BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State women's basketball team won a thrilling SUNYAC matchup, 77-76, over the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs, coming back from a 15-point deficit.

GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 77, SUNY Morrisville – 76
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 4-6 (1-2 SUNYAC), SUNY Morrisville: 4-6 (1-2 SUNYAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Maddy Stearns (Clarence, NY/Clarence) led all scorers with a career-high 31 points, going 10 for 21, and drilling six three pointers' from behind the arc. Ashley Tucker (Buffalo, NY/Kenmore West) contributed with 14-points herself, including the game-winning basket in the fourth quarter.
• Adiya Jones (Washington, DC/McKinley Technology) cleaned up the boards for the Bengals with eight rebounds, with Stearns and Chyann Kelly (Bailey, CO/Platte Canyon) all chimed in with six rebounds.
• The Bengals shot 49.2% from the floor, while also shooting 50% from the three-point arc.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the Bengals first game back from the winter break, the women's basketball team looked to gain some momentum into the second half of their season. Hosting a tough Mustang team in the Sports Arena, the first quarter proved this game would be a classic as both teams came out running. After the Bengals took a two-point lead, the Mustangs would go on 11-0 run and retake the lead towards the end of the first quarter. The Bengals were able to knock down some three-pointers late and only trail the Mustangs by five points at the end of the first quarter.
• In the second quarter, the Bengals came out the gates a little slower, with the Mustangs retaking a nine-point lead early in the quarter. However, a quick 8-0 run would bring the Bengals back within one-point before 6-0 run would see the Bengals retake the lead. As both teams looked to finish the quarter strong, a back-and-forth array of points would have these teams tied heading into halftime.
• In the third quarter, the Mustangs took complete control, bursting out to a 9-0 run and taking a seven-point lead on the Bengals. While the Bengals would try to chip into the Mustangs would keep control and go into the fourth quarter with a 11-point lead with the Bengals desperate for a comeback.
• The fourth quarter seemed a bit tense for the Bengals, as the Mustangs would take an early 15-point lead with under eight minutes of play left. But credit to the Bengals resiliency, they never tapped out…slowly chipping down the Mustangs lead and retaking a three-point lead with under three-minutes of play left. The final minute would be tense as both teams would trade the lead but Tucker's layup with under 0.6 seconds left of play would be enough to give the Bengals the one-point win in tonight's thriller!

FOR THE FOES

• Anyssia Ingersoll led the Mustangs with 23 points.  
• Kieonna Christmas led the Mustangs with 10 rebounds, while also contributing 12 points.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will get a couple days of rest before hosting the SUNY Potsdam Bears on Friday, January 10^th at 4:00 P.M.