Turner shines again as offense can't keep up

From the moment Eastern Michigan invaded Alumni Arena on Saturday night, it was apparent Buffalo would need a solid effort on both sides of the ball if the women's basketball team hoped to tarnish the Eagles' perfect conference record.

For nearly the whole the game, the Bulls' stifling defense kept them close, but in the end, the offense couldn't keep up and Eastern Michigan prevailed 56-41, improving its conference mark to 7-0.

"I was really pleased with our defensive effort," said UB head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "The team followed the game plan defensively. On the offensive end, I was very disappointed. Overall, we just didn't shoot the ball very well."

Although UB (7-11 overall, 2-5 Mid-American Conference) played tough defense, it wasn't enough to overcome its poor shooting. As a team, the Bulls shot a mere 27 percent from the field - the team's lowest percentage all season - and went just 1-for-13 from beyond the three-point arc.

"I felt like we weren't as sharp as we've been," said Eastern Michigan head coach Suzy Merchant. "We did control the defensive side. Defense is one thing you should never have an off night at."

The Eagles, now 12-5 overall, scored the first five points of the game, but the Bulls responded with the next four, including a lay-up by sophomore forward Heather Turner. In the ensuing five minutes of play, neither team could gain a decisive advantage. With UB trailing 15-10, junior forward Viorica Badinci drained a three, followed by a Turner jumper to knot the game up at a 15-15 tie.

While the Bulls never held the lead in this contest, a jumper by sophomore forward Barbora Homolov?Ae? tied the game at 17 with 4:25 remaining in the first half. Using an 11-1 run to end the half, Eastern Michigan entered intermission with a 28-18 lead. As a team, the Bulls shot just 28.6 percent in the first half.

Buffalo got out of the gate quickly in the second half. After two lay-ups by Turner, a jumper by senior guard Brooke Meunier made the score 29-24, bringing the Bulls within five at the 17:30 mark.

Over the next five minutes, the two teams seesawed back and forth, trading baskets. A free throw by Meunier pulled the Bulls within four at 34-30, the closest Buffalo would come to the lead for the rest of the game. The Bulls were held to only one point over the next eight minutes as Eastern Michigan used a 16-3 run to help put UB away for good, en route to their 15-point victory.

"(We did) a better job defending," Merchant said about the second-half play. "A couple adjustments offensively got us better looks. We quit turning it over."

Buffalo's low shooting percentage could be attributed to a couple of things, according to Hill-MacDonald.

"(They played) good defense," Hill-MacDonald said. "We ran some new stuff. We had a lot of hesitancy."

Although the Bulls were able to force two more Eagles turnovers than their own 17, the visitors were still able to gain more points from turnovers (16 to 12).

One bright spot for UB was the play of Turner. She was able to overcome a strong and aggressive Eagles frontcourt to grab four rebounds and lead all Bulls scorers with 14 points on 6-10 shooting from the field. Turner was the only Bulls player in double figures.

"(I was able to) stand my ground and stay strong," Turner said. "Defensively, I need to move my feet more."

Freshman forward Jamie Schiebner and sophomore guard Stephanie Bennett paced UB in rebounds, collecting six apiece.

Eastern Michigan was led by a balanced scoring attack as three Eagles scored in double figures. Senior forward Nikki Knapp scored 11 points, senior guard Ryan Coleman had 12 points to go along with eight rebounds and three assists, and junior forward Sarah VanMetre led the scoring effort with 14 points.

Buffalo will look to rebound on the road Tuesday at Northern Illinois against the Huskies. The game is scheduled for 8:05 p.m.