Bulls Fight to End, Fall at Ball State on Wednesday

Wednesday, January 10

Muncie, IN

6:30pm

Ball State

Bulls Fight to End, Fall at Ball State on Wednesday

1/10/2024 8:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MUNCIE, IN – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (7-6, 1-2 MAC) jumped out to an early lead but couldn't withstand a late Ball State rally as the Bulls fell to the Cardinals 67-62 at Worthen Arena on Wednesday night.

The Bulls were led offensively by redshirt senior guard Chellia Watson who scored a game-high 28 points while freshman Kirsten Lewis-Williams set a new career-high with 21 points to go with eight rebounds.

Graduate student forward Kiara Johnson gave the Bulls a spark to start the game scoring UB's first four points of the game while the Buffalo defense held the Cardinals scoreless for the opening four-plus minutes. Ball State hit their first field goal of the game at the 5:28 mark but Watson answered with a triple from the top of the key to give the Bulls an 11-3 lead at the first media timeout. Buffalo continued to attack as Lewis-Williams sliced to the basket and finished off glass before Hattie Ogden spotted up for a three on the wing to put UB up 10 at the 3:32 mark. Buffalo continued to pour it on, as they closed the quarter on an 11-0 run, capped by back-to-back triples from Watson, to take a 27-9 lead at the end of the first.

The UB offense cooled, and Ball State took advantage, opening the second quarter on a 13-2 run to cut the UB lead to seven at the media timeout. Lewis-Williams backed her defender down on the block and finished through contact to end the UB scoring drought and then scored again a couple possessions later to put the Bulls up seven at the 2:42 mark and they would lead 37-33 at the half.

The Cardinals continued to heat up offensively as they used a 10-3 run to take their first lead of the game, 43-40, early in the third quarter and they would lead by five at the media timeout. Buffalo continued to fight as Lewis-Williams got to the rim for a layup and Watson followed with a three from the corner to cap a 6-0 run and pull UB within two at the end of the third.

Senior guard Rana Elhusseini gave the Bulls a spark early in the fourth quarter as she got to the rim on two straight possessions, converting a pair of and-one buckets, before Lewis-Williams scored on a drive-by layup and then skied up for an offensive rebound putback plus the foul to put UB up 60-56. The Cardinals used a 6-2 run to tie the game at 62 with just under two minutes remaining and then held UB scoreless the rest of the way and sealed the game from the free throw line.

Buffalo got the job done inside, scoring 30 points in the paint, while also edging the Cardinals on the glass, including 10 offensive rebounds which UB converted into 12 second chance points, but the hosts cashed in from deep, making 10 threes on the night.

Up next Buffalo returns home to welcome the Akron Zips to Alumni Arena on Saturday, January 13 at 2pm. It is the team's Pink Game, sponsored by Great Lakes Cancer Care.