POTSDAM, N.Y.—The SUNY Potsdam women's basketball team (5-4, 1-2 SUNYAC) shutdown Buffalo State (3-6, 0-2) 54-29 on Friday evening. Graduate student forward Jakia Howard (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham) led the Bears with 13 points and 13 rebounds. She's now just 24 points shy of 1000 for her career. Junior guard Xy'El Bradford (Syracuse, N.Y./Syracuse Academy of Science) also reached double digits with 11 points, while also recording three assists and two steals.
 
Potsdam started the first quarter quickly and barely let the Bengals get their feet under them. Junior guard Mikayla Shipley (North Chili, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) sank a three just 13 seconds into the contest to open the scoring. After, Buffalo State answered with a bucket, Potsdam finished the opening 10 minutes on a 9-0 run. Howard started the run with a layup at 6:42. Shipley followed with another bucket. Bradford scored the last five points of the quarter and capped the run with a three. The Bears led 12-2 after one.
 
After a Howard free throw opened the second quarter, junior guard Barbara Bruno (Bronx, N.Y./Brooklyn HS for Law and Tech) scored the first points of her Potsdam career to make it 15-2 at 8:34. Bengals graduate student guard Maddy Stearns (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence) slowed the momentum with a 3-pointer, but the Bears answered with a 12-0 stretch. Junior forward Jenna Cotter (Johnson City, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) scored on a layup. Junior guard Carley Hill (Essex, Vt./Rice Memorial) struck from long range at 5:20. Howard added back-to-back layups and Bradford scored and sank the ensuing free throw to make it 27-5 at 2:57. Buffalo State finally managed a little offense late in the half, as sophomore guard Emma Cohen (Utica, N.Y./TR Proctor) and Stearns sandwiched a layup and a three around another deep strike from Shipley. The Bears led 30-11 at the break. Bradford and Shipley each had eight points and Howard added seven and six boards.
 
It was more of the same in the third quarter, with the Bears outscoring Buffalo State 13-6 and held a 43-17 advantage after 30 minutes. Howard scored four more and Bradford delivered another 3-pointer. Bruno also had three points in the quarter.
 
The fourth quarter was the most evenly contested, but the Bengals couldn't pick up much ground as they outscored the hosts 12-11. Bruno scored three more in fourth. Cotter, Howard, junior forward Alquidania Martinez (Bronx, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) and junior guard Zavia Jaime (New Hartford, N.Y./New Hartford) each had a bucket to close out the 54-29 final.
 
Shipley finished with eight points and six rebounds. Bruno also had eight points and three boards in her Bears debut.
 
Stearns led Buffalo State with 10 points and seven rebounds. Junior forward Adiya Jones (Washington, D.C./McKinley Technology) scored eight points and grabbed 10 boards. Cohen finished with six points.