Bulls Hang On For 55-52 Win

Wednesday, February 24

Buffalo, N.Y.

7:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

9-15 (5-10MAC)

Buffalo

14-12 (6-9MAC)

Bowling Green

Buffalo

Photo by: Christine Nelson, BGSU Marketing & Communications

February 24, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Tibbs paces three BG double-digit scorers with 18

By: BUFFALO, N.Y. (BGSU Athletic Communications)

Joanna Smith's jumper with just over a minute to go broke a tie game, and the host University at Buffalo held on for a 55-52 win over the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team Wednesday night (Feb. 24). The Mid-American Conference contest was held at UB's Alumni Arena.

Senior Lauren Tibbs scored a game-high 18 points to pace three players in double digits for the Falcons (9-15, 5-10 MAC), while sophomore Rachel Myers had 11 points and senior Miriam Justinger 10.

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For the Bulls (14-12, 6-9 MAC), Stephanie Reid had 14 points, while Smith added 10.

The Falcons shot 43 percent from the field for the game, while holding Buffalo to just a 33.3% success rate. The Bulls, however, took 63 shots to the Falcons' 42 on the night. UB had a 43-27 rebounding advantage, and the hosts pulled down 17 offensive boards in the win. Buffalo had 19 second-chance points to BG's two.

The game featured 12 ties and 13 lead changes. Neither team led by more than four points over the last 35-plus minutes of the contest.

The Falcons got off to a quick start on Wednesday night, taking an early 10-2 lead. Tibbs took a Myers pass and knocked down a three-point field-goal attempt from the left wing to open the scoring. For the BG center, it was her sixth consecutive successful trey over the last three games.

Then, freshman Sydney Lambert lobbed a pass inside to Tibbs for a quick layup, and the Brown and Orange led by five. Reid scored to get the hosts on the board, but Justinger drove the baseline and whipped a cross-court overhead pass to Myers for a triple and an 8-2 lead. When Tibbs grabbed her own miss and put a shot back up and in, the Falcons' lead was a game-high eight points.

Back came the Bulls, however, as the hosts slowly but surely went on an 8-0 run. When Reid knocked down a three-pointer, the game was tied at 10-all. Justinger scored on a driving banker, but UB scored the last four points of the period, with Smith's pull-up jumper giving the hosts the lead for the first time. UB took that 14-12 advantage into the first-quarter break.

The Falcons opened the second-period scoring, as junior Abby Siefker took an inbounds pass from classmate Rachel Konieczki and knocked down a foul-line jumper. UB retook the lead, but Justinger found Tibbs for a quick right-side jumper and a 16-16 deadlock. Katherine Ups scored for the home side, but Tibbs hit a free throw, then made a layup after a nifty touch pass from Lambert. When BG forced a miss and Justinger fired a pass ahead to Myers for a corner three in transition, the Falcons' lead was 22-18 midway through the period.

The Bulls answered with four points of their own, including a three-pointer by Gabi Bade that tied the score once again. Lambert poked the ball away from Reid, was fouled and knocked down both charity tosses for a 24-22 lead, but another Bade triple was followed by a Smith jumper. But, Justinger came right back downcourt and hit a trey, tying the contest at 27-all.

After a Buffalo turnover, Justinger was fouled and made a pair of free throws with 54.0 seconds left. UB's Cassie Oursler split two shots from the stripe, and BG's lead was 29-28 at the half.

The third quarter saw UB open the scoring, but Justinger saved a ball from going out of bounds, dishing it to Tibbs while she was in the air, and Tibbs converted a layup for a one-point lead. Reid countered with a quick layup, but sophomore Haley Puk found Myers in the corner, and the resulting three-point try found nothing but net as the Falcons took a 34-32 lead.

After another Reid layup, Puk threw the ball inside to Tibbs for a quick turnaround layup, and a Tibbs defensive rebound led to a sequence of nifty passing for the Brown and Orange. The play resembled a layup-line drill the team runs in practice, as Justinger crossed midcourt and fired a pass to Lambert on her left. Lambert headed toward the hoop and laid the ball off to Myers, who was charging in from the right side. Myers' layup made it a 38-34 game with 4:53 left in the period.

But, the Falcons would not score again in the period. The Bulls got just six points during that time -- all from Oursler -- but it was enough to take a two-point lead after 30 minutes of play.

Mariah Suchan's jumper opened the fourth-period scoring with a jumper from the left side, giving UB a four-point lead. Puk aplit a pair of free throws to stop the Bulls' 8-0 run, and a screen by Tibbs freed Justinger for a layup with 8:17 to go. When Lambert corralled a defensive rebound, dribbled downcourt, pulled up and drilled a three-point try, the Falcons had a 44-42 lead.

Reid's layup at the 6:40 mark gave the Bulls a 46-45 lead, but Puk stepped out top, took a Justinger pass and connected on a long-distance attempt, putting the Brown and Orange ahead by two with 5:26 left. But, Oursler hit a long two-pointer as the shot-clock buzzer sounded, making it a 48-48 game.

Tibbs scored inside on BG's next possession and the senior then rebounded a miss by Oursler. A Tibbs layup was no good at the other end, but after grabbing the rebound, UB's Brittany Morrison lost control as she headed upcourt, and the ball went out of bounds to the Falcons.

UB forced a miss, however, and Ups scored on a long two-pointer to tie the score. BG turned the ball over, but Oursler was called for an offensive foul as teammate Karin Moss headed in for a layup, giving the ball back to BG with 2:56 to go.

Lambert was fouled and knocked down a pair of shots at the 2:27 mark, but Reid made a layup with 1:56 remaining. Justinger was called for an offensive foul, and a Smith runner in the paint with 1:08 remaining gave UB a 54-52 advantage.

After a UB timeout, the Falcons went long on the ensuing inbounds pass, with the throw finding Puk. The sophomore's shot attempt in traffic did not drop, but she was able to grab the rebound (also in traffic), and BGSU used a timeout with exactly a minute to go.

But, as Tibbs went to the ground on a layup attempt, she was called for a travel with 54.8 seconds on the clock. Puk, however, jumped a passing lane to grab the ball with 33.6 seconds to go. A UB player also grabbed the ball, but a jump ball was called, and the arrow pointed toward BG.

On the ensuing possession, though, a UB defender poked the ball away from Lambert, and she was ruled to have kicked the ball as she made a diving effort to corral the loose ball near midcourt. The ball went back over to UB with 6.8 seconds on the clock.

UB nearly threw the resulting inbounds pass away, but a Buffalo player was able to grab the ball and call a timeout with 5.3 seconds to go. After another inbounds pass, a foul -- BG's fourth foul of the period -- stopped the clock with 4.7 seconds left. Another inbounds pass and another BG foul later, Reid headed to the line with 4.0 seconds remaining.

Reid missed her first free-throw try, but made the second, giving the hosts a three-point lead. BGSU used a timeout, and the Falcons then inbounded the ball from just over midcourt. The ball wound up in the hands of Tibbs, who handed it off to Puk with the clock winding down. Puk attempted a three-pointer from the right wing, but the shot was blocked as time ran out.

BGSU went 7-for-17 from three-point land, with Myers going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The Bulls were just 3-for-19 from long distance on the night.

In addition to her 10 points, Justinger had five rebounds and five assists. Lambert scored seven points and added four assists and two steals.

Justinger is now just 12 points shy of reaching the 1,000-point mark for her career.

The Falcons return home to prepare for Saturday's (Feb. 27) contest vs. Miami University. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center, with 'Senior Day' festivities scheduled for approximately 1:45 p.m. as the team's two seniors -- Justinger and Tibbs -- will be recognized prior to the game.