Friday, November 15
Buffalo, NY
7:00 pm
4-0,0-0MAC
82
vs
75
Columbia
1-3,0-0Ivy League
1
2
3
4
F
Columbia
28
15
14
18
75
Buffalo
20
22
19
21
82
Bulls Rally to Defeat Columbia 82-75 on Friday Night
11/15/2019 9:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – On a big night inside Alumni Arena on Friday night, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team rallied to defeat Columbia 82-75 in front of 1,502 fans to stay unbeaten and start the season 4-0 for the fourth time in the last five years. Prior to the game, the Bulls honored their stellar 2018-19 campaign and team by unveiling a MAC Championship banner on the wall inside Alumni Arena.
Four Bulls recorded double-digit scoring efforts on the night, led by freshman Dyaisha Fair who scored 25 points while adding five rebounds, five assists and five steals. Junior Hanna Hall added 14 points, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, to go along with five rebounds and two assists.
Freshman Loren Christie had a breakthrough performance, recording a career-high 13 points, including 3-of-7 from deep, and senior Theresa Onwuka scored 14 points while grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out three assists and creating four turnovers. Sophomore Keowa Walters added nine points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds.
The Bulls were hot from deep to start, hitting three of their first seven shots from beyond the arc, but Columbia would have an answer with buckets of their own as the Lions held the narrow 15-14 lead at the first media timeout. Fair danced around her defender and scored to put UB up 18-15 but Columbia would answer with back-to-back three's to take a 24-18 lead and they would lead 28-20 after one quarter of play.
Buffalo would start the second quarter on a 5-0 run courtesy of a second chance layup by Walters and a triple by Fair to cut the lead to 30-25 at the 8:47 mark. Columbia would go back up by eight on a second chance layup by Sienna Durr layup but Fair drilled a three to cut the lead to 34-29 at the media timeout. Columbia hit a three coming out of the media, but Christie responded with a 5-0 run of her own to cut the lead to 37-34 at the 3:04 mark. Later, Fair found Christie at the top of the key for another triple and two possessions later Hall found Onwuka for a layup to cut the Lions' lead to 43-42 at the half.
After a back-and-forth start to the third quarter, Hall tied the game at 51 on a triple off the assist from Aireal Dickson. Later, Fair got the pass from Hall and drilled a triple to give UB its first lead since the 3:19 mark of the first quarter, 54-52. Christie continued to impress with a beautiful drive to the basket and Fair returned the favor to Hall by finding the junior for three to give UB a 61-57 lead at the end of the third.
Abbey Hsu hit a three on the Lions' opening possession of the fourth quarter to cut the UB lead 61-60 but Walters responded with back-to-back second chance buckets to extend the UB lead to 65-60 with 8:40 to play. Fair took over from there as she scored Buffalo's next 10 points to five the Bulls a 77-65 lead at the 3:53 mark. Later, Christie dished a perfect pass to Adebola Adeyeye who laid it in to give the Bulls their largest lead of the game, 81-67, and that would be all the Bulls would need to secure the victory.
The Bulls held the narrow edge in rebounding, 44-43, and turned 23 offensive boards into 27 second chance points, while scoring 17 points off 24 Columbia turnovers. Buffalo also outscored the Lions 36-28 in the paint.
The Bulls will now travel to California for two games, starting with a contest at San Jose State on Thursday, November 21, at 10pm (EST).
Four Bulls recorded double-digit scoring efforts on the night, led by freshman Dyaisha Fair who scored 25 points while adding five rebounds, five assists and five steals. Junior Hanna Hall added 14 points, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, to go along with five rebounds and two assists.
Freshman Loren Christie had a breakthrough performance, recording a career-high 13 points, including 3-of-7 from deep, and senior Theresa Onwuka scored 14 points while grabbing eight rebounds, dishing out three assists and creating four turnovers. Sophomore Keowa Walters added nine points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds.
The Bulls were hot from deep to start, hitting three of their first seven shots from beyond the arc, but Columbia would have an answer with buckets of their own as the Lions held the narrow 15-14 lead at the first media timeout. Fair danced around her defender and scored to put UB up 18-15 but Columbia would answer with back-to-back three's to take a 24-18 lead and they would lead 28-20 after one quarter of play.
Buffalo would start the second quarter on a 5-0 run courtesy of a second chance layup by Walters and a triple by Fair to cut the lead to 30-25 at the 8:47 mark. Columbia would go back up by eight on a second chance layup by Sienna Durr layup but Fair drilled a three to cut the lead to 34-29 at the media timeout. Columbia hit a three coming out of the media, but Christie responded with a 5-0 run of her own to cut the lead to 37-34 at the 3:04 mark. Later, Fair found Christie at the top of the key for another triple and two possessions later Hall found Onwuka for a layup to cut the Lions' lead to 43-42 at the half.
After a back-and-forth start to the third quarter, Hall tied the game at 51 on a triple off the assist from Aireal Dickson. Later, Fair got the pass from Hall and drilled a triple to give UB its first lead since the 3:19 mark of the first quarter, 54-52. Christie continued to impress with a beautiful drive to the basket and Fair returned the favor to Hall by finding the junior for three to give UB a 61-57 lead at the end of the third.
Abbey Hsu hit a three on the Lions' opening possession of the fourth quarter to cut the UB lead 61-60 but Walters responded with back-to-back second chance buckets to extend the UB lead to 65-60 with 8:40 to play. Fair took over from there as she scored Buffalo's next 10 points to five the Bulls a 77-65 lead at the 3:53 mark. Later, Christie dished a perfect pass to Adebola Adeyeye who laid it in to give the Bulls their largest lead of the game, 81-67, and that would be all the Bulls would need to secure the victory.
The Bulls held the narrow edge in rebounding, 44-43, and turned 23 offensive boards into 27 second chance points, while scoring 17 points off 24 Columbia turnovers. Buffalo also outscored the Lions 36-28 in the paint.
The Bulls will now travel to California for two games, starting with a contest at San Jose State on Thursday, November 21, at 10pm (EST).
Team Stats
CU
UB
FG%
.443
.400
3FG%
.417
.414
FT%
.611
.769
RB
43
44
TO
24
14
STL
10
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
25
FGM
10
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
16
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's BasketballForward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's BasketballGuard
/ Women's BasketballGuard
/ Women's BasketballGuard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball1-on-1 with new head women's basketball coach Kristen Sharkey | A Sisterhood
Thursday, May 29
1-on-1 with new head women's basketball coach Kristen Sharkey | What Lead Me to Coaching
Thursday, May 29
1-on-1 with new head women's basketball coach Kristen Sharkey | Excited and Joyful
Thursday, May 29
1-on-1 with new head women's basketball coach Kristen Sharkey | Playstyle
Thursday, May 29
