Recap: Miami women’s basketball falls to Buffalo for second time this season

The Miami University women’s basketball team (16-9, 8-6 in conference play) took the hardwood against the University of Buffalo Bulls in its second matchup of the season. The Red and White fell at Millett Hall by a score of 68-54.

The RedHawks entered the contest on a five-game winning streak, four of which came against Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponents. On the visiting side, the Bulls were the second-best team in the conference, with a 22-4 overall record and 11-3 in the conference.

The Bulls took an early lead in the first quarter, allowing the first bucket of the game but only three points after that. They scored 20 straight points to give themselves a 20-2 lead. The RedHawks sank a three-pointer, but the quarter finished with Miami down big, 20-5.

The first quarter score emulated the fourth quarter of the first matchup between these two teams. Miami held the lead going into the final 10 minutes, but a 20-5 run in the final 10 minutes allowed Buffalo to take the win.

Miami settled into a rhythm through the middle two quarters, outscoring the Bulls by narrow five- and one-point margins, but it was too little, too late. In the fourth quarter, Buffalo scored 17 points to the RedHawks’ 12, giving the Bulls their victory.

The game resulted from two different ends of the shooting spectrum. Buffalo made almost half its attempts from the field, finishing with a 47.7%conversion rate and a 53.8% hit rate from beyond the arc.

Conversely, the RedHawks shot an uncharacteristic 28.6%from the field, combined with a 19.4%three-point percentage.

“I thought we were really, really bad,” head coach Glenn Box said. “You’ve got to give credit to Buffalo. They came in and kicked our butts. I thought that was the worst we looked offensively in regard to execution, and the fact we couldn’t make a shot that just compounded everything. I thought we had more than enough stops throughout the game to get some traction, but we just never could.”

Miami’s defense held strong through the game, forcing 22 turnovers by the Bulls and grabbing 20 offensive rebounds. However, the misses were compiled, and the result directly represented the missed opportunities.

Three players – sophomore guard and Mercer University transfer Enjulina Gonzalez, graduate student guard Maya Chandler and sophomore forward Amber Tretter – scored double-digit points. Tretter grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds as well, good for her 16th career double-double.

The RedHawks take the court next on the road against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles on Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m.

@jjmid04