The UB Bulls women's basketball team took on the Akron Zips Wednesday night (2-27-08) in a MAC eastern divisional game. The Bulls were victorious by a score of 68-54 and the contest proved to be the kind of decisive victory that the team needs heading into their final two regular season games.
Sophomore point guard Ashley Zuber helped the Bulls dictate the tempo early by playing outstanding defense in a half court man to man and utilizing her speed and ball handling abilities to get the Bulls out into their transition offense.
However, the star of the first half was freshman forward Jessica Fortman, who accounted for 12 of the Bulls 25 points at halftime, she finished with 14. Buffalo coach, Linda Hill-Macdonald, would compliment Fortman later saying "She (Fortman) outworked Akron on the offensive glass."
The second half continued to work in favor of the Bulls as co-captain Stephanie Bennett was finally able to shake loose and score 11 second half points (she finished with 15 total points). Akron 's coach, Jodi Kest, told reporters after the game "I said it all week, don't leave 23 (Bennett) open in transition." However, a little room was all Bennett needed as she knocked down three 3-pointers in the second half, including one from what seemed to be NBA range.
Akron 's coach Kest expressed dismay at her team's second half offensive effort as well, saying "You're not going to win many games shooting around 20 percent." Buffalo , on the other hand, was able to shoot 54.8 percent in the second half, due largely to the fact that the majority of their points, 40, were scored in the opponents paint.
Buffalo 's Hill-Macdonald attributed the team's success to the player's high intensity and improved communication on defense. Hill-Macdonald discussed that she, and the rest of the staff, were "most pleased" with the Bull's "defensive effort for forty minutes." " It is all about defense, and our players are finally getting it."
The Bulls travel to Bowling Green on March 1 st and are home to face Kent State on March 5 th before they move on to the MAC post-season tournament.