Thursday's Women's Basketball Results
Buffalo 67, Sacramento State 60
No. 7 Louisville 94, Ball State 73
Story Courtesy of Buffalo Athletic Communications
Buffalo 67, Sacramento State 60
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY – In a tightly contested game that featured six ties and eight lead changes, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team (2-1) made big plays on both ends of the floor down the stretch to defeat Sacramento State 67-60 at Broadview Arena on Thursday night.
The Bulls were led offensively by second year forward Meg Lucas who narrowly missed out on a double with 20 points and nine rebounds and first year guard Ava LaMonica who gave the fans another show with 18 points, including going 8-of-10 at the free throw line.
Buffalo scored on their first possession of the game as Diann Jackson hit Lucas with a no-look pass for a layup and then later, Asia Wilson drilled a triple from the top of the key to give UB an early lead. Ella Corry then knocked down a triple of her own, but the Hornets responded with a 9-4 run to take a one-point lead at the end of the first.
It was a sluggish start to the second quarter for the Bulls before Jackson knocked down a midrange jumper to tie the game at 19, but the Hornets answered with a triple at the other end to retake the lead at the 6:09 mark. The visitors extended the run to 7-0 to take their largest lead of the half before the Bulls began to chip away as LaMonica got her own miss and finished off glass and then the Bulls got to the charity stripe and converted to cut the lead to one at the half.
Sacramento State opened the third quarter on a 13-4 run to go up 41-33 and force a UB timeout at the 5:34 mark. LaMonica hit a cutting Lucas for a layup before knocking down a midrange jumper of her own and then Lucas skied up for an offensive rebound putback plus the foul and then made a free throw line jumper to give the Bulls a 47-43 lead at the end of the third.
The Hornets started the fourth quarter with back-to-back and one buckets to tie the game at 48 before Lucas went into attack mode, scoring on two straight possessions and Wilson knocked down a midrange jumper in transition as Buffalo maintained a 56-51 lead at the final media timeout. Ella Wickstrom drove to the bucket for a tough layup off glass and then Lucas came up with a big steal and scored in transition to put the Bulls up by five with 90 seconds remaining and the Bulls would seal the game at the charity stripe in the final minute.
Buffalo maintained a 38-35 edge on the glass against a tall and physical Hornets squad while also outscoring Sacramento State in the paint with 36 points inside and scoring 15 points off of 15 Hornets' miscues and shooting 49% from the floor.
