???While the men's basketball team continues to succeed at the top of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the women's basketball team is spiraling towards the bottom.
???On Saturday, despite recovering from a 17-point deficit and an extremely tough second half against Miami (OH) (11-6, 3-1 MAC), the Bulls (4-13, 0-4 MAC) lost their fourth-straight conference game by a score of 68-67. The Bulls have not won a game since Nov. 29 against North Carolina Central.
???In the first half, the Bulls played a lackluster defense, allowing too many open 3-pointers and forgetting to box out. The Redhawks drilled six out of nine 3-point attempts led by freshmen guard Maggie Boyer and junior guard Courtney Reed.
???The Bulls, on the other hand, struggled from distance, shooting a measly 14.3 percent. In addition, Buffalo was bested on the boards as Miami snagged nine more rebounds in the first half.
???At their worst, the Bulls trailed by 17 points and were down by 13 points at halftime, 46-33.
???While Buffalo's overall performance was disappointing, there was a glimpse of hope from a sizzling duo of sophomore studs. Kourtney Brown and Jessica Fortman finished the game with a combined 43 points and 18 rebounds, giving hope to the future of the basketball program.
???An while Buffalo head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald is focused on the present and winning games this season she is still able to recognize the promising future of the program.
???"We have a whole cast of young players who are doing great things," Hill-MacDonald said. "We have a great freshmen point guard in Brittany Henderson and I think we have the best post combination in the conference [Brown and Fortman]. The future is bright but right now we're concerned about the present."
???Brown's performance was especially notable as she finished with a double double, with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Brown bounced back from a poor performance against Kent State where she only took one field goal attempt. She credited her teammates for her success against the Redhawks.
???"As a team we reversed the ball well," Brown said. "I opened up to my teammates and they were able to deliver great entry passes."
???As the second half progressed, it was clear that the women were focused on fixing their first half flaws. The Bulls closed in on the rebounding gap and closed out on the 3-point shooters.
???Buffalo's ball movement was working well and 20 of their 27 field goals were assisted. After a 3-pointer by senior forward Jamie Schiebner, the women took the lead 63-62 with 8:14 left in the game.
???The timely hoop, Schiebner's only field goal of the game, gave Buffalo the lead for the first time since early the 15:17 mark in the first half.
???The women were able to hold on to the advantage and Schiebner went to the free-throw line with 20 seconds to play, her team leading by one, 67-66. Her shooting woes on the day followed her to the charity stripe and she wasn't able to connect on either attempt. She was only 1-for-12 during the game.
???After a scramble for the rebound, Redhawk guard Boyer came away with the ball and was pushed to the floor by junior guard Dayna Smith.
???On the season, Miami (OH) has been a superb free-throw shooting team, shooting 75.2 from the line. Boyer defended her team's reputation by knocking down both tries, giving her squad a one-point lead.
???The Bulls had 12 seconds to manifest a shot, but instead turned the ball over and came up short against the reigning MAC champions.
???Miami head coach Maria Fantanarosa recognized that her team escaped with a fortunate win, complimenting Buffalo on a well-fought second half and praising their bright future.
???"I think Buffalo out-played us today," Fantanarosa said. "Their record doesn't show how good they are. They're scrappy and balance their inside outside scoring. I'm glad we played them this early in the season because they're only going to get better."
???The Bulls will try to snap their losing streak Jan. 21 as they visit Bowling Green for another conference game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
