KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Western Michigan (10-14, 7-3 MAC) snapped a two-game losing streak, beating Buffalo, 73-67, Wednesday night to keep its position at the top of the MAC West standings.
With Eastern Michigan's win Tuesday and a Ball State loss Wednesday night, the Broncos and EMU are currently tied for first place in the MAC West, each boasting 7-3 conference records.
The Broncos put their Brown & Gold uniforms aside for the night and sported pink jerseys and shorts to help raise breast cancer awareness, as part of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's “Think Pink” initiative.
Tiera DeLaHoussaye led the pink Broncos with 15 points, and was one assist away from recording her fifth double-double of the year. The stingy defender also had six steals, a category in which she ranks 14th in the nation, and six rebounds.
Molly Dwyer and Sara Vest each scored 12 points in the win, while Brenna Banktson chipped in 10 and Sarah Dreher added seven points off the bench.
“Sarah (Dreher) came in and gave us a real big lift in terms of being able to run out," WMU head coach Ron Stewart said. "She did a good job defensively, and ran out and gave us quickness. That was kind of the difference in the second half."
The Bulls outrebounded (40-31) and shot a higher percent (46, compared to WMU's 41) than the Broncos, but Western Michigan held a big advantage in bench scoring. WMU came up with 26 points from its reserves, while UB produced just seven.
Buffalo (12-11, 5-5 MAC) got off to a hot start in the first half when Heather Turner and Jamie Schiebner combined to score 12 of the Bulls' first 16 points. The Broncos countered and took its first lead of the game, 25-24, with 4:30 to go in the first half on a Banktson three-pointer. Western Michigan hung on to a 33-30 lead at halftime.
With 9:55 left in the second half, the Broncos jumped out to their first double-digit lead, but back-to-back three-pointers by Buffalo quickly pulled UB to within four, 54-50. WMU regained a nine-point lead, and didn't allow Buffalo to get within seven points for the next six minutes. The Bulls would make one last push, as Stephanie Bennett drained a three-pointer to make it 71-67 with 35 seconds left, but that would be the Bulls' final basket of the night. DeLaHoussaye sealed the win with a pair of free throws.
Buffalo's Turner and Schiebner each scored 20 points in the contest. Schniebner also had 10 rebounds, while Turner grabbed nine boards.
All proceeds from “Think Pink” night will be donated to the Jimmy V Foundation for cancer research. Anyone who missed the opportunity to donate at the game can still do so at jimmyv.org.
The Broncos return to the hardwood Saturday, Feb. 16, against the Akron Zips at Rhodes Arena. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
