Undefeated, no more. Buffalo Bulls Women’s Basketball takes first loss as they fall to Harvard 74-62.

Another big win went in the books for UB Women’s Basketball yesterday when they took down Fordham, but today the undefeated streak ends. In a game against Harvard that saw the Bulls struggle on defense, the Bulls fell short 74-62.

UB’s first half endeavors weren’t the best as Harvard went lights out and shot the ball extremely well. The Bulls defense had a rough time getting stops and turning them into points while Harvard’s Benzan and Rooks had 9 and 7 points respectively on solid shooting to lead the Crimson.

The Bulls stayed right around even with Harvard for much of the half despite shooting at a poor 31% and a meager 12.5% from beyond the arc. What kept them in this game was the usual rebounding advantage that the Bulls hold over their opponents. At the end of the half, UB controlled that statistical category 22-16.

Still, the start put the Bulls in a hole once the first 20 minutes were ending as Harvard gained momentum. The Crimson went on an unanswered 10-0 run to end the half putting UB in a 35-27 deficit. The 8 point lead was the largest deficit Buffalo had at the half this season.

The second half opened up with a jumper from Reid and a three-pointer from JoAnna Smith to make it a game again at 35-32, but the Bulls continued to have a tough time from there. Harvard went on a 9-3 run from there and it was clear the Bulls’ full court press wasn’t working.

Halfway into the third quarter, Harvard was shooting 54% from not only the field, but from beyond the arc as well. The Crimson had been holding a solid 10 or so point lead up to this point before Gabi Bade caught fire.

Bade quickly unloaded 4 threes in 5 tries, destroying Harvard’s lead with less than three minutes in the game. But, like most of the day, the Bulls didn’t have anyone else that could shoot at the time and Harvard quickly adjusted to match Bade.

Despite being at a slim 63-60 deficit late, the Bulls would give this one up 74-62. UB’s record will now feature its first loss at 10-1. While also shooting poorly at 35%, the Bulls also gave up a lackluster 20 turnovers in the game.

Leading the Bulls was a quiet 15 points and 9 rebounds from Cassie Oursler. Bade’s strong showing late netted her 13 points. Despite not shooting the ball that well, Stephanie Reid still had 8 points and 10 assists to her name.

The Bulls are back in action tomorrow to open up Mid-American Conference play. They’ll make a quick journey back to Buffalo for a 6:00PM tip-off against the Miami RedHawks. Coverage will be broadcasted on ESPN3.