UB women's basketball defeats Massachusetts in overtime, 84-82, in WNIT second-round game
Chellia Watson scored 26 points in UB’s 84-82 overtime win against Massachusetts in a WNIT second-round game Sunday at Alumni Arena.
Kirsten Lewis-Williams headed to the bench and it appeared as if the University at Buffalo women’s basketball team was about to close the book on its season.
Lewis-Williams, a sophomore guard for the Bulls, had just taken her fifth foul and exited the game. Her team trailed Massachusetts by 13 in a WNIT second-round matchup, and the Minutewomen appeared to be in control.
But instead of lamenting the loss of Lewis-Williams, the Bulls shifted gears, leaned into their full-court, man-to-man press – a defense that the Bulls call “Mad Dog” – and put Massachusetts on its heels to create a dramatic 84-82 overtime win Sunday at Alumni Arena.
Buffalo Bulls guard Chellia Watson (35) puts up a shot against UMass Minutewomen forward Megan Olbrys (11) during the first quarter at
Alumni Arena on Sunday, March 23, 2025. Joshua Bessex/Buffalo News
“We knew that we needed somebody to step up,” said Chellia Watson, who scored 26 points against UMass and reached the milestone of 2,000 career points. “That’s what we did. Sito (Gines) came in and Paula (Lopez) played great, also, so when somebody goes down or gets fouled out, we need the team to come closer together. And somebody stepped up.”
Everybody stepped up for UB, which will face Southern Indiana (23-12) in a WNIT Super 16 game at 7 p.m. Thursday in Evansville, Ind. Southern Indiana beat Campbell, 60-51, in a second-round game Sunday night in Evansville.
The Bulls (26-7) outscored the Minutewomen 29-13 in the fourth quarter and held UMass (17-15) to 4-for-9 shooting in the final 10 minutes of regulation. The Bulls got UMass’ inside players into foul trouble and forced them to go to the outside. Of UMass’ nine fourth quarter shots, five were 3-point attempts and only two were successful.
“We’ve done it before,” UB guard Lani Cornfield said. “That’s what we said on the court, too. All we had to do was keep fighting back.”
As for Lewis-Williams? She finished with 12 points, five steals, three rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists, and was one of five players to score in double figures for the Bulls, along with Watson, Jordyn Beaty (14 points), Cornfield (12 points) and Ariana Seawell (12 points).
University at Buffalo guard Lani Cornfield scores on a breakaway layup during the second quarter against the UMass at Alumni Arena on Sunday. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Yahmani McKayle led UMass with 19 points and Stefanie Kulesza added 18. Megan Olbrys finished with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists.
The Bulls took advantage of stretches of sloppy play by UMass to wipe out a 16-point deficit, then had to hit free throws in overtime. So did the Minutewomen, but Ariana Seawell’s layup with less than two minutes left in overtime helped the Bulls secure the win.
UB trailed UMass 63-50 when Lewis-Williams fouled out with 7:14 left in regulation. But just seconds earlier, Lopez’s 3-pointer started a 14-2 run that brought the Bulls within four with five minutes left in regulation, at 63-59. UB also took advantage of a disorganized stretch by the Minutewomen, forcing them into turnovers and foul trouble. UMass also had three players with four fouls in the final six minutes, and Watson’s 3-pointer with 3:14 left cut UMass’ lead to 69-68.
“That’s the beauty of our team,” said Cornfield, who had a season-high 15 assists. “We have our depth. Our defense, that’s what it’s been all season. We knew we wanted to win, what it took and what it needed to take, and we would consistently remind each other, ‘We have to box out,’ and that each possession was important.”
Cornfield’s free throws with 2:25 left kicked off a frenzied final stretch in the fourth quarter, before UMass’ Allie Palmieri’s jumper tied the score at 74-74 with 54 seconds left.
University at Buffalo guard Chellia Watson celebrates a basket during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s WNIT game against UMass at Alumni Arena. Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
UB made three of four shots in overtime, including Seawell’s layup that gave UB the 84-82 lead. UMass was 1 for 3 from the floor and made six free throws in overtime but committed two shot-clock violations in the final 2:15 of overtime. And it was unable to establish much of an inside presence, particularly without Olbrys, who fouled out with 3:38 left in overtime.
“When you go into overtime, you can be complacent and you can come out flat, sometimes,” UB coach Becky Burke said. “Keeping that same intensity that we had in the last five minutes and the next five of overtime, that’s always my fear going into overtime. If you had some good momentum through the end of regulation, that you lose that going into overtime.
“They kept that same mindset. They kept that same aggressiveness. I’m glad we came out, and we came out ready for this.”