In their last home game as members of the women's basketball team, seniors Dortae Brown and Jamie Schiebner wanted one more win at Alumni Arena.
After 40 minutes of play on Saturday, the two got their wish.
Using a strong performance last week against No. 25 Bowling Green as momentum, the Bulls (6-21, 2-12 Mid-American Conference) defeated the Zips (10-17, 5-9 MAC) 69-49, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Before the start of the game, seniors Dortae Brown and Jamie Schiebner were honored at center court.
"It has been a major learning experience here at UB," Schiebner said. "I had many ups and downs, but I have grown as a person and I am glad that I am leaving on the right note."
The Bulls outplayed Akron in the first half by dominating on the defensive end. Buffalo held the Zips to shooting 6-of-21 from the field, as well as forcing 23 turnovers.
But it wasn't just Buffalo's defense that led the team to victory. The offense, led by sophomore forward Kourtney Brown, outscored the Zips 34-18 in the paint.
Brown was a force to be reckoned with in the paint and on the boards. She grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds and scored 25 points. Most of her baskets came from second chance opportunities as she snatched nine offensive rebounds.
"I couldn't do it without my teammates," Brown said. "They set great screens, made good passes to me, and took good shots that were just off."
Junior guard Rachelle Matthys chipped in 11 points off the bench for the Bulls, knocking down three 3-pointers. She hit a deep, high arching triple to make the score 23-14, and on the following possession nailed another shot from distance to make it 26-14 with 4:38 left in the first half.
With less than a minute left in the half, the Bulls forced a turnover, and then with 11 seconds left in the half, Matthys made her final 3-pointer, making the score 31-20 as they headed to the locker room.
The Bulls wasted no time getting back to where they left off as they started the second half on an 8-0 run.
Fortman began the run by seizing an offensive rebound and putting it back for a quick two points. Brown made her presence felt by battling hard underneath, grabbing rebounds and scoring down low. Her dominance put Buffalo up 39-21.
Later in the half, Fortman nailed a 3-pointer off a great pass by Freeman, making the score 43-27. Freeman didn't settle for just dishing out assists. She drove hard to the basket, absorbed the foul from the defense, and converted on a lay-up. After completing the conventional 3-point play by converting from the charity stripe, the score was 46-27.
In response, Akron, led by Jasmine Mushington, went on a small run. Freshman guard Brittany Hedderson responded with two of her seven points to push the score back up in Buffalo's favor, 56-39. The Bulls shot over 45 percent from the field and converted 8-of-10 from the free throw line.
Sophomore Bridgette Kendricks sealed the game for Buffalo when she made a jumper and a free throw on consecutive Bulls possessions to increase their lead to 23 points. The game ended with a home win for the Bulls and a happy finish for the seniors on the court.
"I have mixed emotions," said Buffalo head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. "It is extremely sad because their career is over, but on the upside I know that they have had a positive impact on the university and are leaving more mature and ready for their future."
Before heading to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament, the Bulls have two games left in the regular season. On Wednesday, the team will travel to Kent State to take on the Golden Flashes. Tip off is at 7 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
