Saturday, January 18
Buffalo, NY
2:00pm
15-2,4-2MAC
59
vs
51
Miami (OH)
10-6,3-3MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Miami (OH)
18
14
14
5
51
Buffalo
11
11
17
20
59
Photo by: Ken Smith/UBBulls.com
Cardiac Bulls Do It Again, Defeat Miami (OH) on Saturday
1/18/2025 4:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – In a battle of the top defensive teams in the Mid-American Conference, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team (15-2, 4-2 MAC) showed their defensive prowess in a big way as they held Miami (OH) to just five fourth quarter points to complete the second-half comeback in a 59-51 win over the RedHawks on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena.
Sophomore Kirsten Lewis-Williams put the team on her back, scoring a career-high 29 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for her second career double-double. Fifth year guard Noelani Cornfield stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, six rebounds and six assists and Chellia Watson added 10 points. Senior Sitota Gines was the X-factor for the Bulls on the defensive end of the floor as she recorded a career-best nine steals, one shy the single-game school record.
After trailing by seven at the end of the first, Buffalo's scoring drought extended to over five minutes into the second quarter as the RedHawks took a double-digit lead, 24-14, at the media timeout. Cornfield got a midrange jumper to drop and then hit Lewis-Williams on the baseline with a beautiful pass for a layup and then Lewis-Williams returned the favor, coming up with a steal and hitting Cornfield for a fastbreak layup to cut the lead to 10 at the half.
Miami (OH) extended their lead to 14 early in the third quarter before Cornfield found Lewis-Williams for a fastbreak layup and Watson drilled a three on the wing to pull UB withing 11 at the 5:50 mark. Lewis-Williams continued to attack as she scored UB's next seven points, capped by a triple from the top of the key, and then got one more midrange jumper to fall in the final seconds as the Bulls closed the quarter on a 10-4 run to cut the lead to 46-39 at the end of the third.
The Bulls continued to chip away as they used a 7-0 run, jumpstarted by a Terah Harness three, to cut the lead to one at the final media timeout. Lewis-Williams continued to stay aggressive as she made four straight at the charity stripe to give the Bulls their first lead of the game, 53-51, with four minutes remaining. Watson then drilled a triple from the wing to force a Miami timeout and that would prove to be the dagger as Cornfield came up clutch at the free throw line in the final minutes to secure the victory. The Bulls held the RedHawks scoreless for the final 7:10 of the game.
Buffalo held a 10-point advantage in the paint and continued to turn defense into offense as they forced 21 Miami turnovers and scored 17 points off those miscues while also adding 14 fastbreak points. The Bulls also shot an impressive 18-of-22 from the free throw line and were even with the RedHawks on the glass.
"I'm so proud of the fight this group has," said head coach Becky Burke. "We show so much toughness in adversity and as a coach those are the characteristics you hope to see in your team. What a group effort and one of the best defensive second half performances of our season. We will keep building on this and getting better."
Up next, Buffalo concludes the homestand on Wednesday, January 22 as they host the Ohio Bobcats at 6pm.
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.
Sophomore Kirsten Lewis-Williams put the team on her back, scoring a career-high 29 points and pulling down 10 rebounds for her second career double-double. Fifth year guard Noelani Cornfield stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, six rebounds and six assists and Chellia Watson added 10 points. Senior Sitota Gines was the X-factor for the Bulls on the defensive end of the floor as she recorded a career-best nine steals, one shy the single-game school record.
After trailing by seven at the end of the first, Buffalo's scoring drought extended to over five minutes into the second quarter as the RedHawks took a double-digit lead, 24-14, at the media timeout. Cornfield got a midrange jumper to drop and then hit Lewis-Williams on the baseline with a beautiful pass for a layup and then Lewis-Williams returned the favor, coming up with a steal and hitting Cornfield for a fastbreak layup to cut the lead to 10 at the half.
Miami (OH) extended their lead to 14 early in the third quarter before Cornfield found Lewis-Williams for a fastbreak layup and Watson drilled a three on the wing to pull UB withing 11 at the 5:50 mark. Lewis-Williams continued to attack as she scored UB's next seven points, capped by a triple from the top of the key, and then got one more midrange jumper to fall in the final seconds as the Bulls closed the quarter on a 10-4 run to cut the lead to 46-39 at the end of the third.
The Bulls continued to chip away as they used a 7-0 run, jumpstarted by a Terah Harness three, to cut the lead to one at the final media timeout. Lewis-Williams continued to stay aggressive as she made four straight at the charity stripe to give the Bulls their first lead of the game, 53-51, with four minutes remaining. Watson then drilled a triple from the wing to force a Miami timeout and that would prove to be the dagger as Cornfield came up clutch at the free throw line in the final minutes to secure the victory. The Bulls held the RedHawks scoreless for the final 7:10 of the game.
Buffalo held a 10-point advantage in the paint and continued to turn defense into offense as they forced 21 Miami turnovers and scored 17 points off those miscues while also adding 14 fastbreak points. The Bulls also shot an impressive 18-of-22 from the free throw line and were even with the RedHawks on the glass.
"I'm so proud of the fight this group has," said head coach Becky Burke. "We show so much toughness in adversity and as a coach those are the characteristics you hope to see in your team. What a group effort and one of the best defensive second half performances of our season. We will keep building on this and getting better."
Up next, Buffalo concludes the homestand on Wednesday, January 22 as they host the Ohio Bobcats at 6pm.
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
Miami
UB
FG%
.377
.367
3FG%
.265
.385
FT%
1.000
.818
RB
33
33
TO
21
13
STL
7
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
29
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
10
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
4
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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