???While students were enjoying the spoils of Thanksgiving break, the women's basketball team was on a mission to earn some wins during non-conference play. After hosting local Niagara and traveling to North Carolina, the Bulls came out with a 2-1 record.
???The Bulls (4-3) began play on Nov. 25 as they hosted the Niagara Purple Eagles (1-5) in a match for bragging rights in Western New York. Buffalo dominated the entire match, defeating Niagara 87-62.
???"I was very pleased with the way we played," said head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "What I liked was that we played for 40 minutes and we never worried about the score; we just kept on playing. When you play with that intensity for 40 minutes, you are going to win a lot of games."
???The Bulls were led by sophomore forward Kourtney Brown, who had 16 points and was 8-of-13 on the floor. She also had six rebounds, four blocks, four steals and two assists on the day. Sophomore forward Jessica Fortman had 11 points and eight rebounds as well as five assists.
???On Nov. 28, the Bulls traveled to East Carolina University to take part in the East Carolina Lady Pirate Invitational. The Bulls would get off to a slow start, losing their first game, but bounced back in their second to split for the weekend.
???Friday night, the Bulls squared off against North Carolina A&T (3-2). Despite getting off to a good start, the Bulls could not keep from turning the ball over and fell to the Aggies 85-76.
???"We lost...because we could not hold on to the basketball," Hill-MacDonald said. "I thought we competed in every other aspect of the game, even outplaying our opponent in some of those aspects, but you can't win when you turn it over 31 times."
???Both teams battled back and forth for the first ten minutes of the game, putting up a combined 45 points. The Aggies went on a 13-2 run at the end of the half though, giving the Bulls a big mountain to climb in the second half.
???"After seeing this team on film all week, we felt like we matched up well with them,' said Aggies head coach Patricia Bibbs. "We knew they had several shooters on their team and that they passed the ball really well, but we knew if we played good defense, we could disrupt what they like to do on offense. Our young ladies came through tonight and I'm proud of the way they got after them on defense. If you let a team like that run their offense without badgering them, they will pick you apart."
???Despite out-scoring the Aggies in the second half, Buffalo could not overcome their 31 turnovers for the game. Good performances from North Carolina A&T's Amber Bland and Ta'Wanna Cook, who both had over 20 points, were too much for Buffalo to overcome as they dropped their first game of the weekend.
???Determined to bounce back in the second game of the weekend, the Bulls didn't waste any time on Saturday against North Carolina Central (2-8). The Bulls defeated the Eagles in a 65-54 victory.
Buffalo immediately made an impact on the court, jumping out to a 17-0 lead on the Eagles. The lead did not last them very long as the Eagles battled back, scoring six straight points to pull within nine, sending the game in to halftime with the Bulls leading 27-19.
???Buffalo mimicked their first half performance in the second, going on a 19-8 run to begin the half. Buffalo's 19-point lead was their biggest lead of the game, but like the first half, the Bulls let the Eagles crawl back and pull within nine points in the final five minutes of the game.
???"We are very fortunate to walk out with a victory," Hill-MacDonald said. "I thought we started well, but we need to do a better job taking care of the basketball and finishing out games."
???Buffalo hung on for the victory and saved their weekend. Brown led the Bulls, falling one shy of her fourth 20 point game and came away with 19. Brown ended up with a double-double with a career high 19 rebounds on her way to getting named to the All-Tournament Team.
???The Bulls return home as they begin to prepare for a matchup against Hofstra on Dec. 6. Tipoff is 1 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
