The women's basketball team welcomed Eastern Michigan to Alumni Arena Wednesday night. Eagles guard Tavelyn James quickly outstayed her welcome.
What started off as a close contest turned into a one-sided event, with the Eagles (13-7, 5-2 MAC) coming out on top. The Bulls (6-15, 1-6 Mid-American Conference) lost the lead midway through the first half and never got it back as the Eagles pulled away against a struggling Bulls unit, taking the contest 72-54.
The Eagles' offense, led by James' 34 points, was shooting well throughout the game at 40 percent. It capitalized on the Bulls' 29 turnovers, and was also able to grab 19 offensive rebounds, scoring 20 second-chance points.
James was a nightmare for the Bulls' defense, scoring four 3-pointers in the last four minutes of the first half to really open up the game for the Eagles.
"Tavelyn James got let loose and she scored about basically half [Eastern Michigan's] points," head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald said. "[James] leaks out, once the shot goes up she takes off. At times we were forgetting our deep drop on defense."
While Eastern Michigan's best player was on fire, the MAC's points per game leader – senior guard Brittany Hedderson – was bottled up against a strong defensive outing by the opposing Eagles. Not only was Eastern Michigan forcing Hedderson to take tough shots, but she also was playing through injury. She ended the night with only nine points.
"Britt was not 100 percent tonight," Hill-MacDonald said. "She had a strained muscle in her neck."
Throughout the game it was visibly bothering her, as she was never able to get into a rhythm.
However, the Bulls saw a tremendous effort out of their freshman forward Christa Baccas. Baccas consistently got open in the paint, ending with a career-high 18 points.
"She's cagey," Hill-MacDonald said. "She sneaks in behind defenders, she's got great hands, and she had a tremendous game, a smart game."
Baccas led the Bulls in points and blocks with three, while adding six rebounds.
Despite Baccas' best efforts, James outshined her. The Bulls were unable to guard the Eagles' star player. Buffalo often saddled sophomore guard Margeaux Gupilan and junior guard Nicki Hopkins with the tall task of covering James, but neither proved up to the challenge. The Bulls have some young talent and will be looking to finish the season strong and healthy as they prepare to host Toledo (12-7, 5-2 MAC) this Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
Hill-MacDonald says her team will be preparing for some big girls, noting that Toledo has a lot of size.
The game will be the annual "Play for Kay" event. The team will be wearing their pink uniforms in an attempt to raise breast cancer awareness.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
