BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team battled for a full 40 minutes but was unable to snap a seven-game losing streak in its regular season finale at Alumni Arena, falling to the visiting Miami RedHawks by an 80-65 score. The loss gives Buffalo a 9-18 overall record and a 4-12 Mid-American Conference mark heading in to the 2002 Kraft MAC Tournament. The Bulls are the 11th seed in the conference tournament, and they will head to sixth-seeded Northern Illinois for a first-round game on Saturday, March 2 at 3:05 pm EST.

Buffalo held the lead for the majority of the first half thanks to 58.6 percent shooting (17-for-29) from the floor and 23 points combined from junior Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Nelson, New Zealand/University of Hawaii) and sophomore Jessica Kochendorfer (Allen, MI/Quincy). The Bulls' largest lead of the game at nine points, 33-24, came with 3:02 remaining in the first half, but the RedHawks closed the half with a 9-2 run, including a three-pointer by Melanie Kozlowski with 39 seconds on the clock, to get within two at halftime, 35-33.

The lead changed five times through the midway point of the second half until Miami started to pull away with a combination of hot outside shooting and a strong inside game. Three straight three-pointers, two by Heather Cusick and one by Hillary Beck, a jumper by Jana Butler and a layup by Cusick gave the RedHawks a nine-point lead, 60-51, their largest up to that point in the game, with 8:08 remaining. A three-pointer by sophomore Virginia Jennings (Nashville, MI/Hastings) got Buffalo within four, 65-61, with just over four minutes to go, but Miami ended the game with a 15-4 run, including six points from the free throw line, to grab the win.

"Our team came out with a lot of fire tonight," said head coach Cheryl Dozier. "They played hard and battled, some through injury and illness. There were a lot of positive things that we can take out of tonight's game. Kate broke out offensively and we needed that to happen, and Jessica shot the ball well. Now it starts all over - everyone's record is 0-0. We've had success against Northern Illinois this season, and maybe it's our time to be the spoiler."

Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe

Buffalo was led by McMeeken-Ruscoe with 22 points and Kochendorfer with 14 points and seven rebounds. Junior Rachel Martin (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore West) and freshman Erin Lawrenson (Elkland, PA/Elkland Area) also added eight points apiece to the Bulls' effort. Miami was led by Cusick with 22 points and seven assists and Butler with 14 points and four rebounds. The RedHawks hit 10-of-20 shots from behind the three-point arc in the game.

The RedHawks (17-10, 11-5 MAC), who also defeated the Bulls to open the conference season on January 3, secured the fourth seed in the Kraft MAC Tournament with their win and a loss by Western Michigan. They host Akron at 5 pm on Saturday in first-round tournament action. Buffalo's first-round tournament game at Northern Illinois can be heard live on the radio on WWKB-AM 1520 and over the internet from the Bulls' website at www.buffalobulls.com.