Bulls Fight Until the End, Drop Close Contest to Bowling Green on Wednesday Night

Wednesday, January 25

Buffalo, NY

6:00pm

8-8,3-4MAC

Bowling Green

17-2,6-1MAC

Bowling Green

Buffalo

Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com

Bulls Fight Until the End, Drop Close Contest to Bowling Green on Wednesday Night

1/25/2023 8:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BUFFALO, NY – Despite a fantastic defensive effort in which they held Bowling Green to 18 points below their scoring average, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team (8-8, 3-4 MAC) couldn't score on their final possession to extend the game as they fell to the Falcons 64-61 on Wednesday night at Alumni Arena.

Buffalo's dynamic backcourt trio led the way once again with Zakiyah Winfield pacing the Bulls with 20 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Fifth year guard Re'Shawna Stone scored 19 points to go with seven rebounds and three steals and Jazmine Young added 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.

The teams traded baskets early in the game, but Bowling Green used an 8-0 run to take a 12-4 lead at the first media timeout. Buffalo's guards got UB going as the Winfield hit a pull up jumper in the lane and Stone got a bucket plus the foul to pull the Bulls within three at the 3:23 mark but the Falcons answered with back-to-back layups to take a 16-11 lead at the end of the first.

Buffalo locked down on defense as they held Bowling Green scoreless for the opening three-plus minutes of the second quarter and the offense took advantage with a 6-0 run, sparked by a pair of transition layups from Stone and Winfield, to give UB its first lead of the game, 17-16, and force a BG timeout at the 6:47 mark. The Falcons answered with layups on two straight possessions to retake the lead, but Winfield found Kayla Salmons on the block for a layup and then Winfield knocked down a pull up jumper before Salmons hit Stone with a great pass to tie the game at 26 with just over two minutes to play. The Falcons answered with a three on their next possession but Young showed poise late in the shot clock and converted a tough layup off glass in the final seconds to cut the Bowling Green lead to 31-28 at the half.

The Bulls came out aggressive, opening the third quarter on an 8-2 run on layups from Young and Winfield to take a 36-33 lead but the Falcons answered with a pair of threes to go up 41-37 midway through the quarter. Freshman Hattie Ogden drilled a spot up triple from the corner to pull UB within three and later, Stone was left open in the high post and knocked down a mid-range jumper, but the Falcons closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 52-44 lead at the end of the third.

Stone scored on UB's first possession of the fourth quarter and then found the basket again off a great pass by Salmons to pull Buffalo within five at the 7:55 mark. The Bulls continued to stay patient as Winfield sliced to the basket for two and then hit Salmons with a great slip pass, but BG answered with a fastbreak layup to go up 59-53 at the final media timeout. Young found Stone for a layup and then Salmons came up with a big block and Young scored in transition pull UB within two at the 2:44 mark. After the teams traded layups, Buffalo was forced to foul multiple times to put the visitors in the bonus and Bowling Green made one-of-two attempts from the charity stripe to go up 64-61 with five seconds to play. The Bulls had one last look but could not get a shot attempt off as time expired.

Buffalo shot 50% from the floor on the night and matched Bowling Green in the paint with 42 points, but the Falcons held the 34-31 edge on the glass, including 11 offensive rebounds which they converted into 10 points while also scoring 18 points off UB turnovers.

"I am so proud of this team," said head coach Becky Burke. "They come out and believe they have a chance to win every single night. We have handled all the adversity we have faced with a tremendous amount of toughness and that's all that we as a coaching staff could ask. We obviously wish the outcome was a win, but we will take a ton of positives from this game and definitely have some momentum going forward."

Up next, Buffalo travels to Akron for a contest against the Zips on Saturday, January 28. It is the second game of a doubleheader with tipoff from James A. Rhodes Arena set for 5pm.