The UB women’s basketball (1-1, 0-0 MAC) team lost its first road game of the season on Saturday against Old Dominion (2-0, 0-0 SBC) at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The Bulls fell to the Monarchs 59-48.
The Bulls put up a fight in the loss. Senior guard Rana Elhusseini and freshman guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams led the team in points, with 13 and 11 respectively.
Lewis-Williams put the Bulls on the board at the start of the first quarter by scoring on the first possession. But the tides soon turned as the Monarchs forced turnovers and prevented the Bulls from scoring for four minutes. The score at the end of the first quarter was 15-7.
The UB deficit continued to grow as Old Dominion matched every basket the Bulls scored, eventually creating an 8-0 shutout streak with two minutes left in the half. UB was unable to fire back at the Monarchs, trailing 30-18 at the end of the first half.
Just like in the first half, Lewis-Williams kicked off the second by attacking the offensive end of the court and earning an assist off a gorgeous pass to Kiara Johnson, a graduate forward. The two teams fought for possession, with Old Dominion slowly increasing its lead, despite a 6-0 scoring run at the end of the quarter. Despite their best efforts, the Bulls still trailed behind the Monarchs, 42-34.
The Bulls controlled possession for a good chunk of the final quarter of play, allowing them to chip away at the gap between the two teams on the scoreboard. They even prevented the Monarchs from scoring for four minutes.
The Monarchs were eventually able to find their footing and retake control of the speed and play on the court. Old Dominion was able to secure the lead and keep a healthy margin between the two teams, with a final score of 59-48. Though the Bulls suffered a loss, they outscored the Monarchs 22-10 in the paint and nearly matched them in bench points (14-16).
UB will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday, when they host local rival Niagara (1-1, 0-0 MAA) at Alumni Arena. That game can be streamed on ESPN+.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
