A balanced scoring attack keyed the Bulls to their fifth victory in a row with just one game remaining until the Mid-American Conference tournament.
Junior guard Dyaisha Fair was one of four Bulls to score double digits, as she dropped 25 points, six assists and three rebounds to propel Buffalo (21-8, 15-4 MAC) to an 86-60 road win over the Akron Zips (15-10, 12-7 MAC) Wednesday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Graduate forward Summer Hemphill netted 16 points, two assists and 10 rebounds to secure her 12th double-double of the season — her third one in a row.
Junior forward Loren Christie scored 10 points and snagged two boards while freshman guard Georgia Woolley had seven points, dished out five assists and had a game-high six steals.
Senior forward Adebola Adeyeye scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed four boards along with one steal. Senior guard Jazmine Young mustered nine points, four rebounds and two steals.
UB is 11-0 this season when it scores at least 80 points.
The Bulls dominated in the paint, dropping 58 points and 17 fastbreak points.
The game was tied at eight apiece until UB gained a 12-11 lead with 4:08 to go in the first. The Bulls held a 22-15 lead at the end of the quarter after Adeyeye made a layup at the buzzer.
Christie scored on three straight possessions to give the Bulls a nine-point lead, but the Zips went on a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to two with a couple of minutes left. A pair of free throws from Fair gave UB a 38-33 lead at the half.
Consecutive steals followed by fastbreak points from Fair and Woolley completed a 6-0 run to give the Bulls an eight-point lead (48-40) with 6:17 left in the third quarter. Buffalo clutched a 53-42 lead with 4:22 remaining after going on an 11-2 run. The Bulls were up 65-51 heading into the final quarter.
Buffalo led 73-57 at the 5:57 mark after Young secured a steal and found Fair for the layup. The Bulls mustered a 22-point advantage (80-58) with 3:26 to play and held the Zips to just two points for the remainder of the contest to secure a well-deserved 86-60 victory.
The Bulls shot a season-best 37-of-62 (59.7%) from the field, despite making only three triples. Buffalo tallied 11 second-chance points from 10 offensive rebounds and turned 26 Akron turnovers into 28 points. The bench players were an important factor throughout the night, as they dropped 26 points.
UB’s defense remained strong throughout the game, holding the Zips to 40.7% from the field and 16.7% from behind the arc.
The Bulls will play their final game of the regular season Saturday against Bowling Green at Alumni Arena. UB’s Senior Day will begin at 2 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Kayla Sterner is an assistant sports editor and can be reached at kayla.sterner@ubspectrum.com
Kayla Sterner is an assistant sports editor at The Spectrum. She is studying communications with the hopes of being a sideline reporter. In her spare time, she can be found in the gym, watching football or vibing to Mac Miller. Kayla is on Twitter @kaylasterner.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
