UB women’s basketball (15-11, 6-9) defeated the Miami(OH) RedHawks (11-15, 4-11) 88-72 at Alumni Arena Wednesday. The Bulls previously defeated Miami 86-72 on Jan. 4.
On the heels of a six-game losing streak, the Bulls have now won two in a row. Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack doesn’t see the six games as losses, but as learning experiences.
“We didn’t lose those games, we learned from those games,” Legette-Jack said. “Every game taught us a lesson and helped us grow as a team.”
Freshman guard Dyaisha Fair led the way for UB with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. She entered the game as the sixth-highest scorer in the country and continues to have a successful first year.
The Bulls jumped out to a quick 18-0 lead and never relinquished the lead at any point in the game. They got off to a hot start and displayed their tight defense with four steals in the quarter. They led the RedHawks 20-8 after the first with Fair and senior guard Theresa Onwuka combining for 15 points after one.
The RedHawks cut the deficit to single digits in the second quarter, but two late baskets put the Bulls up 42-29 at the half. The Bulls dominated on the glass, out-rebounding Miami(OH) 20-13, including nine first-half offensive boards. The Bulls were hot from downtown in the first half, hitting 55% (5-9) of their 3-point attempts in the first half.
The Bulls extended their lead to 17 points in the third quarter before finishing it 67-51.
After the RedHawks scored the first 4 points of the fourth quarter, the Bulls stormed back and went on a 9-4 run to put them up by 17 points with six minutes left, essentially ending the game.
The Bulls went on to extend their lead to 22 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 16-point victory.
Onwuka poured in 22 points and added 11 rebounds in the big win.
RedHawks guard Lauren Dickerson added 24 points, but it wasn’t enough as Miami dropped its fourth-straight contest.
The RedHawks didn’t lead for a second of the game. Legette-Jack was proud of her team’s effort on defense.
“I’ve never seen anyone not score for that long,” Legette-Jack said. “It’s about us getting better and coming together as a team. We were aggressive and I was very proud of our team tonight.”
The Bulls will head to Athens, Ohio to take on Ohio University on Saturday afternoon.
Sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com.
Alex Lenneberg is an assistant sports editor for The Spectrum.
