Bobcats Down Rochester in Defensive Battle as Bruneel Buries Four Triples

BUFFALO, NY - Redshirt Junior Rachel Bruneel buried four threes and the Bryant & Stratton Buffalo Bobcats forced 25 turnovers as a team, resulting in a 60-50 victory over the Bryant & Stratton Rochester Bobcats on Wednesday night.  It was Buffalo's first win over Rochester in three tries, and their second-straight to open the 2020-21 season.

"Tonight was definitely a 180 from Sunday," Bryant & Stratton Buffalo Head Coach Brittnee Perry said.  "In this game we had to battle, fight hard and overcome some adversity to come out with a win.  We were active defensively, our girls got on the floor and made the extra plays that lead to wins.  We hit some big shots when we needed and found a way to win."

Bruneel scored a team-high 12 points and went 4-7 from three.  Junior Armoni Jordan and sophomore Mary Caldwell each scored 11 points as the Bobcats held Rochester to just 27.1 percent shooting en route to the win.

THE FIRST HALF

• Buffalo had it's best quarter of the game in the first, out-scoring Rochester by seven (18-11) and followed that in the second quarter, holding Rochester to just seven points over the second 10 minutes.
• Rochester shot just 20 percent from the floor in the first half.
• Rochester held as 28-27 edge on the boards over the first 20 minutes but also committed 13 turnovers.
• The two teams traded leads over the first five minutes before Bruneel buried her first three of the game to break a 6-6 tie.
• Four straight points from Rochester gave them a 10-9 lead before Caldwell buried a three to push the Buffalo lead back to two.
• She made another three with just under two minutes left in the quarter and was followed quickly thereafter by a jump shot by freshman Olivia McGlashin.  
• Buffalo finished the quarter on a 6-0 run.
• Rochester opened the second quarter with a triple and got within two (20-18) with 4:35 left in the half.  From there, Buffalo closed the quarter on an 11-0 run to take a 31-18 lead into halftime.  The run was started by a layup from senior Janae Brannon.  Jordan then scored again on the ensuing possession.  Senior Alissa Johnson then put home two more points moments later before Caldwell buried another triple.

THE SECOND HALF

• In the third quarter, Rochester would get no closer than seven.  The score sat at 36-28 with 1:33 left before Jordan and Johnson scored layups and Brannon buried a three to push the lead to 15.
• Bruneel pushed that lead to 16 in the early stages of the fourth quarter, putting home another triple with 8:54 left.
• Less than 90 seconds later, Bruneel hit her fourth three of the game to give Buffalo it's largest lead of the game, 19 (49-30).
• Rochester never got closer than the final result

PAW PRINTS

• This is Buffalo's first win over Rochester in three games.
• Buffalo owned the glass in the second half, edging Rochester by nine over the final 20 minutes, and eight for the game.
• Brannon finished with a game-high 15 rebounds and junior Charm Stone had 14.  Brannon also led the team with seven assists and five steals.
• After coming off a 26-point performance against Point Park on Sunday, Caldwell kept it hot from three, connecting on three treys against Rochester.
• Jordan made her presence known on both ends of the floor as well.  She had five rebounds, three assists and two steals to go along with 11 points.

THE SERIES
Rochester leads the all-time series 2-1 after Buffalo's victory.  Both teams advanced to the USCAA National Tournament last season with Rochester earning the third seed and Buffalo the fifth seed.

UP NEXT
The Bobcats will play their first game on the road of 2020-21 season when they take on Carlow University at 2 p.m. on Sunday.  Carlow is currently 1-1 on the season with a win over St. Mary of the Woods College and a loss to Lourdes University.

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