BUFFALO, NY— Bianca Smiley (Amherst/Sweet Home) scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Buffalo State (13-3/8-1) to a 76-64 victory over visiting Potsdam (4-12/2-7) in a SUNYAC game today at the Sports Arena. The win marked the 100th victory at Buffalo State for eighth-year head coach Sue Roarke.
Smiley shot 10 of 13 from the field. Sophomore Mariah Norris (Endicott/Union-Endicott) set her career-high for scoring for the second-consecutive day, finishing with 16 points. Staci McElroy (Saratoga Springs/Saratoga Springs) added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Olivia Luciani (Syracuse/E. Syracuse-Minoa) chipped in 11 points.
After a sloppy first half that saw 30 combined turnovers, including 20 by Potsdam, Buffalo State took a 48-29 lead into the intermission. The Bengals pushed the lead to as many as 25 in the second half before emptying the bench with six minutes remaining.
Buffalo State converted 29 Potsdam turnovers into 26 points. The Bengals committed 21 turnovers themselves for the game.
Buffalo State will look to avenge its only SUNYAC loss when it hosts Fredonia on Tuesday at 6 p.m.