UB women’s basketball (1-0) defeated the James Madison Dukes (1-1) 80-64 at the Atlantic Union Bank Center Monday afternoon.
Sophomore guard Dyaisha Fair led all scorers with a game-high 29 points while also grabbing six rebounds and dishing nine assists. Senior guard Hanna Hall reached a new career-high with 24 points, sinking eight three-pointers and five rebounds. Freshman guard Cheyenne McEvans rounded out Buffalo’s double digit scorers tacking on 12 points in her first game as a Bull.
Hall got the Bulls’ offense off to a strong start, connecting on her first three shots and putting UB ahead 12-4. The Bulls’ offense continued to heat up as Fair put together her own 5-0 run extending her team’s lead to 17-7 heading into the first media timeout. The Bulls’ offense capitalized on a James Madison scoring drought, with a 16-4 run to close out the first.
Hall’s strong play continued into the second quarter, knocking down a three off a JMU turnover. The teams exchanged baskets before Fair hit a step back three and then converted on a steal and scored putting UB up 47-15. With 3:56 remaining in the half, McEvans would drain a three off a feed from Fair and would hit another two minutes later. Fair put one home at the buzzer to close out the half with the Bulls leading 57-24.
Buffalo struggled to begin the second half as the Dukes went on a 9-0 run to pull within 14 points. Hall responded by draining her sixth three to give her team a 60-33 advantage. The Bulls would maintain a 60-39 lead heading to the media timeout. Hall knocked down a corner three on a pass from Fair to end a 10-0 JMU run, putting UB back up by 20. The Dukes would counter with an 8-0 run cutting the UB lead to 12 as the quarter came to a close.
The Dukes’ offensive momentum continued to start the fourth quarter. JMU went on a 4-0 run to pull within eight before Hall drained her eighth three of the night, giving the Bulls an 11 point lead. The Bulls would connect on three consecutive buckets to extend the lead to 72-57 with just over five minutes to play.
With 2:30 remaining Fair hit a corner triple to give Buffalo a 79-64 lead. The UB defense secured the victory as they kept the Dukes scoreless for the remainder of the game.
The Bulls will travel to Richmond, VA to take on the VCU Rams (1-2) on Thursday evening.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
