Women’s basketball wins first game of MAC Tournament

On Wednesday night, the Bulls (25-6, 13-5 MAC), who were slotted at the third seed, played their first game of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament against sixth seed, Bowling Green Falcons (18-3, 11-7 MAC) in Cleveland, OH. After a difficult fight, the Bulls emerged victorious with a final score of 65-63. The game also marked fifth year guard Noelani Cornfield hitting her 1,000th career point.

The first quarter opened with Buffalo putting the first points on the board after 2.5 minutes with a jumper from senior forward Jordyn Beaty. The Falcons quickly tied the score at two before taking the lead with a layup. The score continued to increase by two points back and forth until the Bulls took an 11-8 lead after a three-pointer from fifth year guard Chella Watson. The Bulls continued to fight, only allowing the Falcons two points to close out the first quarter.

The second quarter saw low scoring once again, with the Bulls not putting up their first points until 6:58 on the clock with a jumper from sophomore guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams. Though the Bulls were playing strong defensively, they were unable to stop the Falcons from taking the lead, closing out the half 23-17.

The third quarter brought hope back for the Bulls, who tied before ultimately taking a 29-28 lead. The Falcons quickly closed that gap with a three pointer which would give them the lead for the rest of the quarter. While the Bulls were able to put up eight more points, the Falcons were able to create a twelve point lead, closing the quarter at 49-37.

The fourth quarter the Bulls came out swinging. The Bulls were able to bring the score to a tie at 57 with 3:35 on the clock after Watson and Lewis-Williams put up ten and seven points, respectively. The lead saw three changes before Watson put up her last points to secure the Bulls a spot in the semifinals with a final score of 65-63.

The Bulls will be facing the Toledo Rockets (23-7, 13-5 MAC) on Friday, March 14 at 12:30 p.m. in the semifinals, hoping to earn their spot in the MAC Tournament finals. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

Izabella Ducato is the assistant sports editor and can be reached at izabella.ducato@ubspectrum.com