Editor's note: This article was updated to correct the spelling of Chellia Watson's name from Chella to Chellia. The Spectrum apologizes for this error.
Women’s basketball (29-7 13-5 MAC) continued their play in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) with a hard-fought battle against the Cleveland State Vikings (27-10, 14-6 HL), winning 74-69 on Wednesday night. This game marks the Bulls 29th season win, tying the program record.
Over three thousand fans attended as the Bulls secured their spot in the WNIT Championship game.
“We thank the fans every game, but like they don’t really understand how much we appreciate [and] love them. We look forward to them coming to the games every game.” fifth year guard Chellia Watson said, who scored 21 points this game.
This game also marked the first time in program history that women’s basketball played in April.
“They’ve been playing with a whole lot of heart, they’ve been playing together, and that’s all you can ask. We’re playing our best basketball in April right now and have a chance to make some history here at the University at Buffalo.” Head Coach Becky Burke said in a postgame conference.
The game opened slow for the Bulls, who were behind for almost the entire first quarter. The Bulls chipped away at their deficit with five points from sophomore guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams and four points from fifth year guard Noelani Cornfield. The Bulls finally took their first lead of 12-10 after a three from senior guard Sitota Gines to close out the first quarter.
The Vikings quickly tied at the beginning of the second quarter, beginning a 7-0 run that was finally combatted with a layup from senior forward Ariana Seawell. The Vikings continued to expand their lead, but that was cut down after senior guard Terah Harness drained a three. Towards the end of the quarter, Watson went on a 12-6 run herself to bring the Bulls a 34-32 lead going into halftime.
The Bulls continued to hold onto their lead going into the third quarter, with a 4-0 run from Lewis-Williams. The Vikings continued to chip away at the difference, but were still trailing by the media timeout. With 3:37 left in the quarter, the Vikings tied up 43-43. The lead began to flip with both teams continuously scoring before the Vikings pulled ahead. After a jumper from Seawell with only three seconds left, the Bulls trailed by only two with a score of 56-54.
The Bulls scored their first points of the final quarter with a jumper from Watson, which was quickly followed with a layup from Lewis-Williams to tie at 58. With just over five minutes left, Harness drained yet another three to give the Bulls the lead they would use to win. While the Vikings continued with pushback, they were unable to score enough to take back the lead, closing the game 74-69.
The Bulls will next take on the Troy Trojans (24-13, 13-5 SBC) in the WNIT Championship game. The game will take place in Alumni Arena on Saturday, April 5 at 5 p.m. Students who wish to attend must pick up their free physical tickets from the Alumni Arena Ticket Office.
Izabella Ducato is the assistant sports editor and can be reached at izabella.ducato@ubspectrum.com
