Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe

MOUNT PLEASANT, MI - Senior Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Nelson, New Zealand/Hawaii) scored a game-high 22 points and junior Kim Kilpela (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) posted her second double-double in three games with 11 points and a game-high 15 rebounds to lead the University at Buffalo women's basketball team to a 64-54 road win at Central Michigan this afternoon. The win improved the Bulls' record to 15-9 overall and 7-6 in the Mid-American Conference and increased their winning streak to four games. Central Michigan dropped to 10-14 overall and 4-9 in the MAC with the loss.

With the score tied 6-6 early in the first half, the Bulls broke things open with a 10-0 run, getting six points from McMeeken-Ruscoe and four points from junior Jessica Kochendorfer (Allen, MI/Quincy) to go up 16-6 at the 7:48 mark. McMeeken-Ruscoe scored 10 straight points for the Bulls who extended that run to 18-3 to give them their biggest lead of the half at 15 points, 24-9, with 4:11 to play. McMeeken-Ruscoe scored 12 of Buffalo's last 16 points in the half, and the Bulls took an 11-point lead into the lockerroom at halftime, 28-17, following a three-pointer at the buzzer by CMU's Erin Kuhl.

The Chippewas opened the second half with an early jumper by Lindsay Mecoli, but the Bulls scored the next seven points to go up 35-19 and later extended that lead to 18 points, their largest of the game, 40-22 with 13:47 to play. Central Michigan then hit four three-pointers, including three by Kuhl, over the next four minutes to cut Buffalo's lead to six, 42-36, with 9:58 on the clock. Kochendorfer completed a three-point play on the Bulls' next possession and Buffalo then increased its lead to double digits, but the Chippewas again got within six with 4:42 to go in the game, 50-44. The Bulls got clutch free throws down the stretch, however, to secure the win, including six straight by McMeeken-Ruscoe. Buffalo was 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the final five minutes of the game and 6-for-6 in the final minute.

"We did what we wanted to do and what we needed to do today to win," said head coach Cheryl Dozier. "We got out of the gate well again like we did at Ohio on Wednesday. I thought we did a good job of setting the tempo in the game, we ran when we could, we pounded the ball inside and we rebounded well. This is another huge road win for us at a critical time in the season."

The Bulls were 15-for-17 from the free throw line in the game and 23-for-58 from the floor (39.7 percent). Kochendorfer also finished in double figures with 13 points while also grabbing nine rebounds, and freshman Brooke Meunier (Saginaw, MI/Heritage) added nine points and four rebounds. The Bulls outrebounded Central Michigan by a 45-32 margin.

Kuhl led the Chippewas with 17 points while shooting 6-for-9 from the floor and 5-for-8 from three-point range. Central Michigan was 10-for-18 from behind the arc in the game (55.6 percent), including 7-for-11 in the second half (63.6 percent). The Chippewas shot 32.1 percent from the floor (17-for-53) in the game.

The Bulls next host Akron on Wednesday, February 26 at 7 pm in Alumni Arena.