The women's basketball team left a lot to be desired in its exhibition game last week. If Division-III Buffalo State could give the team a scare, how would the Bulls fare against Division-I opponents?
Buffalo gave convincing answers in its 65-54 win at Niagara on Friday night. The Bulls (1-0) struck first and never trailed, taking their season opener in dominating fashion.
Senior guard Brittany Hedderson emerged as the leader of the Bulls by the end of the game. Hedderson recorded her first career double-double, scoring 19 points and snagging 10 rebounds.
Head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald praised Hedderson's outstanding performance and the leadership ability that she has shown on the hardwood.
"I think Brittany Hedderson on the court certainly has stepped in and taken over our leadership role from a playing standpoint," Hill-MacDonald said. "She has the ability to take over games and at times during our game [on Friday] she did that for us."
The senior was also a force on the defensive glass, grabbing nine defensive rebounds in the game. She added five assists and a steal.
Senior forward Beth Christensen collected 10 rebounds of her own. Overall, the Bulls out-rebounded the Purple Eagles 42-37, with Christensen and Hedderson collecting almost half of the Bulls' rebounds.
Hill-MacDonald acknowledged that, as a team, the Bulls need to get better on the boards and cut down on their turnovers.
The Purple Eagles went on the scoreboard first in the second half, but Bulls sophomore forward Nytor Longar scored back-to-back baskets to keep the game out of reach for the time being at 31-22. The Bulls would build off that momentum, as they went on a 9-0 run to open up their biggest lead of the game, 41-27.
Niagara responded with a 9-0 run of its own, narrowing the gap to five points. But Hedderson stepped up when her team needed her yet again, scoring and ending the run.
The Bulls maintained their lead throughout the second half before putting the game out of reach with a plethora of late free throws. Senior guard Ephesia Holmes was especially clutch, adding five points from the charity stripe during that span.
The Bulls will now enter a brutal stretch, as they'll play five of their next six games away from Alumni Arena, including matchups against Syracuse and Connecticut. Hill-MacDonald was pleased with the way her team responded to being on the road, and is confident that they can continue that success going forward.
"It was good for our first away game to be relatively close," Hill-MacDonald said. "We've got quite a road – a marathon so to speak – coming up."
The Bulls have started this season strong, but Hill-MacDonald realizes they need to make improvements if they are going to continue their success.
"It certainly wasn't a perfect performance by any stretch of the imagination," Hill-MacDonald said. "But we aren't supposed to be perfect at this point in the season. We were very pleased with the way we came and approached the competition."
The Bulls will visit Duquesne (1-0) on Monday, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. Then the Bulls will return to Alumni Arena for their home opener against Bucknell on Saturday.
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