Despite a stellar night from fifth-year guard Jazmine Young, who exceeded 1,000 career points and matched her UB career-high with 20 points for the night, the Bulls’ losing skid continues.
Women’s basketball (9-11, 4-7 MAC) fell to Toledo (18-4, 9-2 MAC) Wednesday, 91-73, at John F. Savage Arena. The Rockets extended their winning streak to six games, while the Bulls lost for the sixth time in the last seven games. As a result, UB dropped to ninth in the conference. At 4-7, their MAC record is currently tied with Eastern Michigan (12-10, 4-7 MAC), Northern Illinois (12-10, 4-7 MAC) and Miami (OH) (9-15, 4-7 MAC). Only the top eight seeds qualify for the Mid-American Conference Tournament in March.
The game followed a script that should be familiar to UB. Toledo outrebounded the Bulls 43-29 and had a 16-5 advantage in second-chance points. The rebounding discrepancy was even worse in UB’s last loss to Northern Illinois (12-10, 4-7 MAC) at Alumni Arena on Feb. 4, when the Huskies grabbed 26 more boards than the Bulls.
Interior size has been a problem all year for the Bulls. Following the team’s home loss to NIU last weekend, head coach Becky Burke told The Spectrum that the Bulls have a “lack of a true post player” and said she wasn’t surprised that opponents take advantage of UB down low.
Toledo also scored 12 points off seven UB turnovers.
By halftime, Toledo was up 41-33. That 18-point deficit carried through the second half, as the Bulls were unable to mount a comeback.
Young led UB with 39 minutes played in the 40-minute game. She made 6-16 field goals, and went 6-8 from the charity stripe. Young surpassed the 1,000-point mark in the fourth quarter thanks to a tough and-one bucket. In her third season with the Bulls, Young’s scoring average catapulted from 6.1 in 2021-22 to 14.2 points per game.
Along with Young, graduate guard Re’Shawna Stone continued her dominant season with 18 points on 7-19 shooting. Stone, the 2022 D-II player of the year, has played at least 38 minutes in each of her last five games. She’s scored at least 15 points in five of the Bulls’ last six games and leads UB with 15.2 points per game this season.
Even with all their offensive firepower, the Bulls are struggling to stay afloat in MAC postseason contention. With seven conference games remaining in 2023, the team is currently one spot shy of qualifying for the MAC Tournament.
The Bulls’ next game is Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m. at Central Michigan (4-18, 2-9 MAC). The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Ryan Tantalo is the senior sports editor and can be reached at ryan.tantalo@ubspectrum.com
Ryan Tantalo is the managing editor of The Spectrum. He previously served as senior sports editor. Outside of the newsroom, Ryan spends his time announcing college hockey games, golfing, skiing and reading.
