Despite a career-high 19 points off the bench from sophomore guard Belinda Gibb, UB's women's basketball team was unable to finish off a huge come-from-behind road victory against the Ohio University Bobcats.
The Bobcats (8-10 overall, 4-3 Mid-American Conference) at one point held a 21-point lead over the Bulls (3-15 overall, 1-6 MAC), but the Bulls were able to battle back, eventually cutting the lead to just four points. Unfortunately, that was when time expired in the game, with the Bobcats grabbing a 73-69 victory over the Bulls.
Down by 13 points at the intermission, the Bulls resisted the urge to follow the easy path of hanging their heads and getting ready for the next game. UB battled back, gradually getting closer and closer, one high-percentage shot at a time.
With just over seven minutes left, the Bulls' persistence paid off, as their defense was able to get a few stops in a row. Buffalo went on an 11-2 run, including three baskets from beyond the arc, highlighted by two from Allison Bennett and one more from Flynn Pyykkonen.
"We did a great job of not hanging our heads and just battling," stated Bulls' head coach Cheryl Dozier in a press release.
Dozier was also pleased with how strongly her team finished the game, having its most important possessions coming towards the end of the second half.
"We got great minutes from our young players and we played our best basketball in the last 15 minutes of the game, so fatigue wasn't a factor," Dozier stated.
Gibb's career high in points was not her only high point of the game, as the guard set new career marks for herself in assists, with six, and rebounds with nine. Additionally, 11 of her 19 points came in the second half, as part of the Bulls' big second half run.
Dozier seemed optimistic about the future, considering what she sees as her team's gradual growth.
"It's tough to play on the road in this league and we fell short today," she stated. "But we battled and we didn't give up at all. We proved to ourselves that we can play."
While Gibb led all scorers, the Bulls had three other players in double digits for the game. Allison Bennett ended the game with 14 points and a career high six assists, Pyykkonen added 13 points and a career-high seven rebounds, and Heather Turner was able to chip in 11 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort.
In the Bulls' strong second half effort to beat the Bobcats, UB did nearly everything right. Buffalo shot over 60 percent from the field while holding Ohio to only 46-percent shooting in the second half.
The Bobcats were able to mount their lead in the first half by pounding the ball to post players Kristen Kirkpatrick and Erin Isbell. The Bobcats' big players ended the first half with 11 and 10 points respectively.
The Bulls will next be in action against the Akron Zips (3-16 overall, 3-5 MAC) in the friendly confines of Alumni Arena on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.
Akron is a team that has endured its share of struggles this season, owning an almost identical overall record as the Bulls. The Zips, however, were successful in a prior meeting between the two teams.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
