Ohio (7-12 overall, 4-5 Mid-American Conference) fell at the hands of Buffalo (11-8 overall, 5-4 MAC) on Wednesday night. The game was close and hard-fought through the first half, but Buffalo was scorching hot in the third quarter and ran away with the win 81-63.
Ohio entered its in-conference clash with Buffalo on the longest win streak it has had since the 2021-22 season. The Bobcats were winners of three straight games, giving them new life in the MAC tournament race. The majority of Ohio’s wins had come at home, and if it could topple Buffalo, Ohio would be sitting comfortably in fourth place in the MAC, firmly in the race to make it to Cleveland for the MAC tournament.
The first quarter showed Ohio’s hunger and energy as the team came out of the gates firing. Ohio was out to an early 9-2 lead in the first quarter thanks in part to the play of senior guard Bengisu Alper.
Alper was phenomenal in the opening minutes of the quarter, earning 9 points on 4-4 shooting to go along with three rebounds and a devastating block on the defensive end. The Convo was loud and energetic, and the energy of the fans rubbed off on the team as well. It was key for Ohio to have that energy as that was exactly what it took to slow down Buffalo’s star guard Chellia Watson. Watson was quiet in the first, shooting only 1-5 from the floor, and Ohio took advantage, grabbing the lead at the end of the quarter.
All night, the Bulls played strong defense, which was very apparent in the second quarter. Buffalo was able to play physical defense without fouling, and on the other end, it got to the line with proficiency.
Ohio had to wait until around halfway through the second quarter to shoot its first free throws. Buffalo, meanwhile, was able to draw fouls with ease in the first half, going to the line six times and shooting 9-13 from the charity stripe. Buffalo entered the locker room at the half with a four-point lead thanks to its strong defense.
The third quarter was, simply put, a nightmare for Ohio. Early in the quarter, Peyton Guice buried a three that left Ohio within a point of tying the game, but after that shot, it was all downhill for the Bobcats.
The energy shift was apparent, and on both ends of the court, Ohio looked tired and beaten down by a tough Buffalo squad.
“We were feeling sorry for ourselves for missing shots, and then we weren't able to get stops and kind of compounded,” said Ohio head coach Bob Boldon. “The run they went on in the third quarter was a snowball effect.”
Buffalo shot 72% in the third quarter, with Watson herself scoring 15 points on perfect 6-6 shooting.
When asked about Ohio’s defensive struggles in the third quarter, Ohio Guard Monica Williams pointed to the team’s struggles to communicate.
“It’s just not great communication and us getting frustrated with each other,” said Williams.
Ohio also had a brutal third quarter on the offensive end, with Guice’s early three the only shot Ohio was able to make from the floor. Buffalo completely dominated the third frame of action and led 67-42 going into the fourth.
Ohio had some sparks of a comeback in the final 10 minutes, starting well with back-to-back threes from Kate Dennis and Bailey Tabeling. Buffalo remained in control the rest of the quarter, however, and closed out the dominant second half behind Watson and Alexis Davis’ combined 27 points in the second half alone. The road forward for Ohio doesn’t get any easier as they travel to face the MAC’s top team in Ball State.
