Bulls Bounce Back with 79-67 Win at Ohio

Saturday, February 15

Athens, OH

1:00pm

20-4,9-3MAC

Ohio

4-19,2-10MAC

Buffalo

Ohio

Bulls Bounce Back with 79-67 Win at Ohio

2/15/2025 3:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

ATHENS, Ohio – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (20-4, 9-3 MAC) got back on track with a 79-67 victory over Ohio at the Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Bulls join Ball State as the first Mid-American Conference teams to get to 20 wins on the season.

Four Bulls scored in double figures on the day, led by Chellia Watson who scored a game-high 21 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Kirsten Lewis-Williams celebrated her birthday with a stellar effort on both ends of the floor as she recorded 16 points and a career-high eight steals and seniors Noelani Cornfield and Terah Harness also scored in double figures with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Sophomore Paula Lopez tied a career-high with seven assists.

Buffalo scored on their first two possessions of the game as Alexis Davis and Watson got in the paint for midrange jumpers before the Bulls turned defense into offense as the Spanish connection of Paula Lopez and Sitota Gines proved fruitful once again with a steal and score to give UB an early lead, but the hosts answered with a pair of threes to tie the game at 11 at the media timeout. Harness drained a corner three to put UB up by two, but Ohio closed the quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 20-17 lead at the end of the first.

Great ball movement led to a triple from Watson on UB's first possession of the second quarter to tie the game at 20 and later, Lewis-Williams came up with a steal and found Cornfield for a fastbreak jumper before Watson drilled another three to put UB up by two. Harness curled off a screen for a midrange jumper before Jordyn Beaty scored on two straight possessions and Watson drilled a triple to put UB up by four at the 3:19 mark. Ohio retook the lead on a pair of threes, but the Bulls used a 6-0 run in the final 90 seconds of the quarter, to take a 42-37 lead at the half.

The Bulls continued to share the ball to start the second half as Gines found a backdoor-cutting Lewis-Williams for a bucket plus the foul. Buffalo continued to attack as Watson got in the paint for a jumper and then hit Cornfield for a fastbreak layup before Lewis-Williams got a transition bucket of her own to give UB a 53-46 lead at the media timeout. The hosts then cut the lead to three, but Beaty skied up for an offensive rebound putback and Cornfield went on a 7-0 run by herself to put the Bulls up by double digits and Harness would put an exclamation point on the quarter with a corner triple to put UB up 65-54 at the end of the third.

Buffalo remained aggressive to start the fourth quarter as Lewis-Williams powered up for an offensive rebound putback, Watson got herself a fastbreak bucket and Beaty went to work in the paint for a layup off glass to put UB up 71-56 at the final media timeout and that would be enough to secure the victory.

Buffalo dominated inside, outscoring Ohio 48-20 in the paint and continued to turn defense into offense as they forced 31 turnovers and scored 31 points off those miscues while also adding 18 fastbreak points.

Up next, Buffalo will welcome Kent State for Pride Night at Alumni Arena on Wednesday, February 19 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.

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