KENT, OH - The Kent State Golden Flashes shot 11-of-22 from three-point range, including seven threes in the first half, to pull away with a 71-56 win over the Bulls in Mid-American Conference women's basketball action in Kent, OH. The Bulls had a chance to escape with a win when they got within six with just over 10 minutes to go in the game, but Kent held them without a field goal for the next eight minutes and 39 seconds and ended the game with a 20-11 run to improve to 11-9 overall and 6-3 in the MAC. The loss drops Buffalo's record to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in the MAC.

Allison Bennett

The Golden Flashes jumped out to a 10-2 lead to open the game, but the Bulls matched their fast pace and handled their full-court pressure while rallying to take a four-point lead. A steal by freshman Hollie Cook (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) and a layup by sophomore Allison Bennett (Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge) gave the Bulls their first lead of the game, 23-21 at the 9:51 mark, and a bucket by senior Rachel Martin (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore West) at the 8:53 mark ended an 8-0 UB run and put the Bulls ahead 25-21. Kent State responded with a 7-0 run of its own and later hit three consecutive three-pointers while ending the half with a 17-4 run to go to the lockerroom with a 38-29 lead. Two free throws by senior Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Nelson, New Zealand/Hawaii) were the only points the Bulls scored in the final four minutes and 40 seconds of the half.

Kent State opened the second half with two threes, and they opened up a 14-point lead four minutes into the half, 47-33. The Bulls, however, refused to fold and battled back to get within six with 10:11 to play. Junior Jessica Kochendorfer (Allen, MI/Quincy) blocked a shot on the defensive end of the floor and then took a pass from McMeeken-Ruscoe and hit a jumper to cut KSU's lead to 51-45. Kent State's Valerie Zona then capped a 10-2 Golden Flashes' run with a three-pointer at the 4:00 mark to give them their 14-point lead back, 61-47, and they led by as many as 17 points down the stretch. After Kochendorfer's bucket, the Bulls went without a field goal until Cook hit a three-pointer with 1:15 to play. Six of the Bulls' final 11 points in the game came from the free throw line.

"I give Kent State a lot of credit," said head coach Cheryl Dozier. "They haven't been shooting all that well from three-point range, but they obviously did tonight. They knocked down the shots they needed to and they didn't give us a lot of good looks at the basket. But, this is the best that we've ever played in this building, so we can take some good out of that. We just need to go home, regroup and focus on getting a win on Sunday against Northern Illinois."

Kent State's win extended its lead in the all-time series between these two teams to 10-0. The Golden Flashes shot 40.7 percent from the floor in the game (24-for-59), and they scored 22 points off of 21 Buffalo turnovers. They were led by Jamie Rubis with a game-high 19 points, including four three-pointers. The Bulls were led by Kochendorfer with 14 points and Bennett with 13. Buffalo shot 42.2 percent from the floor (19-for-45) in the game.

The Bulls return home to host Northern Illinois on Sunday, February 9 at 4 pm. The game will be televised by ESPN Regional as part of the MAC's television package and can be seen live on Empire Sports Network, FOX Ohio and FOX Detroit.