by BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women’s basketball team (4-0) remained perfect on the season with a 77-57 wire-to-wire victory over Cedarville University on Monday night at Alumni Arena.
Three Bulls scored in double figures led by Lani Cornfield who recorded a new career-high with 20 points to go along with six assists, while Chellia Watson also stuffed the stat sheet with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Senior forward Ariana Seawell scored in double-digits for the first time in her UB career with 10 points.
Sophomore Alexis Davis gave the Bulls a spark to start the game as she got a jumper in the paint to drop plus the foul and then bullied her way inside for a layup off glass. Later, Watson converted an and-one bucket and then found Seawell inside for a layup to give the Bulls a 15-7 lead at the first media timeout. UB got careless with the ball out of the media and the Yellow Jackets capitalized, closing the quarter on a 5-0 run to pull within seven at the end of the first.
Watson knocked down a triple early in the second quarter and then the Bulls got out in transition as Paula Lopez hit Terah Harness for a fastbreak and-one bucket before Watson found Davis with a beautiful high-low pass and the sophomore converted the layup off glass plus the foul to give Buffalo a 34-18 lead at the media timeout. Buffalo continued to clamp down on defense as they held Cedarville scoreless for almost six minutes and the offense capitalized as Lopez hit Seawell for a layup on the block, Watson got a jumper in the paint to drop and then came up with a steal and found Lopez for a fastbreak layup as the Bulls took a 42-18 lead at the half.
Watson connected on a jumper to start the third quarter before Cornfield used a hesitation dribble and blew by her defender for a layup. Cornfield continued to attack as she hit Lewis-Williams for a pair of baseline layups and UB led 54-26 at the media timeout. Cornfield stayed aggressive as she weaved through the defense and finished a layup off glass and then Harness came up with a steal and hit Lewis-Williams for a transition layup and the Bulls would lead 60-37 at the end of the third.
Buffalo used beautiful execution on their first possession of the fourth quarter with Cornfield hitting Seawell for a layup in the paint. That connection worked again a couple minutes later before Cornfield spotted up for a mid-range jumper just outside the paint as the Bulls led 70-46 at the final media timeout. Cornfield got to her new career-high in style as she took the pass from Mallory Daly and got to the rim for a bucket plus the foul to hit the 20-point mark and put UB up by 27 and that would be more than enough to secure the victory.
The Bulls dominated inside, scoring 60 points in the paint, while also forcing 22 turnovers which they turned into 22 points at the other end. Buffalo also excelled in the transition game, recording 14 fastbreak points, while shooting an efficient 57% from the floor on the night.
