BUFFALO, NY—Buffalo State (4-5) survived a late charge by RIT (3-5) and posted a 67-64 non-conference victory tonight at the Sports Arena.
Shay Jackson (Syracuse/Henninger) paced Buffalo State with a game-high 17 points, coming off the bench. Ashley Wallace (Lockport/Starpoint) registered her fourth career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. Bianca Smiley (Amherst/Sweet Home) netted 10 points and grabbed five boards in the first half, but did not return because of an injury, and Hillary Kollar (Johnstown/Johnstown) had eight points, seven rebounds and a career-best four blocks.
Buffalo State never trailed and pushed its lead to as many as 11 in the first half before taking a 36-28 advantage to the intermission. RIT never pulled away in the second frame, but battled back to even the score three times, including at 57-57 with just over four minutes remaining. Back-to-back Wallace jumpers gave the Bengals a four-point lead and the Bengals held on despite a pair of turnovers in the final minute.
The Bengals, who entered the game averaging over 18 turnovers-per-game, committed just three in the first half, before finishing with 12 for the contest. Buffalo State shot 40-percent for the game, compared to 35-percent shooting by the Tigers, and both teams made just two 3-pointers each. The Bengals finished 2 of 15 from beyond the arc, while RIT was 2 of 7.
Buffalo State will next host the University of Rochester on Dec. 30 at 3 p.m.