Erin Lawrenson

HUNTINGTON, WV - Sophomore Erin Lawrenson (Elkland, PA/Elkland Area) hit a three-pointer with 28.3 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime for the second time this season, but the UB women's basketball team came out on the losing end of a 62-59 final score in its Mid-American Conference opener at Marshall. The Bulls (7-4 overall, 0-1 MAC) held Marshall to a 28.4 shooting percentage in the game (19-for-67) but hurt themselves with 23 turnovers and by giving up 19 offensive rebounds. The Thundering Herd (5-6 overall, 1-0 MAC) scored 24 points off of turnovers and 14 second-chance points en route to the win.

The Bulls held a slim lead through the first 10 minutes of the game before the Thundering Herd hit four consecutive three-pointers during a 16-5 run to take their largest lead of the half, 24-17, with 4:53 on the clock. Marshall led by five at halftime, 26-21, and began the second half with two more three-pointers after a free throw by Buffalo freshman Hollie Cook (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) to give the Thundering Herd a 10-point lead, 32-22, with 16:11 to play in regulation. Marshall entered the game with just 20 three-pointers in its first 10 games of the season, but shot 6-for-11 from behind the arc in the win (54.5 percent).

Trailing by 10, the Bulls then went on a 14-3 run to get right back in the game. Lawrenson engineered the run by scoring 10 of the Bulls' 14 points, and she converted a three-point play to end the run and put the Bulls up by one, 36-35, with 9:56 left on the clock. The Thundering Herd led by as many as six points down the stretch, but the Bulls refused to give up and scored the final six points in regulation while holding Marshall without a point in the final four minutes to force overtime. After a layup by Sikeeta Shepard-Hall gave Marshall a 51-47 lead with 4:07 to play, senior Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Nelson, New Zealand/Hawaii) got Buffalo within three with a layup and a free throw, and Lawrenson then drained a three-pointer with 28.3 seconds remaining to tie the score at 51-51. The Thundering Herd threw the ball away on their next possession, and McMeeken-Ruscoe got off a baseline jumper that didn't fall as time expired.

Buffalo never led in overtime as Marshall began the extra period with two quick buckets in the opening minute to go up by four, 55-51. The Thundering Herd made 5-of-8 free throws in overtime to secure the win.

"We took away too many offensive opportunities for ourselves with turnovers and we gave them too many offensive opportunities by allowing so many offensive rebounds," said head coach Cheryl Dozier. "That was what hurt us in the game, and we have to find a way to take care of those two things because the MAC schedule doesn't get any easier from here."

Lawrenson finished the night with a career-high 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor, including four three-pointers. McMeeken-Ruscoe also finished in double figures for the Bulls with 16 points. Marshall was led by Shepard-Hall with 14 points and Catie Knable with nine points and nine rebounds. The Thundering Herd outrebounded the Bulls by a 44-38 margin in the game.

The Bulls return home to host Ball State on Saturday, January 11 at 7 pm in Alumni Arena.