A 10-2 run by Northern Illinois (13-12, 6-7 MAC) put UB (14-10, 7-6 MAC) in a 13-point hole halfway through the second quarter, and the Bulls trailed 29-16.
Sophomore guard Hattie Ogden hit a three-pointer for the Bulls moments later to cut the lead to 10 points, the team’s first three-pointer of the game. UB shot 4-for-23 (17.4%) on three-point attempts for the game. Their rough shooting splits saw the team slump to their second straight loss after a four-game win streak.
The Bulls lost 57-66 against Northern Illinois at Alumni Arena on Wednesday, dropping UB into a tie for the fourth playoff spot in the Mid-American conference (MAC) standings. They share the spot with Bowling Green (13-11, 7-6 MAC) but are ahead of them based on overall record.
Redshirt senior Chellia Watson, fifth in the country in scoring with 23.3 points per game, led the team on an off-shooting night with 16 points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams contributed 14 points, and UB’s other freshman guard, Alexis Davis, chipped in 11.
The Bulls were able to keep pace with the Huskies to start the game, but it quickly got away from them. UB started the game with a 4-0 lead, but Northern Illinois went on a 12-2 run for the game’s only lead change. They went into the half trailing 25-33, but didn’t get much closer from there.
UB made things interesting in the third quarter, coming within 43-45 on another Ogden three-pointer. They stuck with Northern Illinois to start the fourth, but the Bulls went scoreless for over five minutes down the stretch. Watson broke the slump on a layup, but by then, the game had practically wrapped up.
The Bulls will next face the Ohio Bobcats (8-16, 5-8 MAC) at home on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Henry Daley is an assistant sports editor and can be reached at henry.daley@ubspectrum.com
Henry Daley is an assistant sports editor at The Spectrum. His work has featured on other platforms such as Medium and Last Word on Sports. Outside of the newspaper, he enjoys running and watching sports (when he’s not writing about them).
Photo: UB Center for the Arts
