CLINTON, NY – Senior Hillary Kollar (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, but a second half comeback from Buffalo State (3-4) fell short as Hamilton (7-3) took the 69-67 win with two free throws in the final four seconds of play on Friday night at Scott Field House.
Kollar opened up scoring for the Bengals with a layup at 19:35 to give them a 2-0 lead, but a quick three pointer gave the Continentals the lead a minute later. The Bengals earned their largest advantage of the game, four points, off of a layup from Jordan Yastremski (Bath, NY/Bath-Haverling) and a three from Kollar with 14:47 to play in the half.
Hamilton got hot on offense as the first half went on, sinking five more three pointers and shooting 43.3% (13-30) from the floor. Despite tying the game up with 3:56 left in the half, the Bengals could not find the edge they needed offensively. The Continentals continued their strong shooting to the end of the half, taking a seven point, 39-32, lead into the locker room.
Just over five minutes into the second half, Hamilton took their largest lead of the game, 55-40. However, the Bengals broke out for a 9-0 run with 5:50 left to play to bring them back in the game. Yastremski's free throws started things off, while freshman Keyonte Edwards (Buffalo, NY/O'Hara) capped the run with a layup at 2:07 to give Buffalo State a 67-65 lead.
Two free throws from the Continentals tied things back up with 1:42 on the clock. A costly turnover by the Bengals in the final 13 seconds of the game allowed Hamilton to get a fast break layup and draw the foul. The Continentals regained the lead after hitting both free throws with four seconds to play. Buffalo State attempted to get the ball up the court for a last second shot, but ran out of time.
Buffalo State finished 29.5% (23-78) from the floor, 23.5% (4-17) from three point range and 54.8% (17-31) from the free throw line. Hamilton was 37.3% (22-59) from the floor, 36% (9-25) from long range and 72.7% (16-22) from the free throw line.
Both Kollar and junior Brittnee Perry (Buffalo, NY/Hutch Tech) tallied 14 points. Senior Olivia Luciani (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) recorded 13 points and three assists, while Edwards added eight points and two steals.
The Bengals return to action for another non-conference matchup on Saturday at 4 p.m. at home in Sports Arena.
