Bulls Fall at Kent State on Saturday

Saturday, March 2

Kent, OH

1:00pm

16-11,9-7MAC

Kent State

18-8,12-3MAC

Buffalo

Kent St.

Bulls Fall at Kent State on Saturday

3/2/2024 3:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

KENT, Ohio – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (16-11, 9-7 MAC) saw their two-game win streak come to an end in a 67-59 loss at Kent State on Saturday afternoon.

Freshman Kirsten Lewis-Williams led the Bulls offensively with 17 points to go with five rebounds and five steals. Senior Chellia Watson scored 16 points on the day while fellow senior Rana Elhusseini also scored in double figures with 12 points to go with six rebounds and four assists.

Kent State open the game on an 11-4 run to force an early UB timeout at the 6:12 mark. Watson hit a corner triple out of the break and then followed with a runner in the lane to cut the lead to two and then she continued to heat up as she drilled a step back triple to pull UB within one, but the hosts maintained a 15-13 lead at the end of the first.

Watson got a floater to drop on UB's first possession of the second quarter, but the Golden Flashes responded with a 5-0 run to go up by seven. Elhusseini drained a three to cut the lead to four, but Kent State answered with another three to spark a 9-2 run and extend their lead to 11 at the media timeout. Lewis-Williams got into attack mode as she scored on back-to-back possessions, the latter being an and-one bucket, to cut the lead to six at the 2:24 mark. The Bulls continued to clamp down on defense, holding the hosts scoreless for the final 90 seconds of the quarter, and that turned into points for UB as Lewis-Williams came up with a steal and converted an and-one bucket in transition before Elhusseini grabbed a big offensive rebound and finished off glass at the buzzer to pull Buffalo within five at the half.

The Buffalo offense stalled to start the third quarter as the Bulls went without a field goal for the opening three minutes before Lewis-Williams got a layup to go to pull UB within seven, but the Golden Flashes rattled off a 5-0 run to take a 44-32 lead at the 5:34 mark. Elhusseini drained a three before Lewis-Williams got another and-one bucket to go and Hattie Ogden drilled a corner triple to pull UB within seven at the 2:45 mark but the Bulls would not score the rest of the quarter as Kent State maintained a 10-point lead at the end of the third.

Freshman Paula Lopez hit a three early and Lewis-Williams followed with an offensive rebound putback early in the fourth quarter. Later, the Bulls went 4-for-4 at the line on two straight possessions and Alexis Davis scored on a layup in traffic to pull UB within nine at the media timeout but that would be as close as they would get as the Bulls didn't hit another shot until the final possession of the game.

Up next, Buffalo returns to Western New York for the final two games of the regular season, beginning on Wednesday, March 6 against Central Michigan. Tipoff is set for 6pm.