Bulls Defeat St. Bonaventure 58-49 in Non-Conference Finale

Thursday, December 29

Olean, NY

4:00pm

5-4,0-0MAC

St. Bonaventure

3-12,0-0Atlantic 10

Buffalo

St. Bonaventure

Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com

Bulls Defeat St. Bonaventure 58-49 in Non-Conference Finale

12/29/2022 6:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ST. BONAVENTURE, NY – After dealing with the aftermath of a massive winter storm and all the travel-related challenges that came with a return to campus, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team overcame every challenge thrown their way as they closed out non-conference play with a 58-49 win over St. Bonaventure at the Reilly Center on Thursday afternoon.

Three Bulls scored in double-figures, led by fifth year guard Zakiyah Winfield who recorded her fourth straight double-double, and seventh of the season, with 21 points and 16 rebounds to go with three assists, two steals and a block. Fellow fifth year Re'Shawna Stone scored 13 points and sophomore Emerita Mashaire recorded a career-high 10 points.

The Bulls were aggressive from the opening tip as Winfield got a turnaround jumper to drop on UB's first possession before Mashaire and Stone drove to the basket and finished strong through contact to cap a 6-0 run and force an early Bonnies timeout. Buffalo continued to roll as Winfield knocked down a mid-range jumper and then sliced to the basket for two on the next possession before Mashaire drove hard and got the bucket plus the foul to put the Bulls up 14-2 at the 3:47 mark, but the Bonnies used a 5-0 run late in the quarter to cut the UB lead to 18-13 at the end of the first.

The Buffalo offense hit a lull to start the second quarter before Caelan Ellis got a one-dribble pull up to drop to put UB up 21-17 but the Bonnies answered with a triple on the other end. Later, Jazmine Young took it strong to the rim and finished off glass to give the Bulls a 24-20 lead at the media timeout. The Bulls continued to struggle offensively, and the Bonnies took advantage, taking their first lead of the game, 25-24 before Latrice Perkins hit a mid-range jumper to put UB back on top with just under two minutes to play in the half. Young hit a big step-back triple on Buffalo's next possession, but the Bonnies answered with a three of their own and got a layup at the buzzer to take a 30-29 lead at the break.

The Bulls scored on their first possession of the third quarter on a jumper by Winfield and later, Stone scored on back-to-back great drives to the basket to cap a 6-0 UB run and give Buffalo a 35-30 lead and force an SBU timeout at the 7:30 mark. Stone continued to attack as she converted a reverse layup over the front of the rim before the Bonnies answered with a three, their first field goal of the quarter, to cut the lead to four at the six-minute mark. Both offenses hit a lull with prolonged scoring droughts before the Bonnies used a 5-0 run to take a 38-37 lead with 1:33 to go, but Stone hit Winfield in transition for a fastbreak layup and the Bulls got a big defensive stop in the final seconds to take a one-point lead at the end of the third.

Winfield gave the Bulls their first bucket of the fourth quarter on a strong take to the basket off a feed from Stone. After St. Bonaventure tied the game at 41, Winfield stopped and popped on a dime and then Mashaire hit Salmons on the block with a great high-low pass and then drew a big charge on the defensive end at the five-minute mark. The Buffalo offense continued to heat up as Stone drilled a big triple from the wing and then sliced to the basket and finished for two off a great pass from Winfield to put UB up 50-41 and force a SBU timeout at the 4:02 mark. The Bonnies cut it to six points before Kayla Salmons found Mashaire on the block for a layup and then Mashaire hit a big three from the wing to put UB up 56-47 with one minute to go and that was enough for Buffalo to seal the game from the charity stripe.

Buffalo continued to turn defense into offense, scoring 19 points off Bonnies' turnovers. The Bulls doubled up the Bonnies in the paint, outscoring them 30-14 inside, while also dominating the glass 44-25.

"First, I want to thank our administration, staff, and players for making all the travel arrangements and sacrifices necessary in order for us to be able to play tonight," said head coach Becky Burke. "Secondly, I am just incredibly proud of how much toughness this team continues to show on a nightly basis. We are really starting to form an identity and I'm really excited to see us keep improving. We are trending in the right direction and ready for MAC play."

Up next, Buffalo opens Mid-American Conference play on Wednesday, January 4 at Kent State. Tipoff from the MAC Center is set for 7pm.