Buffalo State Defeats Cortland, 73-67, Picks Up Record 23rd Win
CORTLAND, NY—Buffalo State (23-2/16-2) defeated host Cortland (15-10/10-8), 73-67, in the regular season finale this afternoon, picking up its 23rd win of the year, setting a new school record for regular season victories.
Bianca Smiley (Amherst/Sweet Home) scored a team-high 19 points and added seven rebounds to lead Buffalo State. Staci McElroy (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs) had 16 points and eight rebounds. Hillary Kollar (Johnstown/Johnstown) and Barb Kiliszek (Depew/Lancaster) chipped in 13 and 11 points respectively, and Kala Crawford (Middle Falls/Saratoga Springs) dished out seven assists to go with six points.
Buffalo State led 30-22 at halftime. The Bengals never trailed in the second half, pushing its lead to as many as 11 early in the frame. The Red Dragons battled back, however, and cut the deficit to 51-49 with just over eight minutes remaining. The threat served as a wake-up call for the Bengals, who assembled a 9-0 run from there and used four Kiliszek free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
The Bengals held a slight edge in shooting percentage, connecting at a 39-percent clip, compared to 34-percent by Cortland. The Bengals held a 44-38 rebounding advantage for the game, and shot 84-percent (21 of 25) at the free-throw line.
Buffalo State will open the SUNYAC playoffs as the top seed with a home quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday against No. 8 Fredonia. Tickets will be available at the door for $5 for the public and $2 for students. The first 200 Buffalo State students with valid ID will be admitted free.
