Hayward matched her career-high with 16 points for the Skyhawks tonight (PHOTO BY Chris Kohley) |
Watson and Ogden combine for 31 points to lead Bulls
BUFFALO, N.Y. (November 17, 2023) – University of Buffalo posted a 60-39 victory over Stonehill College in a non-conference women's basketball defensive battle at Alumni Arena tonight.
Senior guard Chellia Watson and sophomore Hattie Ogden combined to score 31 of Buffalo's 60 points on the night. Watson scored a game-high 19 points on 9-of-21 shooting, with seven rebounds and four assists, while Ogden tallied 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 2-for-4 from three, five rebounds and two steals. Freshman Alexis Davis pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds, while adding nine points and two steals off the Bulls bench.
Junior Sharn Hayward provided nearly half of Stonehill's scoring on the night with a career-high matching 16 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including 3-for-8 from three, two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Classmate Maureen Stapleton grabbed a season-high ten rebounds with seven points for the Skyhawks.
Hayward opened the scoring with three-pointer and Stonehill held an early 5-4 lead after a jumper from postgrad Anna Boruta three and a half minutes into the game. The Skyhawks would make just one of their next 18 shots as Buffalo wound a 12-2 run over the next eight minutes to grab a nine-point cushion (16-7) after a three-point play from freshman Kirsten Lewis-Williams halfway thought the second quarter.
Stapleton grabbed a season-high ten rebounds to go with seven points (PHOTO BY Chris Kohley) |
Buffalo carried a ten-point cushion (23-13) into halftime and then neither team could get on track to start the second half before Hayward ended the combined drought with a layup three and a half minutes into the third to pull Stonehill within eight (23-15). The Bulls broke their drought and followed by outscoring the Skyhawks 7-1 over the next two minutes to open a 14-point lead (30-16) after a fastbreak layup from Watson with 4:39 remaining in the third.
Stonehill was still within 13 (35-22) heading to the fourth after Stapleton capped the third with a three-pointer. Buffalo scored the first six points of the final frame to open a 19-point advantage and the Skyhawks would not get any closer than a 15-point margin the rest of the way before the Bulls pulled away down the stretch.
Noteworthy
- Hayward scored in double-figures for the second time in her career, matching her career-best set at Daemen College on December 30, 2021.
- Stapleton snared double-digit rebounds for the first time this season and fourth time in her career, overall.
- Tonight marked the second meeting between the two programs in as many seasons as Stonehill hosted the Bulls for its first NCAA Division I home game in program history last November.
- Stonehill has lost its first five games for the fist time since an 0-6 start to the 1999-2000 season.
Up Next
Stonehill (0-5, 0-0 NEC) is back on the court on Sunday when it wraps up its Western New York weekend at Niagara University at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks return home following the Thanksgiving holiday to open a three-game homestand by hosting Utah Tech at Merkert Gym on Saturday, November 25, at 2 p.m. Buffalo (3-1, 0-0 MAC) hosts St. Bonaventure University on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
