ESPN3. Miami is 8-16 ( 4-11). This is our 3rd long road trip this week, and this concludes our 4th 3 game week in the last 5 weeks. Other than Peyton Scott, the girls seem worn down and our game preparation has been terrible with mostly 1 day turnarounds and lots of travel. This is a very young and inexperienced group and this seems to be more than they have been able to handle. Also, losing our starting center ( Amani Freeman) and starting power forward ( Maddie Cluse has returned wearing a mask, but has been ineffective since her injury) have really hurt.
Buffalo is17-8 ( 11-4). They are in second place in the MAC. UB has beaten Miami 13 straight times and has taken a 26-20 advantage in the series. Buffalo had an 18 point lead in Oxford but Miami rallied in the 4th quarter and only lost by 5, 88-83.
JR guard Dyaisha Fair was one of the highest recruits ever landed by a MAC school. As a freshman she beat out Peyton Scott for MAC Freshman of the year, as a sophomore she was first team all MAC, and this year she is averaging 23.4ppg, first in the MAC and 5th in the nation. UB also has RS SR Summer Hemphill, who has twice been second team all MAC and is a jumping jack averaging 13.8/9.6 per game. Buffalo has had several players from Australia over the last decade and one of them helped recruit freshman guard Georgia Wooley who is averaging 13.8 ppg and is one of two candidates ( Alli Bekki of Ball State) for MAC Freshman of the Year.
Miami once again got down 20 points in the 3rd quarter vs EMU Wednesday, then cut it down to 2 with 3 minutes to go, but lost by 9. Peyton Scott moved past Savannah Kluesner into 10th place in alltime scoring with a 25 point game. She is now averaging 19.6 and also leads Miami in rebounds, assists, and steals. She is shooting 85% from the line. Freshman Ivy Wolf is shooting 88% from the line, which would be second in the MAC but does not have enough attempts to qualify. She is averaging 11.1 and Freshman Edyn Battle is at 10.5.
Usual starters. 10-6 UB with 4 minutes to go in the first quarter. 5 Miami turnovers already, plus 2 transition layups for the Bulls. Christie and Wooley with 4 points each.
20-12 Bulls at the end of 1. They had an 11-0 run. Miami has 8 turnovers already. Ivy Wolf has 6, Edyn Battle 4. Bulls have not given Scott any shots, she is 1 for 2. Christie has 7 and Wooley 6 for Buffalo.
We have played some good offense lately but Fair is heating up. 30-26 Bulls halfway through the 2nd quarter. Fair with 13 and Christie with 8 for the Bulls. Wolf with 9, Scott and Battle with 6 for us.
39-35 Buffalo at the half as Wolf drained a long 3. That was one of our better quarters but Fair was spectacular. Wolf has 12 and Scott has 10 . Fair has 18 ( 14 in quarter 2) points, 3 rebounds 2 assists, 2 steals. Fair has been averaging over 30 for her last 3 games
We cut it to 1, but then Buffalo hit 3 consecutive threes, TO Miami, down 51-41. Neither announcer has been able to pronounce Foster-Walker, but they keep trying a different name every time, lol.
51-44 at the 5 and under TO of quarter 3. Scott has not had a shot this quarter as UB is very aware of her. Wolf with 15, Scott 10, Battle 8 ( but 3 fouls). For UB, Fair with 22, Wooley with 14
65-61 Buffalo at the end of 3. We are moving the ball and getting good shots and hitting them, but we continue to pile up turnovers and fouls. 20 turnovers and 17 fouls.
We tied it at 65, but UB has gotten every rebound since and now UB leads 72-65. Battle tied it with a driving layup, but shortly thereafter pick up foul #4 and went to the bench. Wolf 22, Scott 17, Battle 10. Fair 29. Wooley 20, Christie 12.
83-71 Buffalo as we fouled a lot down the stretch. So from tying it up with 7 minutes to go we got outscored by 12 the rest of the way. UB did all the smart things down the stretch, we did not. So many times this year our team has fought back from double digit deficits to catch up, then the other team pulls away and wins.
We had 21 turnovers and 24 fouls. The announcers harped on these two issues all day long and correctly pointed out that that is why Miami loses. Ivy Wolf had 22 points and 6 assists, Peyton Scott had 19 points and 10 rebounds, so a double double, and Edyn Battle had 14 points. For Buffalo, Fair had 36 points ( second game in a row). Freshman Georgia Woolley had20, and Christie had 14.
The finer points on Miami women’s BB:
Miami had 16 assists, 21 turnovers, 0 blocks, 6 steals (as in victimized I believe), 4 ladies with 4 fouls and 24 total fouls.
Buffalo has 13 assists, 12 turnovers, 4 blocks, 11 steals, only 3 ladies with as many as 3 fouls and 13 total fouls.
In sum, Miami appears slow and careless…what have I missed?