Freshmen Shine in 68-61 Win Over Northern Illinois

Saturday, January 29

Buffalo, NY

2:00 PM

12-7,6-3MAC

Northern Illinois

7-10,4-5MAC

Northern Ill.

Buffalo

Freshmen Shine in 68-61 Win Over Northern Illinois

1/29/2022 4:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BUFFALO, NY – Freshmen Georgia Woolley and Saniaa Wilson turned in a pair of career-best performances, the latter doing so in her UB debut, to lead the University at Buffalo women's basketball team to a 68-61 win over Northern Illinois at Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon. The win snaps a three-game skid and improves the Bulls to 12-7 overall and 6-3 in league play.

Woolley led all scorers with a career-high 26 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. Junior guard Dyaisha Fair scored 16 points to go with six rebounds, six assists and three steals while Wilson added 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in her first game in the blue and white.

Woolley picked up where she left off knocking down a three on UB's first possession of the game and Summer Hemphill and Fair made a pair of mid-range jumpers to put Buffalo up 9-8 at the first media timeout. Woolley continued to attack as she hit a pull-up jumper and Loren Christie powered up for a second chance layup and the UB defense began to swarm as they held the Huskies scoreless for the final two minutes of the quarter to take a 15-9 lead at the end of the first.

The teams traded baskets early in the second quarter before NIU hit a three to cut the lead to three, but Christie answered with a triple on the other end and later, Woolley had a big block and then drained a fastbreak three to give the Bulls a 28-21 lead at the media timeout. The Buffalo defense continued to wreak havoc as they held the Huskies without a field goal for the final five minutes of the quarter and the offense capitalized, as Wilson scored the first points of her UB career, going 2-for-2 at the charity stripe, and Woolley knocked down pull up jumpers on back-to-back possessions to give the Bulls a 36-25 lead at the half.

The Huskies opened the third quarter on a 6-2 run to cut the UB lead to seven. Woolley hit Wilson with a beautiful pass for an easy bucket to put the Bulls back up by nine, but A'Jah Davis answered with an and-one bucket to cut the lead to 42-36 at the media timeout. Both offenses stalled out of the timeout as neither team scored for almost three minutes before Wilson went back to work, scoring six straight points to put the Bulls up 48-40, but NIU rattled off a 5-0 run in less than a minute to cut the UB lead to 48-45 at the end of the third.

Buffalo opened the fourth on a 6-0 run, capped by a Wilson driving layup, to take a 52-45 lead early in the quarter. Later, Hemphill powered up for a bucket and Fair added a pair of free throws to put UB up 58-52 at the media timeout. NIU scored four straight points to cut lead to two at 2:27 mark but Woolley, Hemphill and the UB defense answered with a pair of stops and fastbreak buckets to put Buffalo up 62-56 with just under two minutes to play. The Huskies fought hard as Davis scored through contact and made the free throw to cut the UB lead to three with 56 seconds to go but Woolley knocked down a crucial free throw and Fair came up with a big steal and score in the final seconds to seal the victory.

"We needed that win in the worst way," said head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. "Most young people are validated by success and the losses start messing with you psyche a little bit, but for us to pull together and do the work on and off the court and get the result that we got tonight, it's going to validate us a little bit more and I think we will be a better team for it."

Hemphill had another efficient game, scoring eight points to go with five rebounds, three assists and three steals while Christie added six points, four rebounds, a steal and a block.

Buffalo outscored NIU 30-24 in the paint while scoring 19 fastbreak points and 14 points off NIU turnovers. The Bulls also won the battle on the glass, 41-38, including 13 offensive rebounds.

Up next, Buffalo heads to the state of Michigan for a pair of games, beginning with a contest against in Ypsilanti against the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Wednesday, February 2^nd. Tipoff from the Convocation Center is set for 2pm.