University at Buffalo
15-12, 7-9
Ohio
22-5, 14-2
Bulls Pull Off Season Sweep Of Ohio With 70-58 Road Win
2/27/2016 12:00:00β―AM | Women's Basketball
ATHENS, OH – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team earned a season sweep of first-place Ohio on Saturday overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat the Bobcats 70-58. Sophomore point guard Stephanie Reid had a huge game for the Bulls finishing with 21 points, a career-high eight assists and seven rebounds in the win. With the win, UB improved to 15-12 overall and 7-9 in MAC play.
The Bulls handed the Bobcats their first home loss of the season and their only two conference losses all season long. The Bulls currently sit in eighth place in the MAC standings with two games remaining.
Entering the fourth period tied at 48, the Bulls defense really tightened up in the final 10 minutes as they were able to outscore the Bobcats 22-10. After Ohio took the 53-52 lead early on in the quarter, the Bulls went on a 10-2 run to take the 62-55 lead behind six points from Katherine Ups. The Bulls never looked back from there as they forced multiple turnovers down the stretch and made their free throws, collecting the 70-58 win.
The Bulls jumped out to a quick lead and led for almost the whole first quarter after the Bobcats opened the scoring with a layup. With the score tied 4-4, Joanna Smith drilled back-to-back three-pointers to give the Bulls a 10-6 lead. Smith then added a layup to net eight first quarter points while Stephanie Reid finished off the scoring in the quarter with a nice layup, making the score 18-12 in favor of UB after the first 10 minutes.
After trading some buckets to start the second quarter, the Bobcats took over and finished the quarter off on a 14-2 run. Mariah Suchan was able to break the Ohio run with the final bucket of the half as she took a great feed from Katherine Ups. The Bobcats were able to take the 33-26 lead into halftime as they outscored UB 21-8 in the second quarter.
Trailing by seven entering the third quarter, the Bulls dug deep and fought back into the game. After a Cassie Oursler jumper opened the quarter, Smith drilled back-to-back three-pointers to bring UB within four, 38-34. After an Ohio three-point play, Katherine Ups hit a three-pointer and Suchan hit a jumper to make the score 41-39. The Bulls then finished the quarter with three straight triples, from three different players, to make the score 48-48 at the end of the quarter.
Reid led the way offensively with 21 points, seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists while also netting all eight of her free throws. Smith continued her hot hand offensively as she finished with 21 points and five rebounds, going over the 20-point plateau for the 14th time this season. Smith finished with six three-pointers as she has now netted three or more three-pointers in a game 16 times this season. She now has netted 80 three-pointers on the year, ranking third in program history for threes made in a season.
Katherine Ups had one of her better games on the offensive end of the court on Saturday as she finished with 12 points on 5-got-7 from the floor and two assists. Off the bench, Suchan made an impact as she finished with six points and two rebounds in 14 minutes.
The Bulls improved to 14-1 on the year when shooting a higher percentage from the floor than their opponents as they shot 44.2% for the game while limiting Ohio to just 27.8%. The Bulls also dominated the rebounding battle, 42-29 and outscored the Bobcats 22-18 in the paint.
The Bulls will return to the hardwood on Wednesday night as they travel to Akron to take on the Zips. Tip is set for 8:00 pm.
