CLEVELAND — 12:22 p.m.-Buffalo leads OU by 13 after three quarters
The Ohio University Bobcats found a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor, but with timely baskets and three free throws, the Buffalo Bulls maintained a 59-46 lead after the third quarter in the 2019 Mid-American Conference Women’s Tournament Championship Game at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Saturday.
The Bobcats, the No. 2 seed in the field, trimmed the halftime deficit by a basket thanks in large part to their seven-of-14 showing from the field, but the fourth-seeded Bulls converted three of their seven looks from three-point range to keep the advance about double digits.
11:49 a.m.-Buzzer-beating three gives Buffalo 15-point halftime lead
The consistent three-point shooting of the first quarter followed the fourth-seeded Buffalo Bulls into the second period against the Ohio University Bobcats in the 2019 Mid-American Conference Women’s Tournament Championship Game at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Saturday morning.
The Bulls finished the first half with nine makes in 17 attempts from three-point range, led by a four-of-seven showing from sophomore guard Hanna Hill, but the second-year guard from Hamilton, Ontario was far from the only one knocking down long-range shots.
Senior guard Cierra Dillard went two for four from beyond the arc, while senior guard Courtney Wilkins connected on three of her five attempts from three-point range, including a buzzer-beating shot that gave the Bulls a 43-28 halftime lead.
The second-seeded Bobcats converted only nine of their 27 attempts from the field and five of their 16 three-point tries in the first half.
Hill led all scorers with 14 points, while junior forward Summer Hemphill added 10 for the Bulls.
Sophomore guard Cece Hooks led the Bobcats with 10 first-half points.
11:24 a.m.-OU trails hot-shooting Buffalo after first quarter
The fourth-seeded Buffalo Bulls came out firing from three-point range against the Ohio University Bobcats and rode that momentum to a 23-14 lead after the first quarter of the 2019 Mid-American Conference Women’s Tournament Championship Game at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Saturday.
Buffalo knocked down five of its eight three-point attempts (62.5 percent), which was in stark contrast to the two-for-eight struggles of the second-seeded Bobcats.
Sophomore guard Hanna Hall and senior guard Cierra Dillard led the way with two three-pointers each, while senior forward Courtney Wilkins added one make from long distance.
10:52 a.m.-Ohio Bobcats one win from NCAA Tournament
The Ohio University Bobcats are set to play for an automatic berth into the 2019 NCAA Tournament after their 74-48 victory over the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in the semifinals of the 2019 Mid-American Conference Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Friday afternoon.
Four of Ohio’s five starters scored in double figures, led by redshirt freshman forward Erica Johnson, who had 18 points on six-of-nine shooting, including a four-of-five showing from three-point range, and finished off a second consecutive double-double in MAC Tournament play with 10 rebounds.
Additionally, the Bobcats got double-figure scoring production from sophomore guard Cece Hooks (16 points), junior guard Amani Burke (12) and second-year forward Gabby Burris (10).
Senior forward Kendall McCoy led Miami in scoring with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The second-seeded Bobcats (27-4) will face off against the No. 4 seed in the tournament, the Buffalo Bulls (22-9), at The Q at 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning for the right to represent the MAC in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
The Bulls upset the tournament’s No. 1 seed, the Central Michigan Chippewas, in the first semifinal Friday.
