UB women’s basketball (13-9) lost to MAC rival Western Michigan (12-10) 74-62 at University Arena Wednesday.
The loss drops the Bulls to 4-7 in MAC play, further endangering their chances of making a postseason run.
The Bulls only shot 37% from the field, finishing 20-54 from close range. Senior guard Theresa Onwuka led the way with 17 points and sophomore forward Adebola Adeyeye had 13 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their poor team shooting.
Buffalo came out firing early, and started the game on a 5-2 run and then held WMU scoreless for almost three minutes with their stifling defense. The Bulls went into the first media break up 9-5, but the Broncos picked up the pace and finished the first quarter on an 11-2 run to go up by three.
Western Michigan continued its scoring barrage by starting the second on a 5-0 run. The Bulls responded with a 6-0 run of their own, as triples by junior forward Marissa Hamilton and Onwuka cut the WMU lead to 27-24. Their effort wasn’t enough, as the Broncos closed the half on a 9-0 run to go up 39-27 at the break.
In the third quarter, the Broncos ran away with the game. While the Bulls tried to claw their way back into the contest, the game was already out of reach — UB trailed by as many as 21 points.
Redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Walker led the way for the Broncos with 18 points on 6-19 shooting from the field. She was complimented by junior forward Reilly Jacobson, who finished with 15 points and 4 rebounds.
The Bulls struggled mightily with turnovers. UB ceded the ball 15 times, leading to 19 points for the Broncos.
Felisha Legette-Jack’s team has to clean up its act if it wants any chance of making a tournament run.
The Bulls will return home Saturday to face Ball State (16-7) at 2 p.m. in Alumni Arena.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com.
