MT. PLEASANT, MI - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team got out to a slow start offensively and could not make up any ground in the second half, finally dropping a 69-45 decision at Central Michigan this afternoon. The win was Central Michigan's first ever over the Bulls in six meetings. The Chippewas improved to 9-11 overall and 3-8 in the Mid-American Conference while Buffalo dropped to 4-18 overall and 2-9 in the MAC.

Junior Brooke Meunier (Saginaw, MI/Heritage) scored the game's first bucket at the 19:32 mark, but the Bulls then went without a field goal for over eight minutes while Central Michigan jumped out to a double-digit lead, 16-6, with 11:28 remaining in the first half. Buffalo was just 0-for-2 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free throw line while committing nine turnovers during the stretch, before freshman Heather Turner (West Seneca, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) finally knocked down a layup with just over 11 minutes on the clock. The Chippewas later closed the half with a 10-2 run, keyed by back-to-back three-pointers and a three-point play by Candace Wilson, to take an 18-point into the lockerroom at the break, 34-16.

Allison Bennett

The Bulls shot just 4-for-16 from the floor (25.0 percent) and committed 17 turnovers in the first 20 minutes of play, while Central Michigan shot 14-for-28 (50.0 percent) and had just eight turnovers.

Buffalo had offensive spurts in the second half, with senior Allison Bennett (Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge) scoring all eight of her points in the first seven minutes of the half and Meunier hitting three straight three-pointers late to cut the Chippewas' lead to 13, 56-43, with 5:24 to play. Central Michigan then closed the second half on a 13-2 run for the 69-45 final.

The Bulls shot 11-for-28 (39.3 percent) in the second half and 15-for-44 (34.1 percent) for the game while Central Michigan was 11-for-22 (50.0 percent) in the second half and 25-for-50 (50.0 percent) for the game. Buffalo finished with 23 turnovers to CMU's 10, and the Chippewas held a 30-28 advantage on the glass.

"Give Central Michigan a lot of credit," said Buffalo head coach Cheryl Dozier. "They took away our post play and we couldn't get open on the wings. We really struggled to score in the first half. I don't think we played all that bad defensively, but your defense can only sustain you for so long when you aren't scoring."

Meunier finished with a team-high 13 points, 11 coming in the second half, while Turner finished with nine points, all in the first half, and a team-high seven rebounds. CMU's Casey Manning had a game-high 17 points, 13 in the second half, on flawless shooting (6-for-6 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the foul line). Sharonda Hurd finished with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Bulls return home to Alumni Arena to host Kent State at 7 pm on Wednesday, February 16.