It was a lot closer than it should have been at the end, but women's basketball pulled through 84-77 in a nail biter against Ohio University at the Convocation Center on Tuesday night.
The Bulls went on a 9-4 run to take an early 12-8 lead, but Buffalo gave up that lead on the road and the game saw multiple first-half ties before junior forward Viorica Badinici hit a three-pointer at the end of the half to give the Bulls a two-point lead of 32-30.
Buffalo's 32 first-half points were the most points the Bulls have scored in a half since their conference opener against the Miami RedHawks.
"It was nice to see them put up some points. It's been a while," said head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "Hopefully it's going to bring up some good confidence going into these last couple conference games."
Senior guard Brooke Meunier led the Bulls, as she was red-hot from the field and had 23 points and went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
All the Bulls shot judiciously from long-range, where the team went 12-17.
"I'm stunned at that," Hill-MacDonald said. "They were giving us wide-open looks. I think they gambled. They wanted to shut down Heather (Turner)."
The Bulls (9-16, 4-10 MAC) had five players score in double figures. Sophomore guard Flynn Pyykkonen rounded out the Bulls' scoring with another strong effort. She had 13 points and seven rebounds, including two three-pointers.
"I think she's learning how to focus, and she's feeling more confident," Hill-MacDonald said.
The defense, however, did not hold up its end of the game.
Ohio freshman Rachel Frederick led all scorers in points with 27 and rebounds with 17. She was followed by Simone Redd's 20 points off the bench and Ciara Iglehart's 15 points.
The Bobcats' exceptional shooting both from the field and at the free-throw line kept them in the game towards the end.
Ohio (7-18, 4-10 MAC) shot 44 percent from the field for the game. The Bobcats hit more shots than the Bulls did from the field, but the Bulls marksman-like accuracy from three-point range kept them in the lead.
Buffalo's win, coupled with a loss by the Miami RedHawks to the Akron Zips, puts the Bulls in a tie with Ohio for third place in the MAC East division.
Though the Bulls have their eyes on the possibility of a home playoff game, Hill-MacDonald knows that the only way to get there is to stay focused on what lies directly ahead.
"That's really important for us, that third or fourth seed on our side of the conference. That's our focus right now, we really need to win," Hill-MacDonald said.
Buffalo will host the Akron Zips (5-20, 2-12 MAC) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
