Despite senior guard Stephanie Bennett's best efforts, the women's basketball team couldn't snatch victory from the hands of defeat.
Bennett made a career-high seven three-pointers to keep Buffalo in the game in the second half. However, foul trouble to senior forwards Heather Turner and Barbora Homolova, as well as a lack of focus, prevented Buffalo from securing a winnable game.
With the loss, Buffalo (10-9, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) is winless at home during conference play, yet have gone 3-0 on the road. The loss to the Eagles (10-8, 4-2 MAC) has left head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald searching for answers as to why her team cannot finish games at home.
"I don't think there's a reason (that we play better on the road)...it shouldn't be that way, and it's very frustrating," Hill-MacDonald said. "It's very upsetting that we're not protecting our home court, and we're not able to score here the way we score on the road."
Homolova and Turner scored the first 16 points of the game for the Bulls, giving Buffalo an 18-8 advantage in the paint. Eastern Michigan kept pace with a barrage of three-pointers, making seven of their first 14 attempts in the first half, giving them a 39-35 lead at halftime.
"Our real focus was to take away their look...from behind the three-point arc, we didn't do that very well in the first half," Hill-MacDonald said.
The second half got off to a disappointing start as both Turner and Homolova were forced to sit less than six minutes into the half with four fouls each.
"In the first half, the majority of our scoring was done on the inside, and they really didn't have an answer," Hill-MacDonald said. "In the second half when you have both of those players in foul trouble, it's huge, absolutely huge."
With their offensive scoring punch on the bench, the Bulls were forced to rely on Bennett, who almost single-handedly won the game for Buffalo, scoring 18 points of her career-high 25 points in the second half.
"Steph has done it over and over and over again, kept us in games with her three-point shots. She's been very, very clutch for us," Hill-MacDonald said. "Her teammates have to start stepping up and making their big shots, as well."
Buffalo never held the lead throughout the second half, tying it once at 65, and missing several opportunities to take control of the game. After sophomore forward Dortae Freeman tied the game with two free throws, Buffalo could not sustain its momentum, allowing Eastern Michigan to build its lead back up to four.
The Bulls had another chance with less than 13 seconds left in the game and Eastern Michigan leading 70-68, when Eagles guard Alyssa Pittman missed the front end of a one-and-one at the free throw line. However, Buffalo was unable to haul in the rebound, forcing the Bulls to foul Pittman again. Pittman made both of her free throws to put Buffalo down four.
After this turn of events, Bennett raced up court and forced up a three, which missed. Bennett was fouled on the play and made all three free throws to bring Buffalo within one.
After two more free throws by Pittman, Buffalo made one last desperate attempt at a three by Bennett to force overtime. Bennett's hot shooting was just not hot enough, as the shot missed, resulting in a 74-71 Bulls loss.
"In a three-point game, every little error matters, and we had 22 turnovers. The cumulative effect of those turnovers was devastating," Hill-MacDonald said. "At the end of the game, we gave up an offensive rebound to a shooter at the foul line, and we needed that possession...that was a costly error."
The Bulls travel to Northern Illinois (7-11, 3-3 MAC) for their next match on Thursday night at 8 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
