BRADFORD, PA— Katie Villarini (Hamburg/Hamburg) and Liv LeBaron (Corning/Corning East) combined for 39 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as Buffalo State capitalized on an 16-2 run in the first quarter to cruise past host Pitt-Bradford, 71-57, in non-conference action this evening to close out its first semester of action.   

THE BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 71, Pitt-Bradford - 57

LOCATION: KOA Arena – Bradford, PA

RECORDS: Buffalo State (4-3), Pitt-Bradford (2-9)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Villarini led the Bengals in scoring with a game-high 20 points to go along with seven assists and four rebounds.
• LeBaron chipped in 19 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
• Kendall Mills (Buffalo/Kenmore East) chipped in eight points on 2 of 3 shooting from distance, while Anasah DeMember (Elmira/Elmira) added a career-high 11 points off of the bench.
• Tori Hackett (Canandaigua/Canandaigua Academy) tallied a career-high 14 rebounds to go along with eight points on 4 of 5 shooting from the floor.
• Buffalo State and Pitt-Bradford traded points in the opening minutes until the Bengals closed the first quarter on a 16-2 run to take a 25-12 lead after 10 minutes of action.
• The Panther trimmed the lead to 25-19 within two minutes of the start of the second stanza but failed to maintain their momentum as Buffalo State used back-to-back layups from LeBaron and DeMember to extend its lead to 40-19 with four minutes left in the half.
• The Bengals used a late field goal by Hackett to control a 45-31 lead at halftime.
• Buffalo State maintained its double-digit lead for entire third quarter, outscoring the Panthers 16-7, to claim a 61-38 lead at the final intermission.
• Pitt-Bradford slowly chipped away at the lead in the fourth frame, trimming it to 69-57 in the final minutes, but the Bengals used a fast-break field goal by Aliyah Braxton (Bay Shore/Bay Shore) to clinch the 71-57 victory.
• Buffalo State held a 28-18 advantage in points off turnovers and a 38-30 edge in points in the paint.
• The Bengals shot 43 percent from the floor, while holding the Panthers to 36 percent shooting.

FOR THE FOES

• Shirleah Ragin led the Panthers with 16 points to go along with nine rebounds.
• Shaelyn Snipes and Jenna Hicks combined to chip in 16 points and 23 rebounds

UP NEXT

Buffalo State will break for the holidays and return to action as it hosts Morrisville in non-conference action on Jan. 4 at 2 p.m.