University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Buffalo
Women's Basketball Upset By Buffalo
November 17, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2000
Box Score in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
AMHERST, N.Y.-
Senior Mari McClure scored a career-high 35 points and the University at Buffalo women's basketball team shot 85 percent from the free throw line, including 13-of-14 in the final 1:34, to earn a 95-89 upset win over the visiting North Carolina Tar Heels in the season opener for both teams. The win was the 400th all-time win for the UB women's basketball program, and it came in front of a record-setting 4,017 fans, the most ever to attend a women's basketball game at UB's Alumni Arena. North Carolina entered the game ranked 22nd in the nation in the November 14 AP poll."This is a huge win for our women's basketball program, but I think it's an even bigger win for the University as a whole," said UB head coach Cheryl Dozier. "We came out blazing. We did a good job of taking advantage of the open looks...As a whole, we shot very well from the floor."
The Bulls' three-point shooting gave them the advantage in the first half as they made 6-of-10 shots from behind the three-point arc and took a 39-37 lead into the lockerroom at halftime. McClure was 3-for-3 from three-point range in the first half, and sophomore Katie Blazewski hit two three's, the second with 14:02 remaining in the half to give Buffalo a 20-18 lead. The Bulls held onto that lead well into the second half, for a span of 27:45, before UNC's Jennifer Thomas hit a layup to put the Tar Heels up by one, 67-66, with 6:17 left in the game. The lead did not last long, however, as senior Tiffany Bell hit two free throws with 5:59 remaining to give Buffalo a 68-67 advantage. ell followed that up with a three-pointer and four more free throws to put the Bulls ahead by six, 75-69, with 4:55 on the clock. Bell hit four more free throws and a layup down the stretch to finish with 28 points, and McClure added 10 free throws in the final 3:10. Bell and McClure combined for 26 of the Bulls' final 27 points, and each tied a career-high for free throws made. Bell finished the night 13-of-15 from the foul line, while McClure was 11-of-13.
Blazewski finished with 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and freshman point guard Virginia Jennings added nine points, five rebounds and six assists in her first career start. The Tar Heels were led by Juana Brown and Thomas with 26 and 20 points, respectively. Freshman center Candace Sutton scored 15 points and 7-for-9 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Senior forward LaQuanda Barksdale led UNC in rebounds with nine and also scored 11 points. UNC outrebounded the Bulls by a 39-37 margin.
Carolina (0-1) continues its road trip with a game against Syracuse on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The Tar Heels' home opener is Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against North Carolina A&T.
