It was more of the same for the women's basketball team on Saturday: A strong start deteriorated into an ugly finish, dashing any hope of an upset in Alumni Arena.
The contest featured two teams in very different places within the conference. Miami (Ohio) (19-7, 9-4 Mid-American Conference) is trying to position itself for postseason play, with the Bulls (7-20, 2-11 MAC) attempting to play spoiler. If the game was only twenty minutes long the Bulls would have succeeded. However, Buffalo was outscored by 17 points in the second frame as the RedHawks took the victory, 66-50.
Sophomore forward Nytor Longar scored on a put-back with one second remaining, putting a scare into the RedHawks as Buffalo held a one-point lead heading into the break.
It was a lead that wouldn't last for long as the visitors came out of the locker room looking like a completely different team. The RedHawks came out and lit up the Bulls in every aspect of the game, out-rebounding the Bulls by 13 to compliment the scoring advantage, and also holding Buffalo to just 23 percent shooting in the second half.
"I thought our offensive execution was awful in the second half," said head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "We stopped sharing the basketball and we made a few more turnovers. I think Miami stepped up its defensive pressure [and] they got a little bit more physical with us. We did not have as many good looks in the second half as we did in the first half."
Miami's 3-point shooting was a key to the second half turnaround, as the team hit on 5-of-10 from 3-point distance, after being held to just 2-of-9 in the first. A pair of junior guards led the way for the RedHawks, as Courtney Osborn nailed three, and Kristen Olowinski added two on the way to her game-high 22 points. Olowinski also showed her might on the glass, pulling down a game and season-high 19 rebounds.
Olowinski's performance helped the RedHawks win the physical aspect of the game, as they dominated the Bulls on the glass. The difference in scoring was equaled by the second chance opportunities, with the RedHawks scoring 16 points on extra possessions.
The Bulls also struggled at the charity stripe. The visitors converted on 17-of-20 from the line, while Buffalo shot a dismal 9-of-17.
"I thought we were horrible from the foul line when we had those opportunities," Hill-MacDonald said. "Especially because a lot of those free throws were the front ends of one-and-ones. I mean how many free throws could we of had if we made the front end and the back end?"
Somehow Buffalo was able to climb back in it – albeit briefly. With just under 10 minutes to go a layup by freshman forward Christa Baccas trimmed the Bulls deficit to just one. Miami would not let Buffalo get any closer, though, as it responded with a 9-0 run to seal the victory.
Senior guard Brittany Hedderson led the Bulls offensively with 13 points, but it wasn't an efficient performance for the team's leading scorer, as she shot just 4-of-16 in the contest. Hedderson was the lone Bull in double figures.
Buffalo is still searching for its first win against a MAC East opponent. The next opportunity to end the 0-8 skid will come Tuesday against Kent State (5-18, 4-9 MAC). The game will start at 7 p.m. in Alumni Arena.
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Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
