Ball State University
11-8,9-6MAC
University at Buffalo
11-7,8-5MAC
Full Team Effort Earns WBB Road Win At Buffalo
February 17, 2021 | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Cardinals used a complete team effort as Ball State got 32 points from its bench tonight in a win at Buffalo. BSU had nine different players score in its first of two contests against Buffalo this week. The second game will be played at Worthen Arena on Saturday.
Ball State (11-8, 9-6 MAC) took the lead at the end of the opening quarter and never looked back, eventually taking home a 76-63 mid-week Mid-American Conference road win against Buffalo (11-7, 8-5 MAC) in Alumni Arena.
After the opening tip, the two teams collided a bit which was to be expected. That's how it is almost every time Ball State faces the Bulls historically. But this time around, the Cardinals began to thrive early on in the ball game, closing out the first quarter with a slight 14-12 edge after a last-second jump shot from junior forward Blake Smith.
The Cardinals then used a 19-9 scoring spree in the second stanza to take a 33-21 advantage over the Bulls at intermission. It wasn't just BSU's offense that was causing the Bulls problems, it was also the Cardinals' defense holding Buffalo to only five field goals in the second stanza.
Junior forward Thelma Dis Agustsdottir connected on a jumper in the paint at the start of the third frame, sparking a 7-5 run after getting some help from sophomore guard Sydney Freeman and senior forward Oshlynn Brown. It gave BSU a nice 14-point (40-26) cushion over Buffalo at the eight-minute mark.
But Ball State found out quickly it wasn't going to be a cake walk, as Buffalo clawed its way back into the contest to come to within three (42-39) in the third quarter and then again late in the fourth (64-61).
The Cardinals responded each time with some clutch baskets from Freeman, freshman guard Ivet Subirats and Smith, eventually allowing BSU to come out on top over the Bulls.
For the game, Brown led BSU both offensively and defensively with 15 points and 13 rebounds for her 44th career double-double. Smith chipped in a career-best 12 points, while Freeman also ended the night with 12. Rounding out the double-digit scoring was Subirats who tied her personal-high with 10.
The Ball State women's basketball team will be back in action Saturday against Buffalo at Worthen Arena with an opening tip scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State women's basketball team, please follow @BallStateSports, @BSUCoachBrady and @BallStateWBB on Instagram or Twitter.
