Junior guard Dyaisha Fair’s assassin-like qualities helped the Bulls (17-8, 11-4 MAC) pick up a crucial 67-62 road victory over Ball State (14-9, 7-6 MAC) Tuesday night.
The Rochester native dropped 31 points and nine rebounds to finish just shy of a double-double in Muncie, IN. She also added two steals in the winning effort.
Freshman guard Georgia Woolley dropped 10 points, three steals and three rebounds, while redshirt fifth-year forward Summer Hemphill was on fire beneath the glass, producing a game-high 13 rebounds.
Buffalo came out of the gate hot, with a steal followed by a layup by Fair propeling UB to a 7-2 run at the 9:42 mark. Ball State reached the free-throw line for four consecutive baskets to cut the Bulls’ lead to 12-9 with 3:36 left in the first quarter. Layups from junior guard Dominique Camp and freshman forward Saniia Wilson gave UB a 16-12 lead at the end of the first.
The Bulls clutched a nine-point lead to start the second quarter, but the Cardinals quickly turned defense into offense to go on a 5-0 run to keep the game within reach. The dynamic duo of Fair and Woolley scored six-straight points to clutch a 37-29 advantage at the half.
Buffalo forced Ball State to take a timeout with 5:15 left in the third after the Bulls went on a 6-0 run to grab a 45-33 lead, which became a 51-45 advantage at the half after the Cardinals made a series of layups and free throws.
The Bulls went on a 6-2 run to begin the final quarter, which resulted in a 10-point lead thanks to a layup from senior forward Adebola Adeyeye. UB clutched its largest lead of the night, 60-47, at the 6:03 mark, which was quickly cut to a five-point lead as Ball State responded with a 10-2 run.
With less than a minute left in the game, the Cardinals hit a triple to trim the deficit to two, but a three-pointer from Fair gave UB a five-point lead with 29 seconds to go. After a Ball State layup made it a one-possession game with just eight seconds left, Fair headed to the charity stripe to hold down a five-point lead and finish it out.
The Bulls mustered 13 points from 18 Ball State turnovers and turned 13 offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points. Buffalo was electric in the paint, scoring 40 points.
UB will take on Miami (OH) at home on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Kayla Sterner is an assistant sports editor and can be reached at kayla.sterner@ubspectrum.com
Kayla Sterner is an assistant sports editor at The Spectrum. She is studying communications with the hopes of being a sideline reporter. In her spare time, she can be found in the gym, watching football or vibing to Mac Miller. Kayla is on Twitter @kaylasterner.
