Women’s basketball (9-15, 4-11 MAC) dropped another close game at Eastern Michigan (14-12, 6-9 MAC) Thursday. The Bulls mounted a fourth-quarter comeback, but the late splurge was not enough and UB fell to the Eagles 61-57.
UB is now on a six-game losing streak, with the team’s past four games all being decided by a margin of five points or less.
After the Eagles started the game on a 9-2 run, the Bulls slowly clawed back and were within three points at the end of the frame. The second quarter was back-and-forth, but the Eagles pulled away in the last few minutes. EMU closed the quarter on an 8-0 run and extended their lead to 31-24 at the half.
Fifth-year guard Re’Shawna Stone once again proved to be a vital part of the UB offense, as she kept the Bulls in the game with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Fellow fifth-year guard Jazmine Young also tallied on 12 points and five assists.
Despite contributions from Stone, Young and fifth-year guard Zakiyah Winfield, the Eagles led the Bulls 50-39 going into the fourth.
After trailing most of the game, the Bulls found their rhythm, outscoring EMU 18-11 in the fourth quarter. But it wasn’t enough.
Freshman guard/forward Hattie Ogden found her stroke late in the game, hitting four big three-pointers to keep UB in the game. She finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.
Ogden’s fourth 3-pointer of the quarter brought the Bulls within three points of the Eagles. With less than two minutes to play, UB could not pull off the comeback, falling just short, again.
UB relied heavily on 3-point shooting, as 39 of their 57 points came from behind the arc. It was the opposite for the Eagles, who scored 46 points in the paint, spotlighting UB’s lack of size and need for a true post player.
EMU was led by sophomore center Tayra Eke, who put up 17 points and six rebounds. She was joined by senior center Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu, who scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
The Bulls now sit at 10th in the conference standings, while Eastern Michigan made their way up to sixth. Two games behind eighth-place Miami (OH) with three games left to play, UB is on the outside looking in for a shot to make the MAC Tournament.
UB travels to Bowling Green (24-3, 13-2 MAC), who currently sit at the top of the table, for the final road game of the regular season on Saturday. Tip-off from the Stroh Center is set for 1 p.m. The game can also be watched on ESPN3.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
