BUFFALO, NY— Bianca Smiley (Amherst/Sweet Home) had 21 points and 10 rebounds and top-seeded host Buffalo State (24-2) earned its 12th-consecutive victory and first playoff win since 2003, defeating No. 8 Fredonia (10-15), 64-56, in a SUNYAC quarterfinal matchup tonight at the Sports Arena.
Smiley finished 10 of 17 from the field to lead the Bengals' attack. Freshman Olivia Luciani (Syracuse/E. Syracuse Minoa) was the only other Bengal in double-figures with 10 points off the bench. Staci McElroy (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs) got in foul trouble early and finished with just five points, but grabbed 10 rebounds, and Barb Kiliszek (Depew/Lancaster) also netted just five points, but dished out seven assists.
The league's leading scorer Becky Hebert (Hilton/Hilton) led Fredonia with 23 points on 10 of 21 shooting. Jamie Warren (Lakeview/Frontier) chipped in 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the losing effort.
Fredonia scored the first six points of the game and then led 9-3 before Buffalo State assembled a 16-2 run to take a lead it would never relinquish. The Bengals led 36-24 at the intermission, and extended their lead to 16 early in the second half. Fredonia would not allow Buffalo State to pull away, however, battling back and cutting the deficit to just four at 57-53 with 1:45 remaining. Luciani hit a clutch 3-pointer on the ensuing Bengals' possession, and McElroy came up with a steal on Fredonia's next trip allowing the Bengals to put the game out of reach.
Buffalo State overcame 21 turnovers and a woeful night at the free-throw line where they hit just 39-percent (9 of 23) by dominating the boards, outrebounding Fredonia, 52-30.
Buffalo State will host the SUNYAC "Final Four" this Friday and Saturday. The Bengals will play No. 5 Cortland in the second semifinal on Friday at 8 p.m. No. 2 New Paltz and No. 3 Oneonta will do battle in the first semifinal at 6 p.m. The championship game will be on Saturday at 4 p.m.