The women's basketball team has struggled to find its rhythm thus far this season. The squad has yet to win two in a row, and the Bulls looked to change that against one of the best opponents they would face all year.
Syracuse was just too good.
The Bulls (2-2) were outplayed by a superior opponent in the Carrier Dome on Tuesday night. Unable to put together any kind of run against a stout Syracuse (4-0) defense, Buffalo fought hard but eventually lost 79-59.
The Bulls were able to keep the game close early on with strong 3-point shooting, but they didn't hit a shot from inside the arc until nearly seven minutes into the contest.
The Orange used their superior size to prevent the Bulls from driving in the lane or making any easy baskets in the paint. ‘Cuse's full-court defense pressured the Bulls all over the court, forcing 16 turnovers in the first half.
Syracuse led by as many as 18 points in the first half, but Buffalo was able to put up some points late in the half – led by senior guard Teresa Semalulu – to cut the Orange's lead to 14.
The Bulls minimized their mistakes and held onto the ball in the second half, but Syracuse still used its size advantage against the smaller Bulls. The Orange led by 26 points at one point in the second half, but the Bulls fought to bring the game back to 79-59 at the final buzzer.
Buffalo finished with 22 turnovers.
Senior guard Brittany Hedderson led the Bulls in scoring yet again, netting 20 points, 14 of them in the second half, while senior guard Ephesia Holmes contributed another 15.
Holmes' performance caught the attention of head coach Linda Hill-Macdonald, who was impressed with Holmes' ball control and stable play throughout 31 minutes of action. Holmes' long-range shot also grabbed Hill-Macdonald's attention. Holmes went 3-for-4 from 3-point land.
Freshman guard Valerie Majewski was a strong contributor off the bench, finishing with a career-high eight points.
"[Majewski] can shoot the ball and she also has a good basketball IQ," Hill-MacDonald said. "Against a team like Syracuse, she was a little undersized, but she didn't back away from anybody. She is going to continue to get better and better."
The Bulls will be playing in the World Vision Challenge at the University of Connecticut this weekend, with games scheduled against Dayton, Connecticut and Farleigh Dickinson. The first game will be played on Black Friday against Dayton at 5 p.m.
Buffalo looks to take the experience it gained against Syracuse into a couple more tough matchups this weekend.
"We have to take a look at this and see what we could have done better, see how we turned the ball over against the pressure," Hill-MacDonald said. "Dayton is probably going to pressure us and UConn is definitely going to pressure us. The next two games are a great challenge and hopefully a great learning experience for us."
The Bulls had a few days off before facing Dayton. Hill-MacDonald is dedicated to ensuring her young team – which includes nine freshmen and sophomores – grows and learns from every game.
"We have to learn from every loss or there is no sense in playing," Hill-MacDonald said.
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
