Heather Turner

OXFORD, OH - Buffalo freshman Heather Turner (West Seneca, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) put on a show with game highs of 24 points and 13 rebounds, but the Miami University RedHawks got a big second half from Nicki Motto and took advantage of Buffalo turnovers to score a 68-50 win over the Bulls in Mid-American Conference women’s basketball action tonight in Millett Hall. With the win, the RedHawks (14-11 overall, 8-6 MAC) avenged their earlier 80-61 loss to the Bulls back on January 12 in the first meeting of the season between the two teams. The loss, Buffalo’s sixth in a row, drops the Bulls’ record to 4-21 overall and 2-12 in the conference.

The Bulls got out to a strong start and led 10-7 eight minutes into the first half following a three-pointer by junior Brooke Meunier (Saginaw, MI/Heritage) and a layup by senior Allison Bennett (Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge). A layup and three-pointer by Miami’s Amanda Jackson on back-to-back possessions then gave the RedHawks the lead for good, 12-10, with 8:56 on the clock. A free throw by Turner completed a three-point play that got the Bulls within one, 14-13, at the 7:10 mark, but Miami then closed the half on a 15-4 run to take a 12-point lead into the lockerroom at halftime, 29-17. The Bulls committed 14 turnovers in the first half, including six in the final seven minutes during Miami’s run.

Buffalo began the second half with a 12-6 run, including two three-pointers by sophomore Belinda Gibb (Denmark, Western Australia/Willetton), that got them within six, 35-29, with just under 14 minutes to play. The RedHawks then got hot from three-point range and used a 21-9 run over the next five minutes to put the game out of reach. Motto had 12 of her team-high 19 points during the run on four three-pointers, and her last one gave the RedHawks an 18-point lead, 56-38, with 8:31 on the clock. Miami led by as many as 20 points down the stretch.

The Bulls shot better than the RedHawks (40.8 percent to 34.3 percent) and they outrebounded Miami by a 41-38 margin. Buffalo, however, committed 21 turnovers to Miami’s four, and the RedHawks scored 22 points off of UB’s turnovers compared to three points off turnovers for the Bulls.

"It’s the same old thing - we have to take better care of the basketball," said Buffalo head coach Cheryl Dozier. "They scored 22 points off of our 21 turnovers - that’s the game right there. Heather Turner obviously had another great game for us. I just can’t say enough about her. But we need to find some other scoring. We didn’t get much scoring from anybody else tonight and we need to be more balanced in order to be successful."

Turner was the only player to reach double figures in scoring for the Bulls. She finished the game 9-for-11 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the free throw line, and her 24 points are a career high. Meunier and Bennett finished with eight points apiece, and Gibb had six points and four assists.

In addition to Motto’s 19 points, Jackson (18) and Cindi Merrill (12) also reached double digits in scoring for the RedHawks while Kim Smith grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Miami finished the game 9-for-29 from three-point range (31.0 percent).

Buffalo next hosts Northern Illinois at 2 pm on Saturday, February 26 in the final home game of the 2004-05 season. The game is the MAC Television Game of the Week, and it will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net Ohio, on Comcast Local in Michigan and on Adelphia 13 in Buffalo.