Gutsy Effort Powers Bulls to 80-71 Road Win at Akron

Saturday, January 25

Akron, OH

4:30 pm

17-2,6-2MAC

Akron

9-11,3-5MAC

Buffalo

Akron

Gutsy Effort Powers Bulls to 80-71 Road Win at Akron

1/25/2025 8:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

AKRON, OH – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (17-2, 6-2 MAC) overcame a 13-point first half deficit to earn their fourth straight win, an 80-71 victory at Akron on Saturday afternoon.

Four Bulls scored in double figures on the day, led by Chellia Watson who recorded 18 points, including a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line. Senior guard Noelani Cornfield scored 17 points, including 50% shooting from the floor and a perfect 7-of-7 at the charity stripe, to go with five rebounds and five assists. Senior forward Ariana Seawell was perfect from the floor for the second straight game for 12 points to go with six rebounds and fellow senior Terah Harness also scored in double figures with 12 points, including 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc.

After a slow start to the game, Cornfield got to the rim for a bucket plus the foul to tie the game at five, but the Zips would use a 13-0 run to take a 20-7 lead and force a UB timeout at the 2:48 mark. Harness hit a three out of the timeout to spark a mini run and cut the lead to single digits, but the hosts held the Bulls scoreless over the final two minutes of the quarter to take a 25-12 lead at the end of the first.

Buffalo began to chip away to start the second quarter as Watson got to the rim for a fastbreak layup plus the foul and a couple possessions later, Seawell powered up through contact for an and-one bucket of her own to cut the lead to five at the 6:35 mark. The Bulls would extend the run to 12-0 on back-to-back layups from Sitota Gines and Cornfield and an offensive rebound putback by Mallory Daly to cut the lead to one and force an Akron timeout at the 5:18 mark. Watson capped the quarter with a deep triple and a floater in the lane at the buzzer to give the Bulls a 35-34 lead at the half.

After a slow start to the third quarter for both teams, Harness drilled a corner triple to give UB a 41-39 lead at the media timeout. The hosts ended a five-minute scoring drought to pull within one, but Harness drilled another three, this time in transition, to give UB a 50-46 lead and force a timeout at the 2:45 mark. The teams would trade baskets and stops the rest of the way as the Bulls maintained a 56-53 lead at the end of the third.

Cornfield scored on UB's first possession of the third quarter before Gines came up with a pair of steals, and the Bulls converted fastbreak layups on both before Watson got a floater to drop and Seawell powered up for a layup to give UB a 66-60 lead at the final media timeout. The Zips cut the lead to three with 2:37 remaining but Harness drilled her fourth three of the game to put UB up by eight with one minute remaining to seal the victory.

Buffalo continued to turn defense into offense as they forced 18 Akron turnovers, scoring 25 points off those miscues, while also excelling in transition, recording 20 fast break points. The Bulls also won the battle in the paint and edge the Zips on the glass, including nine offensive rebounds which they turned into 11 second chance points.

"Defensively, we did not come out the way we wanted to and then we just locked in and didn't take no on the defensive end of the floor so I'm super proud of our players for getting back to what we do, which is guarding," said head coach Becky Burke. "Really proud of their effort, it was a great environment today and we had to really battle to pull one out on the road."

Up next, Buffalo concludes the road swing at Western Michigan on Wednesday, January 29 at 11am.

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