Wednesday, April 2
Buffalo, NY
6:00pm
29-7,13-5MAC
74
vs
69
Cleveland State
27-10,14-6Horizon
1
2
3
4
F
Cleveland St.
10
22
24
13
69
Buffalo
12
22
20
20
74
Photo by: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
Bulls Rock Cleveland State to Advance to WNIT Championship Game
4/2/2025 9:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team (29-7) advanced to the championship game of the WNIT by defeating Cleveland State 74-69 in front of over 3,000 fans at Alumni Arena on Wednesday night. It was the Bulls' 29th win of the season, tying the single-season school record.
Three Bulls scored in double figures on the night, led by Chellia Watson who scored a game-high 21 points. Senior guard Noelani Cornfield stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 15 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and five steals and sophomore Kirsten Lewis-Williams added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
It was a slow start for the Bulls as they trailed 7-2 at the first media timeout. Lewis-Williams gave the Bulls a spark as she raced out for a fastbreak layup plus the foul and then Cornfield followed with a steal and score to give the Bulls a 12-10 lead at the end of the first.
The Vikings opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run to go up by five before Lewis-Williams spun and hit Ariana Seawell on the block with a dime and Watson got a baseline jumper to drop to pull UB within three at the media timeout. Buffalo found themselves down seven after another CSU run but the Bulls wouldn't quit as Cornfield hit Jordyn Beaty for an and one bucket and Watson scored on two straight possessions to cut the lead to two with two minutes remaining. Watson continued to heat up as she drilled a pair of deep threes, the latter in the final 10 seconds of the quarter, to give the Bulls a 34-32 lead at the half.
Lewis-Williams went on a 4-0 run by herself to put the Bulls up by six early in the third quarter, but the Vikings answered with a pair of threes to pull within two at the media timeout. Cornfield knocked down a midrange jumper and Watson converted a pair at the free throw line to put UB up by two, but the Vikings closed the quarter on an 8-4 run to take a 56-54 lead at the end of the third.
Watson scored on a floater in the lane and then hit Lewis-Williams for a fastbreak layup to tie the game at 58 and force a CSU timeout at the 6:51 mark. The Bulls continued to attack the paint as Lewis-Williams and Seawell scored on back-to-back possessions before Terah Harness drilled a corner three to give UB a two-point lead and force another CSU timeout. Harness continued to make an impact on both ends of the floor as she came up with a steal and converted the fastbreak layup before Cornfield got into the paint and scored twice to put UB up by four with 1:15 to go and they would go on to seal the game at the free throw line.
Buffalo had an efficient night offensively as they shot 46% overall and from beyond the arc. The Bulls dominated the paint, outscoring Cleveland State 42-20 inside, while continuing to turn defense into offense as they forced 21 Vikings' turnovers and scored 18 points off those miscues, while also adding 23 fastbreak points.
"So incredibly proud of our team and their effort tonight," said head coach Becky Burke. "What a gutsy 40 minutes of basketball. It's been a special run thus far, and I can't wait to have the opportunity to win a championship on Saturday. We appreciate the support of our community and this fan base. It's been truly special."
Up next, the Bulls will host Troy in the championship game at Alumni Arena on Saturday, April 5 at 5pm (EDT) on CBS Sports Network.
Click here for ticket information.
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 information on the Blue & White Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Three Bulls scored in double figures on the night, led by Chellia Watson who scored a game-high 21 points. Senior guard Noelani Cornfield stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 15 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and five steals and sophomore Kirsten Lewis-Williams added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.
It was a slow start for the Bulls as they trailed 7-2 at the first media timeout. Lewis-Williams gave the Bulls a spark as she raced out for a fastbreak layup plus the foul and then Cornfield followed with a steal and score to give the Bulls a 12-10 lead at the end of the first.
The Vikings opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run to go up by five before Lewis-Williams spun and hit Ariana Seawell on the block with a dime and Watson got a baseline jumper to drop to pull UB within three at the media timeout. Buffalo found themselves down seven after another CSU run but the Bulls wouldn't quit as Cornfield hit Jordyn Beaty for an and one bucket and Watson scored on two straight possessions to cut the lead to two with two minutes remaining. Watson continued to heat up as she drilled a pair of deep threes, the latter in the final 10 seconds of the quarter, to give the Bulls a 34-32 lead at the half.
Lewis-Williams went on a 4-0 run by herself to put the Bulls up by six early in the third quarter, but the Vikings answered with a pair of threes to pull within two at the media timeout. Cornfield knocked down a midrange jumper and Watson converted a pair at the free throw line to put UB up by two, but the Vikings closed the quarter on an 8-4 run to take a 56-54 lead at the end of the third.
Watson scored on a floater in the lane and then hit Lewis-Williams for a fastbreak layup to tie the game at 58 and force a CSU timeout at the 6:51 mark. The Bulls continued to attack the paint as Lewis-Williams and Seawell scored on back-to-back possessions before Terah Harness drilled a corner three to give UB a two-point lead and force another CSU timeout. Harness continued to make an impact on both ends of the floor as she came up with a steal and converted the fastbreak layup before Cornfield got into the paint and scored twice to put UB up by four with 1:15 to go and they would go on to seal the game at the free throw line.
Buffalo had an efficient night offensively as they shot 46% overall and from beyond the arc. The Bulls dominated the paint, outscoring Cleveland State 42-20 inside, while continuing to turn defense into offense as they forced 21 Vikings' turnovers and scored 18 points off those miscues, while also adding 23 fastbreak points.
"So incredibly proud of our team and their effort tonight," said head coach Becky Burke. "What a gutsy 40 minutes of basketball. It's been a special run thus far, and I can't wait to have the opportunity to win a championship on Saturday. We appreciate the support of our community and this fan base. It's been truly special."
Up next, the Bulls will host Troy in the championship game at Alumni Arena on Saturday, April 5 at 5pm (EDT) on CBS Sports Network.
Click here for ticket information.
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 information on the Blue & White Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Team Stats
CSU
UB
FG%
.468
.459
3FG%
.348
.455
FT%
.739
.684
RB
36
29
TO
21
12
STL
7
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
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