The women's basketball team entered Saturday's Mid-American Conference matchup with Ohio in search of its first MAC victory. Strong shooting proved to be the surge that Buffalo needed to crack into the in-conference win column.
The Bulls (5-12, 1-3 MAC) put on a show from 3-point range to end the losing streak and dispose of the Bobcats (4-13, 0-4 MAC), 76-62. Buffalo went 9-for-14 for 3-point range, their best shooting performance from the perimeter since the 2007-08 season.
'We sure hit some 3-point shots in the first half,' said Bulls head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald. 'I think that was creating a dilemma for Ohio because they wanted to jam on our inside game. Knocking down some threes really opened up [the floor for us]. [Ohio] had to spread out and then we were able to penetrate. I thought we penetrated the gaps really, really well today.'
Using a 7-0 run to start the game, the Bulls immediately put the Ohio on their heels. The Bobcats got off to a rough start, as shot after shot bounced off the glass and rim.
The Bobcats finally made their first layup and cut the Bulls' lead down to five with 17:40 remaining in the first half. This was the closest Ohio came in the contest. Less than a minute later, a trey by junior forward Jessica Fortman and a jumper by freshman guard Chrissy Cooper increased the Bulls' lead to ten.
Ohio gained some momentum after making two consecutive buckets to pull within six, but a trey from Cooper put an end to that run. Sophomore guard Brittany Hedderson sank the next three buckets for the Bulls, including a 3-point shot, putting the Bulls up 22-10 with just over 10 minutes left in the opening half.
The efforts of Cooper, Hedderson, and junior forward Kourtney Brown allowed the Bulls to dominate the Bobcats for the next five minutes. Freshman guard Abby Dowd knocked down a 3-pointer to cap off a 17-6 run. This gave the Bulls a 23-point lead, the largest of the half, at 39-16.
Buffalo ended the first half with 47 points to tie a season-high record set in the opening half of the Youngstown State game. Overall, the Bulls shot 56.3 percent from the field, 63.6 percent from the 3-point range, and were perfect from the free-throw line. The team continued to build on its lead and went on a 20-8 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Buffalo held a 67-37 lead, its largest of the game, with 9:44 left on the clock.
But the Bulls relaxed as the Bobcats tried to claw their way out of a rut. Though Ohio finished the game on a 23-8 run, it was not enough to overcome Buffalo's substantial lead.
Buffalo finished the game with four players in double digits for the first time this season. Hedderson led the team, going 7-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-4 from 3-point range for 17 points in just 21 minutes.
Hedderson, who is still fairly fresh off of a stress fracture that put her out of action for nearly six weeks, was glad to be back on the court.
'It was hard being out for that long,' Hedderson said. 'But it just made me try to fight through every day and have even more of a fire now that I'm back.'
Brown added 16 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks. She earned her seventh-straight double-double of the season. Before the game, Brown was honored, as she became the newest member of the 1,000-point club at Buffalo.
Fortman put up 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal. She went 6-for-6 from the foul line. Dowd recorded 11 points, three boards, three assists, two steals and a block. Cooper and freshman forward Nytor Longar rounded out the team with 8 points apiece.
Hill-MacDonald said that it was nice to get a MAC win.
'I think a game like today helps build confidence and restore confidence,' Hill-MacDonald said. 'We have a tough one coming up… so we've got to be able to carry the emotion from this game down to Kent.'
The Bulls travel to Kent State to face the Golden Flashes on Tuesday night. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. at M.A.C. Center.
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Hedderson's return lifts Bulls to first MAC win
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