20. Smith exploded in the third for a career-best 14 points to give UB control of the game, 42-33. UB started the second half on a 14-2 run to take over the game as Smith notched 10 of those points and Liisa Ups and Mirte Scheper each recorded a bucket.
The Bulls jumped out to a quick start in the opening quarter as Joanna Smith nailed a three-pointer and backed that up with a pull up jumper to make the score 5-0 in favor of UB. The Tigers were able to go on an 11-2 run over the next seven minutes of the quarter but freshman Brittany Morrison hit a desperation deep ball in the final minute to bring UB within one at the end of the quarter, 11-10.
The second quarter didn't start out well for the Bulls as the Tigers were able to jump on UB quick with a 7-1 run to take the lead. Over the next three minutes, the Bulls put together a 8-3 run of their own to bring the score within 21-19 as Morrison's energy and rebounding were key to cutting into the Clemson lead. Clemson closed the half on a 4-1 run to take the 25-20 lead into the locker room despite being outrebounded 21-12 by the Bulls.
The Tigers tried climbing back into the game in the fourth quarter as they started quick with a 6-0 run but Katherine Ups hit a pair of big three pointers to push the UB lead back to six, 48-42. After a Clemson bucket, Smith hit her fourth deep ball of the game to extend the Bulls lead to 51-44. Down the stretch of the quarter, the Bulls were able to hit their free throws as Katherine Ups and Stephanie Reid each netted four free throws as the Bulls finished off the game with a 61-51 victory.
Smith finished off her career game with 26 points and four boards on 10-for-18 from the floor and 4-for-7 from deep. Katherine Ups continued her steady play for the Bulls as she finished with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Morrison finished with a career-high six points and eight boards off the bench. Scheper finished off her game with six points and three boards while Reid had six points and and a team-high five assists in the win.
The Bulls held the 38-28 edge in rebounds while their stingy defense forced 19 Clemson turnovers which led to 26 points for UB. The Bulls offensive attack held the 11-2 edge in fast break points while shooting 40.8% from the floor and making seven from behind the arc.
The Bulls will return to the court on Thursday, December 3 as they will travel to take on the Hofstra Pride at 7:00 pm.
