Wednesday, January 1
Buffalo, NY
2:00pm
12-0,1-0MAC
81
vs
55
Central Michigan
4-8,0-1MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Central Mich.
6
19
16
14
55
Buffalo
22
14
23
22
81
Photo by: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
Bulls Make Statement with Wire-to-Wire Victory over Central Michigan in MAC Opener
1/1/2025 5:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (12-0, 1-0 MAC) made a statement in their Mid-American Conference opener as they defeated Central Michigan in wire-to-wire fashion, 81-55, at Alumni Arena on Wednesday afternoon.
The 26-point win was the largest margin of victory over a MAC opponent in the Becky Burke era.
It was a balanced effort as 10 Bulls scored on the day, including three in double figures, led by sophomore Kirsten Lewis-Williams who recorded the first double-double of her carer with a game-high 19 points and career-best 12 rebounds. Chellia Watson stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Alexis Davis added 10 points.
The Bulls opened the game on a 6-0 run to force an early CMU timeout at the 7:23 mark. Buffalo continued to attack as Lewis-Williams and Watson got to the rack on back-to-back possessions before Terah Harness drilled a triple from the top of the key to put UB up 13-2. Watson continued to attack as she got a pair of floaters in the lane to drop and then Buffalo executed an out-of-bounds play to perfection as Noelani Cornfield hit Davis with a lob pass for a layup at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 22-6 lead at the end of the first.
After a sluggish start to the second quarter for both teams Watson found Harness for a transition baseline jumper and Davis blew by her defender for a layup off glass to put UB up 29-14 at the media timeout. Harness and Davis scored on two straight possessions and then, after some free throws, the Bulls would take their largest lead of the half, 36-19, but the Chippewas would hit a pair of threes in the final minute to cut the UB lead to nine at the half.
The visitors scored on their first possession of the third quarter to pull within single digits before Cornfield hit Harness for a three and Sitota Gines found Davis on the block for a layup, before blowing by her defender for an and-one bucket of her own to put UB up 45-31 at the media timeout. Lewis-Williams continued to attack, converting an and-one bucket out of the break. Then, after a scoring drought, Watson got a runner to fall and Lewis-Williams hit Mallory Daly for a layup in traffic before Daly found Lopez with a skip pass for a triple at the buzzer to give UB a 59-41 lead at the end of the third.
Lewis-Williams continued to make an impact as she scored six points in the opening two-plus minutes of the fourth quarter to put UB back up by 20. Later, Daly drilled a triple and Watson followed with a pair of paint buckets and the Bulls would cruise to victory.
Buffalo continued their dominance in the paint, outscoring the Chippewas 42-18 inside, while also edging the top rebounding team in the MAC on the glass. Buffalo continues to turn defense into offense as they forced 20 CMU turnovers and scored 18 points off those miscues. The Bulls executed at a high-level in transition once again, scoring 22 fastbreak points.
"Thankful to be 1-0 in conference play," said Burke. "Really proud of our team for executing the game plan to perfection. We played hard today defensively and that's always our goal. We know every night in this league there is going to be a battle, and I thought we showed toughness today. I also want to thank everybody who came out to support us. The crowd was phenomenal! It makes a huge difference, and we so appreciate the support."
Up next, Buffalo will embark on a two-game road trip, beginning on Sunday, January 5 as they take on the Kent State Golden Flashes in a nationally televised contest on CBS Sports Network at 2pm. It is a rematch of the 2024 MAC Championship game.
For all the latest on UB women's basketball, follow @UBWomensBasketball on Twitter/X and Instagram and like the UB Women's Basketball Facebook page.
Click here for ticket information.
Click here for information on the Blue & White Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
The 26-point win was the largest margin of victory over a MAC opponent in the Becky Burke era.
It was a balanced effort as 10 Bulls scored on the day, including three in double figures, led by sophomore Kirsten Lewis-Williams who recorded the first double-double of her carer with a game-high 19 points and career-best 12 rebounds. Chellia Watson stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Alexis Davis added 10 points.
The Bulls opened the game on a 6-0 run to force an early CMU timeout at the 7:23 mark. Buffalo continued to attack as Lewis-Williams and Watson got to the rack on back-to-back possessions before Terah Harness drilled a triple from the top of the key to put UB up 13-2. Watson continued to attack as she got a pair of floaters in the lane to drop and then Buffalo executed an out-of-bounds play to perfection as Noelani Cornfield hit Davis with a lob pass for a layup at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 22-6 lead at the end of the first.
After a sluggish start to the second quarter for both teams Watson found Harness for a transition baseline jumper and Davis blew by her defender for a layup off glass to put UB up 29-14 at the media timeout. Harness and Davis scored on two straight possessions and then, after some free throws, the Bulls would take their largest lead of the half, 36-19, but the Chippewas would hit a pair of threes in the final minute to cut the UB lead to nine at the half.
The visitors scored on their first possession of the third quarter to pull within single digits before Cornfield hit Harness for a three and Sitota Gines found Davis on the block for a layup, before blowing by her defender for an and-one bucket of her own to put UB up 45-31 at the media timeout. Lewis-Williams continued to attack, converting an and-one bucket out of the break. Then, after a scoring drought, Watson got a runner to fall and Lewis-Williams hit Mallory Daly for a layup in traffic before Daly found Lopez with a skip pass for a triple at the buzzer to give UB a 59-41 lead at the end of the third.
Lewis-Williams continued to make an impact as she scored six points in the opening two-plus minutes of the fourth quarter to put UB back up by 20. Later, Daly drilled a triple and Watson followed with a pair of paint buckets and the Bulls would cruise to victory.
Buffalo continued their dominance in the paint, outscoring the Chippewas 42-18 inside, while also edging the top rebounding team in the MAC on the glass. Buffalo continues to turn defense into offense as they forced 20 CMU turnovers and scored 18 points off those miscues. The Bulls executed at a high-level in transition once again, scoring 22 fastbreak points.
"Thankful to be 1-0 in conference play," said Burke. "Really proud of our team for executing the game plan to perfection. We played hard today defensively and that's always our goal. We know every night in this league there is going to be a battle, and I thought we showed toughness today. I also want to thank everybody who came out to support us. The crowd was phenomenal! It makes a huge difference, and we so appreciate the support."
Up next, Buffalo will embark on a two-game road trip, beginning on Sunday, January 5 as they take on the Kent State Golden Flashes in a nationally televised contest on CBS Sports Network at 2pm. It is a rematch of the 2024 MAC Championship game.
For all the latest on UB women's basketball, follow @UBWomensBasketball on Twitter/X and Instagram and like the UB Women's Basketball Facebook page.
Click here for ticket information.
Click here for information on the Blue & White Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Team Stats
CMU
UB
FG%
.262
.475
3FG%
.161
.308
FT%
.720
.700
RB
41
44
TO
20
15
STL
6
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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