Buffalo Bulls vs UMass Minutemen Women's Basketball recap: Bulls grind out win to start 3-0

Searching for the first 3-0 start in 15 years, UB and their lockdown defense traveled to Amherst, Massachusetts Saturday for their toughest contest yet against the Minutewomen, who feature an aggressive pace and high-flying offense. UB won out in an at-times frenetic game, claiming the road match 56-48.

Joanna Smith led the Bulls attack, scoring six fast points and finishing with 21 after hitting halftime at 14, but dealt with some foul trouble in the second half. UB continues to take an exorbitant number of threes, but hit at a better rate today and was somewhat hindered inside after freshman center Mirte Scheper went down with an injury early in the second quarter. Scheper would return, but the success from the arc continued, as Buffalo hit 33% from distance, though three-point attempts accounted for more than half their attempts.

In addition to Smith, Stephanie Reid contributed her normal smattering of stats, scoring 10 and tallying 6 assists, though she also turned the ball over 5 times. Mariah Suchan played well for the second straight game, especially considering Scheper's temporary absence, scoring 8, pulling down 5 rebounds, and tallying 4 steals. UB didn't play as cleanly as they have in their earlier games, committed 20 turnovers while pulling down just six offensive rebounds, but held UMass to 35% shooting and nearly zero production from distance.

The women return home this coming week for a Thanksgiving Eve afternoon matchup against Cornell at 2:00 PM in Alumni Arena.