BUFFALO, NY – Olivia Luciani (Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa) was 3-for-4 from long range and scored a career-high 23 points to lead Buffalo State (11-10, 8-6 SUNYAC) to an 81-75 victory over Oswego (6-14, 4-9 SUNYAC) in a SUNYAC matchup on Saturday afternoon at Sports Arena.
Luciani paced the Bengals offensively with her 23 points and four assists. Hillary Kollar (Johnstown, NY/Johnstown) added 18 points and six rebounds, while Ashley Wallace (Lockport, NY/Lockport) tallied 13 points and nine rebounds. Brittnee Perry (Buffalo, NY/Hutch Tech) chipped in 10 points and also recorded nine rebounds. Niasha Houpe (Rochester, NY/William Floyd) pulled down an impressive career-high 15 rebounds.
The Bengals started things off quickly, opening up the game with an 11-0 run. Buffalo State played tight defense and held the Lakers to zero points for the first three minutes of the game. At 8:22, the Lakers cut Buffalo State's lead to down to six points, but the Bengals quickly answered and went back up, 22-11, at 7:15. Buffalo State gained its largest lead, 17 points, with 3:30 left to play in the first half and headed into halftime up 39-24.
The Bengals shot well from the floor in the first half, going 39.5 percent. Luciani hit 5-of-8 shots and Buffalo State held a 32-22 rebounding advantage.
In the opening minute of the second half, Buffalo State pushed its lead out to 19 points and seemed to have control of the game. Oswego, however, battled back and slowly chipped away at the Bengals lead. A 3-pointer by the Lakers at the six minute mark tied the game up, but Oswego would not be able to take over the lead. 15 free throws in the final stretch helped the Bengals seal a close game and finish with the six point win.
For the game, Buffalo State finished 35.1 percent from the floor, 26.7 percent from behind the arc and 67.7 percent from the free throw line. The Bengals also recorded 12 steals and held a 58-48 rebounding advantage.
Buffalo State will return to action for a SUNYAC matchup against Geneseo on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.