University at Buffalo
16-13 (8-10MAC)
Kent State
6-22 (3-15MAC)
Bulls Close Out Regular Season With Decisive Win Over Kent State, 63-47
3/5/2016 12:00:00β―AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's basketball ran away from Kent State on Saturday afternoon in front of 1,678 fans at Alumni Arena on Senior Day, downing the Golden Flashes 63-47. The Bulls finished the regular season 16-13 overall and 8-10 in MAC play, earning the eight-seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament and they will host Bowling Green on Monday at 5:30 pm.
"The eyes of our players really changed today as they became more focused and intense," said head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. "If we can defend like we did today, I think we can really be excited about what the future holds for the postseason. I believe there are four seasons, preseason, non-conference, conference and postseason and I think that this team is getting ready for postseason right now on the backs of Stephanie Reid and Joanna Smith."
The Bulls got out to a quick start on Saturday in their regular season finale as Katherine Ups opened the game with a three-pointer from the corner. The Bulls opened the game on a 13-4 run that was capped with a Courtney Wilkins deep three-pointer after a pretty pass from Stephanie Reid. The Bulls went up six, 16-10, on Joanna Smith's first three-pointer of the game but the Golden Flashes were able to score the final bucket of the quarter to give UB the 16-12 lead after 10 minutes.
The Bulls then used great defense and a strong offensive game plan in the second quarter to extend their halftime lead out to 13. UB opened the quarter on a 9-0 run as Wilkins opened the quarter with her second three-pointer and then senior Karin Moss notched a steal and layup in transition. Mariah Suchan finished off the run with a layup after a nice feed from Katherine Ups, making the score 25-12. The two teams exchanged buckets down the stretch as UB went to the half winning 31-18. The Buffalo defense forced nine second quarter turnovers and 16 total first half turnovers.
UB put the game away in the third quarter on the shoulder of freshman Brittany Morrison who played all 10 minutes and contributed five points and seven rebounds, including five offensive boards. The Bulls were able to outscore the Golden Flashes 17-8 in the quarter as they extended their lead to 22 points, 48-26.
With the game in hand entering the fourth, the Bulls got their bench involved as Mirte Scheper and Ayoleka Sodade put in solid minutes. Scheper finished the game with four points and a block in 10 minutes while Sodade brought great energy, finishing with two points, two assists and a rebound in seven minutes. The Golden Flashes were able to outscore UB 21-15 in the fourth but the Bulls held onto the impressive 16-point victory, 63-47.
Smith led the Bulls in scoring for the 22nd time on Saturday as she finished the game with 14 points and six rebounds while netting three three-pointers for the 18th time this season. Smith has hit at least one three-pointer in 28 of 29 games this season and she moved into fifth place in program history for points in a season (522). Her 85 triples this season rank her third in program history for three's in a season.
Morrison had a career day on the boards for UB as she was able to muscle down a career-high 13 rebounds including seven offensive rebounds. The freshman also finished with nine points and a steal in 22 minutes of action. On senior day, Moss finished with four points, four steals and a rebound in 16 minutes of action while Reid went for seven points, six assists and two rebounds in the victory. Katherine Ups finished off her strong afternoon with eight points, three rebounds and two assists.
As a team, the Bulls dominated the paint as they outscored Kent State 28-14 while also forcing 25 turnovers that turned into 25 points for the Bulls. The Golden Flashes were able to shoot 40% from the floor while UB only shot 34.8%. The Bulls improved to 15-2 on the year when holding the lead entering the fourth quarter.
The Bulls return home on Monday at 5:30 pm as they play host to the Bowling Green Falcons at Alumni Arena in the opening round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Bulls are the eight-seed and the Falcons are the nine-seed with the winner advancing to Cleveland to take on the top-seeded Ohio Bobcats at noon on Wednesday.
