Women’s basketball (19-2, 8-2 MAC) defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies (9-12, 3-7 MAC) with a score of 84-58 in the first game of Saturday afternoon’s basketball doubleheader in Alumni Arena. The game was a celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and marked head coach Becky Burke’s 50th win with the UB Bulls.
“I always love a good defensive win,” Burke said after the game. “Very appreciative to have been here at Buffalo for 50 wins and hopefully many more to come.”
The game started with a bang as sophomore guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams scored a layup in the first six seconds. At 6:40, the Bulls saw their first three-pointer from senior guard Sitota Gines, putting the score into double digits. Towards the end of the first quarter, the Bulls saw a three-point play from fifth year guard Chellia Watson following a Huskies foul to bring the score to 21-19 Bulls.
The second quarter opened with a three from sophomore guard Paula Lopez. Lopez continued on a hot streak with a fastbreak layup off a steal from Watson. Showing off their defensive skills, the Bulls were able to force the Huskies into a delay of game turnover before a media break. Watson closed out the first half with a layup at 0:04 seconds bringing the score to 42-33.
The third quarter left the Bulls scoreless until 8:03, with a layup from Lewis-Williams. Fifth-year guard Lani Cornfield later took reign of offense, putting up five points in 26 seconds, making two free throws, and then going on to make a three point play of a layup and a free throw. Senior forward Jordyn Beaty later hit a layup, bringing the score to 58-40 at the second media timeout. Cornfield closed out the third quarter with a layup off the glass bringing the score to 62-42 Bulls.
Beaty continued to dominate offensively, putting up another seven points in the final quarter, including a three-pointer that spun the hoop, bounced up and landed back in to bring the Bulls to 82 points with just under two minutes left in the game. Beaty would finish the game securing a career-high 15 points and 11 rebounds, earning her first double-double of the season. Lewis-Williams would make a layup to put the final points on the board for the Bulls, ending the game with a final score of 84-58.
The Bulls will next take on the Toledo Rockets (15-5, 7-3 MAC) in their Education Day celebration on Feb. 5. Tip-off is at 11 a.m. in Alumni Arena.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
