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The Chippewas looked like a swarm of bumblebees as they wore their gold away uniforms at Alumni Hall in Buffalo, New York on Sunday afternoon. They attacked the offensive boards and out rebounded UB 32-18 in the second half en route to an 82-68 victory. That was the story of the game.
Buffalo was able to keep things close in the first half by slowing play and getting good second and third looks in the paint. Buffalo forward Kristen Sharkey had an excellent first half, leading all scorers with 13 points. Buffalo held an edge in first-half rebounds 23-16.
CMU was able to pull away late in the first half when Crystal Bradford began to heat up offensively after starting 0-4 from the floor. Bradford boosted the performance of her teammates by dishing the ball to Jas'Mine Bracey and Jessica Green. The Chips were up 41-30 at halftime, but it was anyone's game until Central Michigan head coach Sue Guevara ordered a big bottle of Windex to start the second half.
Bradford took the game over in the second half by scoring 11 points, getting 12 rebounds and delivering four assists. Bradford to Bracey was the second half theme as Jas'Mine grabbed seven rebounds and scored 9 second half points of her own.
UB did not have an answer for the pair from CMU. Junior Christa Bacca began to light things up for Buffalo by adding eight second half points, but the Chips still pulled away, building a 22-point lead before the CMU starters were pulled with 3:00 to go in the second half.
Down the stretch in the second half, it became evident that CMU's tough non-conference schedule was having an impact, as there was no letup in their quality of play. Four CMU players went on to score in double figures and Bradford finished with a hoops hat trick, the first triple-double of her career.
CMU goes to 3-0 in the MAC with the win. They get a tough test when Huskie Nation makes an appearance at McGuirk on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm. UB goes to 0-3 in the MAC with the loss. The Toledo Rockets will pay a visit to Alumni Hall for a 7:00 pm game for Buffalo.