Watson Sets School Record, Scores 1,000th Career Point as Bulls Drop Heartbreaker at Toledo

Saturday, January 27

Toledo, OH

7:00pm

10-8,4-4MAC

Toledo

14-4,7-1MAC

Buffalo

Toledo

Watson Sets School Record, Scores 1,000th Career Point as Bulls Drop Heartbreaker at Toledo

1/27/2024 10:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

TOLEDO, Ohio – Despite a herculean effort from redshirt senior guard Chellia Watson the University at Buffalo women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker, 67-63 at Toledo, on Saturday night at Savage Arena.

Watson, who scored her 1,000^th career point on a free throw in the second quarter, finished with 47 points which sets a new school and program record, surpassing the previous mark of 43 set by Cierra Dillard in 2019 and 44 by Mike Martinho in 1998. The 47 points is also the most points scored by any player in Savage Arena history, besting the previous mark of 45 set by Ron Harper (Miami OH) on March 8, 1985.

Buffalo struggled offensively in the early going as the hosts led 8-2 at the first media timeout. Kirsten Lewis-Williams gave the Bulls a spark late in the quarter as she got a layup plus the foul to cut the Toledo lead to 13-7 at the end of the first.

Toledo opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 12 and force an early UB timeout, before Watson got going as she attacked the paint, scoring on back-to-back possessions, to pull Buffalo within eight at the 6:20 mark. Watson continued to heat up as she scored a layup on the block and followed with a floater in the lane on UB's next possession. She continued to attack as she sliced to the basket and got fouled and then made the ensuing free throws to give her 1,000 career points and pull the Bulls within nine at the 4:10 mark. Buffalo continued to chip away as Rana Elhusseini found Sitota Gines on the block before Watson knocked down another jumper, but the Bulls would trail 37-25 at the half.

The Bulls opened the third quarter on a 9-0 run, capped by a great dish from Watson to Alexis Davis for a layup and a deep triple from Watson, to pull within 37-34 at the six-minute mark. Gines came up with a big offensive rebound and scored through contact in the paint before Watson drilled back-to-back triples to cap an 18-5 quarter and give UB its first lead of the game, 43-42, at the end of the third. The five points scored by Toledo is tied for the fewest allowed by the Bulls in a quarter this season.

Buffalo continued to attack to start the fourth as Lewis-Williams converted on an and-one bucket before Watson found a cutting Elhusseini for a layup and then Lewis-Williams drove and finished off glass again to tie the game at 51. Later, Watson took her defender off the bounce and scored on back-to-back jumpers in the lane to tie the game at 55 at the final media timeout. The Rockets used an 8-1 run to go up 63-56 with three minutes remaining but Watson had an answer yet again as she went on a 7-0 run by herself in 90 seconds to tie the game at 63, but the Bulls were unable to score over the final minute of plays as the hosts sealed the game at the free throw line.

Up next, Buffalo travels to Athens for a clash with the Ohio Bobcats on Wednesday, January 31 at 7pm.