WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

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EMMITSBURG, MD ­ The University at Buffalo women's basketball team got huge games from senior Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe (Nelson, New Zealand/Hawaii) and junior Jessica Kochendorfer (Allen, MI/Quincy) to lead it past Mount St. Mary's, 77-67, at Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, MD. The Bulls allowed 40 points in the first half but held the Mountaineers to just nine field goals in the second half to overcome a 40-39 halftime deficit and improve to 6-1 on the season. The loss dropped Mount St. Mary's record to 2-5 overall.

Kate McMeeken-Ruscoe

McMeeken-Ruscoe scored nine of the Bulls' first 15 points in the game, but the first 20 minutes shaped up to be a back-and-forth contest with the score tied on eight different occasions. The Mountaineers used a 7-0 run to take a 30-27 lead with 5:38 remaining in the half, but the Bulls later jumped back into the lead following a 7-0 run to go ahead 39-32 with 3:29 left on the clock. Kochendorfer's jumper that ended the run was UB's last bucket of the half, and Mount St. Mary's strung together an 8-0 run to close the half and go to the lockerroom with a one-point lead, 40-39.

Kochendorfer scored the Bulls' first six points in the second half, and their defense played well enough to allow the Bulls to take control of the game and hold on to the lead. The Mountaineers last threatened with 12:11 on the clock when a layup by Beth Foster cut Buffalo's lead to four, 55-51, but the Bulls then embarked on an 8-2 run to increase their lead to double digits, 63-53, with 5:47 left in the game. Buffalo led by as many as 12 points down the stretch.

"We're obviously excited to get a win before we take a break for the holidays," said head coach Cheryl Dozier. "Giving up 40 points in the first half is not characteristic of this program, but we continued to hang tough and played the type of defense we needed to play in the second half to win the game. We went deep into our bench again, and I thought they gave us great minutes and we had four players in double figures. Overall, it was a great team win for us."

Jessica Kochendorfer

The Bulls recorded 10 blocked shots in the game, including nine in the second half and a career-high seven by Kochendorfer. Her seven blocks were one shy of the UB single-game record. Kochendorfer also led the Bulls with 20 points and eight rebounds, and McMeeken-Ruscoe finished with 17 points and a game-high seven assists. Both senior Rachel Martin (Kenmore, NY/Kenmore West) and sophomore Erin Lawrenson (Elkland, PA/Elkland Area) also finished in double figures in scoring with 10 points apiece, and Martin also grabbed eight rebounds.

The Mountaineers were led by Adrienne Harris with 21 points, Myriam Baccouche with 17 points and Beth Foster with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Bulls are next in action on Monday, December 30 when they host Oakland at 7 pm in Alumni Arena in a game that was added to the schedule in early December. The game is not a ticketed event and is thus free to the public. The Bulls then host Colorado on Thursday, January 2 at 7 pm.