The women's basketball team had a shaky start to its season with injuries and turnover problems. It seemed a trip back home to Alumni Arena was all the squad needed to get back on track.
Buffalo (2-1) was coming off one of its biggest losses in recent memory when it hosted Bucknell (1-2) on Saturday evening. The Bulls capitalized off solid performances in crucial moments to beat the Bisons, 63-57.
Senior guard Brittany Hedderson spotlighted Buffalo's effort against Bucknell. Hedderson shot poorly in her last game, but she put the debacle behind her to lead the Bulls with 18 points. She added four assists and three rebounds on the night.
Hedderson is currently averaging 15 points per game, and head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald attributed her success to focus.
"Brittany is our leader and our most experienced player on the floor and she truly played like a senior leader tonight," Hill-MacDonald said. "She's calm and clutch when she needs to be and you rarely see her get rattled."
Hedderson didn't have to carry the team on her own, as the Bulls improved in multiple areas to help seal the game, specifically in the turnover column. Buffalo committed a total of 16 turnovers, 19 less than in its previous loss. The decrease in turnovers came despite strong full-court defense by the Bisons.
Buffalo's ability to get to the free throw line also made a significant difference. The Bulls got to the charity stripe 27 times, connecting on 23 shots, while Bucknell only shot 13 free throws, making 11 of them.
The Bulls' efforts on the boards were led by sophomore forward Nytor Longar. She led the team with eight rebounds, in addition to scoring 15 points.
Longar came up big with one last defensive rebound off a missed shot with 34.1 seconds left in the game and the Bulls nursing a five-point lead. Hill-MacDonald referred to that rebound as "huge," as it sealed the deal for the Bulls.
Hedderson said Longar's effectiveness on the boards helped relieve some defensive pressure, leading to the guard's strong showing.
"Nytor was really having a great game, so they had to sag in on her which allowed me to get many open looks at the basket," Hedderson said. "We just started playing better overall as a team, and so eventually I got my open looks."
The Bulls had no answer early for Bucknell's leading scorer, freshman standout guard Amy Zehner, who scored the Bisons' first eight points. Zehner went 9-for-21 from the field and finished with a game-high 20 points.
Bucknell opened up the game hitting its first shot to take a 2-0 lead, marking the only time the Bulls would trail throughout the entire game. Buffalo went into halftime with a 14-point lead, 34-22.
The Bulls picked up right where they left off entering the second half – scoring at will, mostly off of screens and double teams. The Bisons overcame a 14-point deficit midway through the second period and would eventually climb within two points of the Bulls with 3:02 left in the game.
They still couldn't overtake Buffalo.Freshman forward Christa Baccas was another bright spot for the Bulls. She played a solid 14 minutes and gathered six points and four rebounds. Baccas also managed to go 4-of-4 from the foul line.
Hedderson believes Baccas and the other freshmen will develop into more productive players as the season progresses.
"The freshmen have really been pushing us in practice," Hedderson said. "Obviously they're still trying to gain experience and build themselves as players, but they have been doing a great job so far."
The Bulls will play their next four games on the road, with the next stop coming against an undefeated Syracuse (3-0) team on Tuesday.
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