Saturday's Scoreboard
Buffalo 83, Ball State 76
Kent State 69, Northern Illinois 65
Story Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Buffalo 83, Ball State 76
Box Score
MUNCIE, IN – Behind a career day from sophomore guard Dyaisha Fair, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team overcame an 11 point halftime deficit, scoring 51 second points in the second half, to defeat Ball State 83-76 at Worthen Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Fair tied all scorers with 36 points to go along with eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Senior Hanna Hall scored 16 points, including 4-of-9 from behind the arc, and freshman Cheyenne McEvans scored in double figures for the fourth straight game with 12 points.
"We had to remind ourselves that we are not just playing the game of basketball," said Fair. "We are playing for something bigger than ourselves, for something bigger than the game and it showed today. My teammates trusted me to drive the ball, to shoot the ball to distribute the ball and just trusting in me to get it done."
The two teams would trade baskets to start the game as Ball State led 8-6 at the first media timeout. Fair scored on two straight possessions to give the Bulls a 14-13 lead at the 2:49 mark and later, a floater off glass by Hall would tie the game at 16, but the Cardinals closed the quarter on a 5-0 run to take a 21-16 lead at the end of the first.
The Bulls used a 5-0 run early in the second quarter to cut the Ball State lead to 24-23 and later Hall knocked down a triple to tie the game at 26 but Oshlynn Brown knocked down a jumper in traffic to give the Cardinals a 30-28 lead at the 4:05 mark. Ball State would go on a 6-0 run to take a 36-28 lead and force a UB timeout at the 2:27 mark and they would extend the run to take a 43-32 lead into the break.
The Bulls opened the third quarter on a 6-2 run to cut the Ball State lead to 38-45 at the 7:52 mark. Buffalo would extend the run to 11-4, capped by an offensive rebound putback by Adebola Adeyeye and a spot up triple from Fair, to cut the lead to 47-43 and force a Cardinals timeout at the 6:29 mark. Ball State extended their lead to 53-45 at the media timeout but a 6-0 UB run cut the lead to 53-51 at the 3:26 mark. Later, a spot up three from Hall off the feed from Elea Gaba would cut the BSU lead to 55-54 with just over two minutes to play in the quarter and the two teams would battle from there as the game would be tied 60-60 tat the end of the third.
Buffalo opened the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run, bookended by triples from Hall and Fair, to take a 70-63 lead at the 6:57 mark. The Cardinals answered with an 8-3 run to cut the UB lead to 73-71 but Hall knocked down a big triple from the wing to stop the run and give the Bulls a 76-71 lead at the final media timeout. Back-to-back buckets by Keowa Walters and McEvans would give UB an 80-75 lead with 1:45 to go and later Buffalo would keep a play alive with multiple offensive rebounds and Hall would cash in a big triple from the wing to give UB an 83-75 lead with just over a minute to play and that would prove to be the dagger as the Bulls secured the victory.
"I saw a little fear in them that they didn't believe that they too can become and we were worried too much about what the referees were going to call but when I came to the lockerroom at halftime and Dyaisha met me at the door and said I got you coach and when your best player says that you have to reevaluate what matters," said head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. "We came out with a great game plan and hey really impressed me in that second half."
Buffalo is now 42-7 over the past three-plus years and 7-1 this season when scoring 80+ points. The Bulls turned the ball over a season-low three times while scoring 17 points off of 15 Ball State turnovers and turned 16 offensive rebounds into 18 second chance points.
Buffalo returns to action on Wednesday, February 24, at Kent State.
Kent State 69, Northern Illinois 65
Box Score
DEKALB, Ill. — Kent State held host Northern Illinois without a field goal over the final 3:45 to record a big win, 69-65, on Saturday afternoon.
The Golden Flashes (8-6, 7-4 MAC) closed the game with a 10-2 run to get back in the win column after losing three in a row. Kent State's defense was stellar throughout the 40 minutes in holding the Huskies 11 points under their season average. The Flashes registered season-high totals in points off the turnovers (25), steals (11) and blocks (9).
The game was tied at the final media timeout, but Northern Illinois scored on its first two possessions that followed for a 63-59 lead with 3:46 to play. With her team needing a basket, sophomore Nila Blackford refused to be denied and scored on her third attempt in the lane, drawing a foul in the process. She was unable to complete the three-point opportunity but grabbed a rebound for a stop on the other end of the floor. Junior Lindsey Thall then split a pair of shots at the charity stripe after drawing a foul on a strong drive to the basket. Following an offensive foul on the Huskies, sophomore Katie Shumate found Thall for an opener three-pointer and a 65-63 lead. Shumate pushed the lead to four with a drive into the paint and shot over her defender. Junior Mariah Modkins, who scored all eight of her points in the fourth period, made two free throws with 9.1 on the clock to push it back to a four-point lead.
Nila Blackford led all players with 19 points and nine rebounds. Despite only playing 22 minutes due to foul trouble, Lindsey Thall had 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Freshman Lexi Jackson provided quality minutes in Thall's place during the first half and finished with a career-high six rebounds to go with two points and two rejections. Katie Shumate added 10 points and a team-high three steals. Mariah Modkins played a terrific floor game, totaling six assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Kent State and Northern Illinois will tip again on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN3.
