For the second straight season, the Buffalo Bulls (25-6, 13-5 MAC) eliminate BGSU women’s basketball (18-13, 11-7 MAC) in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament.
With 10 seconds left to go in regulation, Buffalo’s Chellia Watson drove to the basket to put up a layup that gave the Bulls the lead and eventually the victory.
The Falcons outscored the Bulls in the first, second, and third quarters and had a 12-point lead heading into the fourth.
What changed in the fourth quarter? Watson took over.
“Watson got loose on us, hit those couple threes,” said head coach Fred Chmiel postgame. “A player like Watson, I know [Lexi Fleming] was guarding her, but it takes five [players]. As a team, our awareness had to be higher with her, especially at that point in the game.”
Watson finished with a game-high 27 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter.
“She’s a great player,” Fleming said. “She is a fast, three-level scorer, so you don’t know whether she’s going to pull up for 3, pull up, or take it all the way.”
The game was physical from start to finish, and Buffalo’s physicality was on display, as they affected Bowling Green’s offensive output, especially in the game’s most crucial moments.
“I think [Buffalo] is really physical. They can direct you off a ball screen, they can direct a downhill drive, and it keeps you out of the interior of the three-point line,” Chmiel said postgame. “We like to punch the paint, kick out and move the ball, and change sides of the floor. When you are facing people who are physical like that and kind of maneuver you outside the three-point line, there’s too much east-west movement, and it hurts our offense.”
Buffalo head coach Becky Burke’s Bulls have beaten Chmiel’s Falcons now five straight times. But Bowling Green showed improvements this season and may just have one more hurdle to overcome before they can reach their ultimate goal of a MAC championship.
“I think we have some work to do; there are some losses that we shouldn’t have lost,” said Chmiel. “I do think that there is somewhat of a hump we need to get over, consistency-wise, but I think we are on our way, and I think we’ve got some great pieces that are left in that locker room. I’m going to work my hardest; my staff is going to work their hardest to get some more pieces to add to that and be better next year.”
