BUFFALO – The St. Bonaventure University women's basketball team fell to rival Buffalo, 74-46, Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena.
Nadechka Laccen led the Bonnies with 12 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes off the bench. Isabellah Middleton also finished in double figures with 10 points and a team-best seven rebounds.
The third quarter proved to be the difference Saturday in Buffalo as the hosts opened the half with 11 unanswered points, ballooning their lead to 45-28.
The Bonnies trailed by just a 34-28 margin at halftime, but the Bulls (7-0) outscored the Bonnies (2-5) 24-5 in the period, growing their lead to as much as 25.
Buffalo maintained its double-digit lead in the fourth, earning the victory.
It was a slow start on the offensive end for the Brown and White, shooting only 25 percent from the floor in the first period but only trailed 15-9 after the first quarter horn.
The Bonnies were able to pull within one in the second quarter, 19-18, on the back of a 9-2 spurt midway through the period.
Buffalo used a 7-2 run to take a seven-point advantage with 2:38 remaining in the first half.
The two sides traded baskets to end the half as the Bulls took a 34-28 edge into halftime.
Chellia Watson paced UB with 15 points.
GAME NOTES
- Caitlin Frost made the first start of her career Saturday. Frost made her season debut Wednesday vs. Loyola (MD). Frost was one of three freshmen in the starting five, joining Mackenzie Pettinelli and Zoe Shaw.
- The Bonnies struggled on the offensive end, finishing the contest shooting 30.2 percent (16-for-53) from the floor.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH JIM CROWLEY
"I thought in the first half we really executed the way we wanted to. We were moving the basketball, defending as a group and sticking to the game plan. We talked about the intensity they would come out with in the second half because they are a good team with two all-conference players and we allowed our shooting to dictate the rest of the game."
UP NEXT
The Bonnies return to the Reilly Center to host Cornell Thursday, Dec. 5. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. and will be aired live on YES Network as well as ESPN+.
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