Bulls Fall to Kent State 82-73 on Sunday

Sunday, January 5

Kent, OH

2:00pm

12-1,1-1MAC

Kent State

9-5,2-0MAC

Buffalo

Kent St.

Bulls Fall to Kent State 82-73 on Sunday

1/5/2025 5:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

KENT, OH – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (12-1, 1-1 MAC) fell to Kent State 82-73 at the M.A.C. Center on Sunday afternoon. It was UB's first loss, ending a historic run to start the season.

Three Bulls scored in double figures, led by sophomore Kirsten Lewis-Williams who scored a career-high 25 points to go with eight rebounds. Chellia Watson also surpassed the 20-point mark with 21 and Noelani Cornfield also got in double figures with 15 points.

Kent State opened the game on a 10-0 run to force an early UB timeout. Cornfield gave the Bulls their first field goal of the game as she blew by her defender for a layup off glass before Watson converted a transition floater in the lane. Later, Ariana Seawell bullied her way inside for a layup through contact and Lewis-Williams went coast-to-coast for a fastbreak layup to cut the Kent State lead to five at the 4:18 mark. Watson spotted up for a three, but the Golden Flashes answered with a triple of their own and they would lead 22-15 at the end of the first.

Lewis-Williams continued to heat up as she went on a 7-0 run by herself to cut the lead to two early in the second quarter. She stayed in attack mode as she sliced to the basket for another tough layup to tie the game at 22 but the hosts answered with a 7-0 run to take a 29-22 lead at the media timeout. Watson then drove through traffic and finished off glass to cut the lead to three but Kent State answered with an and-one bucket and later score a fastbreak layup at the buzzer to take a 37-31 lead at the half.

Lewis-Williams scored on UB's first possession of the third quarter and then Cornfield converted an acrobatic fastbreak layup and Lewis-Williams scored again but Kent State answered with another three to give the Golden Flashes a double-digit lead at the media timeout. Buffalo continued to chip away as Cornfield went on a 5-0 run, capped by offensive rebound and-one bucket, in less than a minute to pull within four with less than two minutes to go in the quarter, but the hosts maintained a 52-46 lead at the end of the third.

After a slow start to the fourth quarter for both teams, the Bulls got sloppy defensively and put the Golden Flashes on the line and the nation's best free throw shooting team took advantage as they went 8-of-9 to go up 62-53 at the final media timeout. Alexis Davis scored a layup out of the break before Watson scored in the paint and Lewis-Williams got to the rack for an and-one bucket to pull UB within eight at the 2:32 mark. Later, Cornfield hit a corner triple to cut the lead to seven with 90 seconds remaining, but it would not be enough as Kent State sealed the game at the free throw line.

The Golden Flashes scored 56 of their 82 points from beyond the arc and the charity stripe and outrebounded the Bulls 40-29, including 9 offensive rebounds which they turned into 17 second chance points. Buffalo continues to turn teams over as they forced 20 KSU turnovers and scored 22 points off those miscues while adding 17 fastbreak points.

Up next, Buffalo will close out the road trip at Bowling Green on Wednesday, January 8. Tipoff from the Stroh Center is set for 7pm.

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