Bulls Battle, Fall to #24 Kentucky on Sunday

Sunday, November 9

Buffalo, NY

2:00pm

University at Buffalo

0-2,0-0MAC

#24 Kentucky

3-0,0-0SEC

Kentucky

Buffalo

Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics

Bulls Battle, Fall to #24 Kentucky on Sunday

11/9/2025 5:13:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team fought hard but ultimately fell to #24 Kentucky 81-47 on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Arena.

Junior guard Paula Lopez led the Bulls in scoring with 13 points, redshirt freshman guard Aniya Rowe added eight points, five rebounds and three assists and freshman forward Meg Lucas pulled down a team-high rebounds.

Rowe and Lopez gave the Bulls a spark as they gave UB its lone lead of the game early on, but the Wildcats began to attack the glass and notched a pair of second chance layups to take a 13-6 lead at the first media timeout. Kentucky then got to the charity stripe to extend their lead to 13 before Gabby McDuffie got a turnaround jumper to drop to cut the lead to 19-8 at the end of the first.

The Wildcats hit a three to take their largest lead of the half, 30-11, but the Bulls battled back as Anaya Coleman drove baseline and found Amber Howard inside for a layup and then Howard drilled a triple from the top of the key on UB's next possession to cut the lead to 14 at the media timeout. The Buffalo offense then stalled as they were held without a field goal over the final four minutes and Kentucky maintained a 37-17 lead at the half.

Buffalo began to chip away to start the second half as Deana Thompson and Rowe went four-for-four at the line and then Rowe hit Lucas with a beautiful alley-oop pass for a layup to force a Kentucky timeout at the 6:19 mark. The Wildcats scored on back-to-back possessions out of the break before Lopez drove baseline and finished off glass, but Clara Strack answered with a 5-0 run of her own to give Kentucky a 53-32 lead at the end of the third.

Junior guard Janyah Bohanon recorded a highlight worthy play early in the fourth quarter as she took the outlet pass from Rowe and spun through the lane for a jumper plus the foul and then later, Lopez got into the paint and knocked down a midrange jumper and Howard drained a baseline jumper but Kentucky answered with a 7-0 lead to go up by 30 force a timeout at the 3:37 mark. The Bulls were able to turn defense into offense, recording a pair of steals, and then Rowe and Thompson drained back-to-back threes, but the visitors were able to seal the game from the charity stripe.

Buffalo held their own on the glass overall as they were within two of the Wildcats, who were one of the best rebounding teams in the nation a season ago, but they allowed 17 offensive rebounds which the visitors turned into 22 second chance points. Turnovers were an issue again for the Bulls as they committed 23 which turned into 27 Kentucky points. The Bulls were able to force 12 turnovers of their own but could not capitalize, scoring just nine points off those miscues.

"What a great day for women's basketball and the City of Buffalo," said head coach Kristen Sharkey. "Clara Strack had the opportunity to come home and for us to be able to play a ranked opponent this early is huge for our learning process and where we are trying to take this program. I told our young women if we are serious about getting this program to higher heights we have to play against teams like Kentucky, who are a legit Sweet 16 contender this year. We have a lot to clean up, but I'm really proud of our team and their fight the whole game."

Up next, Buffalo will head back on the road as they travel to Burlington for a matchup with the defending America East champion Vermont Catamounts on Wednesday, November 12 at 5pm.

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