Bobcats Advance to Betty Abgott Final After Thrilling 65-60 Win over Buffalo State

BUFFALO, NY - Danyea Barclay had her third double-double of the season, finishing with game-highs in points (26) and rebounds (17) as the Bryant & Stratton Buffalo Bobcats defeated Buffalo State College 65-60 in a thrilling first round matchup of the Betty Abgott Invitational.  The Buffalo Bobcats improve to 6-0 on the season and advance to the tournament's final on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Villa Maria College, who defeated Thiel College 79-45 in the earlier matchup.

The game featured seven ties and four lead changes as the momentum shifted numerous times in the fourth quarter.  Barclay scored 14 of her 26 points in the second half and went 12-of-17 from the floor for the game.  Junior Alissa Johnson had her first double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and securing 10 rebounds, while junior Janae Brannon played all 40 minutes and finished with nine rebounds, nine assists, four points and three steals.

THE FAST BREAK

• BSC Buffalo opened the game on an 8-0 run and led 10-1 more than eight minutes into the game before taking a 14-7 advantage into the second quarter.
• Buffalo State opened the second quarter on an 8-0 run to take its first lead of the game.
• Johnson gave BSC Buffalo back the lead moments later with two free throws.
• After Buffalo State tied the game at 17 with 7:20 left in the half, the Bobcats went on a 10-0 run, started and ended by junior guard Shamecca Minor who was responsible for eight of the ten points.  She started the run with a layup through traffic and capped it with back-to-back threes.
• After a Buffalo State three haulted the run, Barclay responded with a tough bucket in the paint and Brannon put home two free throws to give the Bobcats a 31-20 edge at the break.
• The Bengals opened the second half with a 5-0 run before Johnson responded with her only triple of the afternoon.
• The Bengals began to chip away at the lead before eventually tying the game at 37 with 4:04 left in the quarter and taking the lead moments later.
• Barclay scored the last five points of the quarter, leaving the deficit at just one for the Bobcats.  The Benglas outscored the Bobcats 23-11 in the third quarter.
• Buffalo State opened the quarter with two quick buckets to give them their largest lead of the game, 47-42.
• Barclay kept the hot hand, scoring again to cut the deficit to three before freshman Mecca Odell Camille scored two of her five points to trim the Buffalo State lead to one, 47-46.  
• Buffalo State maintained the lead and held a four-point edge with three minutes left but the Bobcats got a fastbreak layup from Tealaya Huff who was a perfect 3-of-3 for the game, and a three-point play from Barclay to go ahead by one with 2:03 left.
• Huff added two more free throws with 1:03 left and Barclay scored again off a turnover with 34 seconds left to put the Bobcats ahead five and seal the win.

BOBCAT BUCKETS

• BSC Buffalo shot just 39.1 percent from the floor but held and Bengals to 30.9 percent.
• The two teams battled on the boards, both finishing with 45 rebounds with Buffalo State holding a slight 14-11 edge on the offensive glass.
• Huff missed the last four games with an injury, but returned in the second half to give the Bobcats eight points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting in just eight minutes.
• In every game this season, Brannon has recorded at least five assists and six rebounds.  This was her third game with at least nine rebounds and fourth game with at least nine assists.
• BSC Buffalo had 16 assists on 25 made field goals.
• Each team had 15 turnovers with the Bobcats converting those into 17 points and the Bengals just eight.
• BSC Buffalo had 13 second chance points to the just six for the Bengals.
• The Bobcats largest lead of the game was 11.  Buffalo State held a five-point advantage multiple times.
• Johnson had her first game with double-digit rebounds and her fourth game in double-figures scoring.

WHAT THEY SAID

"I want to thank Buff State for hosting us and allowing us to compete in this tournament," BSC Buffalo Head Coach Brittnee Perry said.  "It's actually bringing back memories of when I was here as a player playing in these types of games.  But honestly, today was about our girls and their inability to quit and give up.  Buff State had some girls that hit big shots in big moments but our girls stayed composed, stayed the course and found a way to get some stops when it mattered and pull out a very important win for our program."

UP NEXT

With the win, the Bobcats will play for the tournament championship on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Villa Maria College, who defeated Thiel College 79-45 in the first game of the afternoon.  The Bobcats and Vikings are both undefeated with the Vikings posting a 5-0 record to open the season.

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