With an opportunity to remain one game out of a tie for first place in the Mid-American Conference East division, the women's basketball team stumbled on Wednesday night against the Western Michigan Broncos.
With the 73-67 victory, the Broncos (10-14, 7-3 MAC) remained tied for first place in the West, while Buffalo (12-11, 5-5 MAC) fell two games out of a three-way tie for first place in the East.
"We were in need of getting out there and playing a game and having success and feeling good about winning," said Western Michigan coach Ron Stewart in a press conference. "The win is huge in terms of a home win, because we've not just dominated teams at home, especially recently and we have actually played better and more at ease on the road."
The Bulls and Broncos played a tightly contested first half, with the Bulls taking their largest lead of the game, 19-14, after senior guard Stephanie Bennett's three-pointer. The Broncos outscored Buffalo 19-11 the rest of the first half to stake themselves to a 33-30 first half lead.
The first half consisted of four ties and five lead changes. Buffalo shot 45 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, while Western Michigan shot just over 35 percent. However the Broncos were able to go into halftime with the lead due to free throw shooting. Buffalo made just three of their six attempts, while the Broncos were a perfect eight for eight. This trend would continue in the second half, foiling any chance Buffalo had at a comeback.
The Broncos extended their lead to 38-30 just three minutes into the second half and never looked back, pushing their lead to as many as 10 points.
Down 54-44 with 10:43 left in the game, Buffalo went on a short spurt to bring the score to 54-50. Western Michigan answered back, extending their lead to 61-50. The closest Buffalo got the rest of the game was within five.
Buffalo's free throw shooting was a major reason for the six-point loss. Buffalo only attempted ten free throws for the game, making seven of them, while Western Michigan made 16 of their 18 attempts. Both the Bulls and Broncos made 4-6 of their three-pointers in the second half, and both teams shot over 45 percent in the second twenty minutes.
Buffalo's forward tandem of senior Heather Turner and junior Jamie Schiebner led the Bulls, each scoring 20 points. Schiebner recorded a double-double by adding 10 rebounds, while Turner fell one rebound short with nine. Bennett was 3 of 5 from three-point-land scoring 11 points.
Western Michigan had balanced scoring with four players scoring at least 10 points. Leading the way was Tierra Delahoussaye who had 15 points, 6 rebounds, nine assists and six steals. Molly Dwyer and Sara Vest each scored 12 points, while Brenna Bankston added 10. Dwyer's 12 points off the bench were a big reason that the Broncos' reserves outscored Buffalo's bench 26-7.
The Bulls will next take the court on Saturday when they face Central Michigan at Alumni Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. and is part of a double-header; the men's basketball team face Miami (Ohio) at 7 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
