BUFFALO, NY - A poor shooting night and physical play by the visiting Marshall Thundering Herd resulted in a 55-35 loss for the University at Buffalo women's basketball team in Alumni Arena. The loss extended the Bulls' longest losing streak of the year to five games and dropped their record to 9-15 overall and 4-9 in the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls shot just 26.2 percent from the floor in the game (11-for-42) and failed to have a scorer in double figures for the first time this season.

Virginia Jennings

Sophomore Virginia Jennings (Nashville, MI/Hastings) finished as their leading scorer with nine points, including two three-pointers.

Both teams struggled to score in the early minutes of the first half, but Marshall (7-16, 3-9 MAC) opened up an 8-2 lead by not allowing a Buffalo field goal until the 10:07 mark. The Herd held an 11-point lead at halftime, 22-11, but Buffalo got back in to the game thanks to a 9-4 run midway through the second half. Back-to-back layups by junior Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Nelson, New Zealand/University of Hawaii) and sophomore Kim Kilpela (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) cut the Herd's lead to six, 39-33, with 5:54 left in the game, but Marshall shut the Bulls down from that point on to secure the victory. The Herd held the Bulls without a bucket from that point on, with Buffalo's final two points coming from two free throws by sophomore Jessica Kochendorfer (Allen, MI/Quincy). Marshall was 6-for-7 from the floor in the final six minutes of the game while also knocking down four free throws.

"I give credit to Marshall tonight," said head coach Cheryl Dozier. "They wanted this game more than we did, and they did what they needed to do to beat us. I thought we did a nice job defensively and we cut it to six in the second half, but then we just fell apart. I'm very disappointed with the way we're playing right now, and we have to get things together in the next few games before the MAC Tournament."

Marshall's 16-2 run to end the game was led by Catie Knable, who had six of her 14 points in the final four-and-a-half minutes of the game. She also grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double. Marshall's Ida Dotson also added 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and six steals to the Herd's effort. Kochendorfer finished with eight points and eight rebounds for the Bulls. The Herd outrebounded Buffalo by a 35-32 margin and committed just 13 turnovers to Buffalo's 20. Marshall shot 43.1 percent from the floor in the game (22-for-51).

The Bulls return to action on Saturday, February 16 for a 1 pm contest at Ohio.