by LEWISBURG, PA – The University at Buffalo women’s basketball team scored 43 points in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome a slow start as the Bulls fell to Bucknell 80-69 on Monday evening at Sojka Pavilion. The Bulls finish non-conference play with a 6-4 overall record.
Freshman guard Georgia Woolley recorded the first double-double of her career, leading all scorers with 22 points to go with 11 rebounds. Junior guard Dyaisha Fair scored 20 points and Summer Hemphill (Seneca Nation) notched her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds while tying a career-high with four blocks.
The Bison opened the game on a 15-4 run before Jazmine Young hit a corner three to cut the lead to 15-7 at the first media timeout. The UB offense continued to struggle as they shot just 5-of-19 from the floor in the opening quarter and Bucknell took advantage as they had 11 assists on 11 made field goals to take a 29-13 lead at the end of the first.
Bucknell extended their lead to 23 early in the second quarter before the Bulls used a 10-2 run, capped by a Woolley spot up triple, to cut the lead to 38-23 at the 4:32 mark. Both offenses stalled a bit coming out of the media timeout before Fair hit a triple from the top of the key to cut the lead to 41-26 but the Bison answered with a basket on the other end to take a 43-26 lead at the half.
Fair opened the third quarter with back-to-back threes to spark an 8-2 run and cut the lead to 10. The teams then traded baskets before a transition jumper from Cheyenne McEvans cut the Bison lead to 54-45 at the 3:53 mark. Woolley provided a huge spark for the Bulls in the final two minutes as she scored nine straight points, including triple at the buzzer, to cut the Bucknell lead to 61-55 at the end of the third.
Woolley continued to heat up as she knocked down a mid-range jumper to trim the lead to five early in the fourth quarter, but Bucknell responded with a 6-0 run to take a 67-57 lead and force a UB timeout at the 6:51 mark. The teams went back-and-forth before Woolley knocked down her fourth three of the game to cut the lead to 74-67 at the 1:38 mark. Later, Camp found Hemphill in mid-air for a quick bucket off an inbounds play to cut the Bucknell lead to 79-69 with 36.5 seconds to go but that would be as close as they would get.
The Bulls edged the Bison on the glass, 41-39, including 19 offensive boards which the Bulls turned into 14 second chance points. Buffalo also scored 11 points off 12 Bucknell turnovers.
