Based solely on the first 20 minutes of play Saturday, it didn't look like the Bulls were up against the No. 25 women's basketball team in the country.
The second half, however proved to be another story as Bowling Green, which earned its spot last week on the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, showed its true colors and came out with a decisive 65-51 win.
Having snapped a seven-game losing streak last week, Buffalo was poised to challenge the nesting Falcons in their home arena in front of almost 2,000 fans.
Foul trouble was the biggest problem for both teams.
"In the first half, because of all the stopping and starting and the foul trouble, both teams had to go with different lineups," Bowling Green head coach Curt Miller said in a press release. "Both teams were playing with different combinations of players, and no one really got into the flow."
Buffalo (9-16, 3-10 MAC) hung on during the first half. The game was tied at 17-17 with 6:42 left in the half before the Falcons began pulling away. A jumper by Barbara Homolova was the last basket scored, keeping the Bulls within seven points before Bowling Green got its act together after halftime.
The Falcons increased their field goal shooting percentage by over 15 percent in the second frame. The team also went on a 23-6 run late in the game.
Three Falcons starters scored in double figures, and one notched the first double-double of her career. Liz Honegger, Carin Horne and Kate Acheter all played in the paint for 11 points a piece where Acheter cleaned glass 11 times.
"When both teams were able to keep from fouling in the second half, it got to be a very exciting, up-tempo game," Miller said. "I thought both teams made good plays. It got the crowd more into it, and it was just much more smoothly played."
The win for the Falcons required technical proficiency rather than physical prowess. Buffalo was plagued with completing only 3-of-8 foul shots while Bowling Green completed 17-of-26 from the charity stripe.
Buffalo head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald agreed that Bowling Green (22-2, 13-0 MAC) stepped up when it counted.
"We matched them from the field except in free throws and turnovers, which they turned into a lot of points," Hill-MacDonald said. "We committed 20 turnovers. We had trouble keeping control of the ball, and that was a big factor in the outcome of the game."
Buffalo did have three women contribute for the Bulls. Senior guard Brooke Meunier, sophomore point guard Stephanie Bennett and sophomore forward Flynn Pyykkonen all had solid performances for the Bulls.
In 26 minutes, Meunier scored 10 points, seven of which came in the second half. Both sophomores collaborated for a total of 26 points and 17 rebounds. Bennett completed 3-of-6 three-point attempts and Pyykkonen scored five points consecutively in the final minutes.
With sophomore forward Heather Turner getting into foul trouble early in the second half, it became difficult for Buffalo to counter Bowling Green's luck at the line.
Freshman Rachelle Matthys returned to the Bulls' lineup and played 20 minutes after some time off due to a leg injury, earning four rebounds and two points. According to Hill-MacDonald, the guard still isn't 100 percent.
Injury has plagued the Buffalo team this season, requiring Hill-MacDonald to utilize her bench.
"With injuries it is hard to determine who will be ready and healthy for the conference tournament. They impact how consistent our lineup is and how our sub-patterns work," Hill-MacDonald said. "Matthys has been out for almost seven weeks and we're working her back into the lineup. (Jaime) Schiebner is still out, and her progress is day-to-day. We have a walk-on, Tomi Abayomi, with a torn shoulder ligament, who's out for the season."
Buffalo's next contest will be in Ohio this Tuesday at 7 p.m. where the Bulls will face off against the Ohio Bobcats (7-16, 4-8 MAC).
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
