Buffalo Bulls Women’s Basketball stifles Bowling Green with defense to win 61-45, Smith pulls in 24

In a win or stay home situation, Buffalo Bulls Women’s Basketball stifled the Bowling Green Falcons with 40 full minutes of defense. Winning 61-45, the Bulls are now on their way to Cleveland thanks to strong performances all around from UB’s power-trio of scorers.

Smith, Reid, and Oursler quickly got the ball rolling at the start of the game. Pulling out to an 8-3 advantage in very little time, it looked like Buffalo’s offense was a force to be reckoned with. But, Bowling Green soon took the last five minutes of the quarter to claw back to within one at 12-11.

Cassie Oursler and Stephanie Reid erupted in the second quarter and brought in a ton of points to stretch the Bulls’ advantage. Heading into the half at 27-19, Bowling Green’s leading scorer Carly Santoro was held to just 3 points.

The third quarter was all JoAnna Smith as three three-pointers and a layup to stretch out UB’s lead even further. Able to coast the rest of the way, the Bulls still didn’t let up to end the game as Smith and Oursler continued to pour on the heat.

Smith lead all scorers with a big 24 point 8 rebound performance. Cassie Oursler built on her impressive performance at Kent State and brought in 16 points. Stephanie Reid rounded out the double digit scorers with 12 points and 9 assists on the night.

With the win, the Bulls move on to the MAC Quarterfinals and make their way out to Cleveland. They’ll face #2 Ball State on Wednesday and the game will air on ESPN3.