BUFFALO, N.Y. – Kaitlyn Zarycki, Hannah Spitzley, and the Western Michigan women's basketball team overcame a seven point first quarter deficit to defeat the University at Buffalo Bulls 66-63 Saturday afternoon. The win propelled the Broncos to a second straight Mid-American Conference victory after Zarycki and Spitzley combined for 30 points.
The defensive emphasis entering the matchup was on full display Saturday: Right out the gate, the Broncos held Buffalo to a quarter low 11 points in the first frame Saturday, after shutting the Bulls down to 33.33% from the field. Today, WMU held scoring juggernaut Chellia Watson (ranked 6th in the nation with 23.4 ppg) to her second lowest scoring output on the season with 15 points in 26 minutes of action.
During the first quarter, both teams battled for momentum, with Buffalo leading as many as seven points and WMU leading by a maximum of four with 1:40 remaining in the first Saturday. After falling behind 9-2 in the first quarter, the Brown and Gold used the remaining 4:39 to string together a 11-2 run to reclaim momentum by taking a 13-11 lead into the second quarter.
Later in the second quarter, the Broncos fed off their hot shooting and boosted their lead to six points after buckets from Nile Muguira Orbe and De'Ahna Richardson with 8:36 remaining in the half. However, over the next seven minutes, Buffalo stormed back and took a one point lead at 22-21 with 3:29 remaining in the half after answering with a 11-4 run themselves. Over the final three and a half minutes in the second, the Broncos were held scoreless until Megan Wagner drained a three pointer with 45 seconds before the break. The Broncos would enter the half with a three point deficit.
During the third, the Broncos scored an evening best 24 points in the quarter after shooting 50% from the field and 62.5% from distance. To kickstart the offense, Spitzley scored three pointers on back-to-back possessions to give WMU a slim three point advantage with just over seven minutes remaining in the quarter. After both teams exchanged buckets over the remainder of the third, the Brown and Gold entered the fourth and final frame with a five point advantage after a free throw from Wagner.
In the fourth and final quarter, the Broncos managed to supply a six point cushion after Muguira Orbe drained a three on the Brown and Gold's first offensive possession. Eventually, Buffalo managed to reclaim the lead with 5:51 remaining after a three from Watson. Despite the three, the Bronco trio of Zarycki, Spitzley, and Wagner strung together nine points over the final five minutes and change. The five minute clinic from the trio not only completed the comeback, it also solidified Western's second winning streak of the season.
Tip-Ins
The duo of Zarycki and Spitzley led the Brown and Gold offensively after they totaled 30 points collectively after shooting at a scorching 61.1% clip from the field (11-18) and 50% from beyond the arch (4-8).
Tonight, the Brown and Gold Improved their record to 5-2 this season when allowing 63 points or fewer on defense.
With 58 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Spitzley's final three pointer of the evening launched her to 600 career points and counting. With her three pointer, Spitzley now with 65 three pointers made from deep, is 11 treys away from tying Sarah Hurrle (2000-01) for the 21st most career threes in program history (76).
After dropping 17 points against Buffalo, Zarycki moved into a tie for 41st in the nation in scoring average.
Up Next
The women's basketball team will return to University Arena on Wednesday, January 24 to host Reagan Bass (ranked 34th in the nation in scoring) and the Akron Zips. Tip off is slated at 7:00 PM and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
