BUFFALO, N.Y. – The SUNY Potsdam women's basketball team (8-14, 4-12 SUNYAC) took a commanding 63-41 victory over Buffalo State (4-19, 1-15 SUNYAC). Junior guard Barbara Bruno (Bronx, N.Y./Brooklyn High School for Law and Technology) paced the Bears with a career-high 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 72-percent shooting from the field.

 The Bengals scored the first two baskets to open the first quarter of the game. The Bears answered by routing a 6-0 run to go ahead of Buffalo State 6-4 with 7:08 to go. Bruno scored all six points during the run. Neither team could find the bottom of the net over the next two minutes until junior guard Mikayla Shipley (North Chili, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) was fouled and sent to the line for two shots. She made both to extend the Bears lead 8-4 at 5:57. With 5:08 remaining, junior guard Carley Hill (Essex, Vt./Rice Memorial) sank a 3-point shot off a helper from Shipley to assert a 15-4 Potsdam lead. Junior forward Jenna Cotter (Johnson City, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) and freshman guard Sara Richards (AuSable Valley, N.Y./AuSable Valley) each scored in the remaining three minutes as the Bears took a 21-14 lead after one.
 
At 7:38 in the second quarter, junior guard Zavia Jaime (New Hartford, N.Y./New Hartford) made a jump shot to extend the Potsdam lead 23-17. After Bruno made a layup with 6:49 to go, Buffalo State went on a 10-4 run to tie the game at 27 with 1:14 remaining. Cotter and Shipley each made layups in the final 47 seconds of the quarter to stop the Bengals' momentum and take a 31-27 advantage into halftime.
 
One minute into the third quarter, Cotter stole the ball and passed it up to Shipley who nailed the 3-pointer in transition as the Bears held a 34-27 edge. Potsdam then routed a 7-2 run to remain ahead of Buffalo State 40-29 with 4:28 remaining. Both teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter as Potsdam held a 42-33 lead going into the final quarter.
 
After a quick Bengals basket to start the quarter, the Bears went on a 6-2 run that took them to the commercial timeout at the 6:38 mark. Bruno, Hill, and graduate forward Jakia Howard (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham) each scored during the run. Junior forward Alivia Latham (Brooklyn, N.Y./John Dewey) scored a contested layup at the 5:21 mark as the Bears remained in full control leading 55-37. Potsdam's defense continued to stifle the Bengals as they held Buffalo State to four points in the final five minutes of the game to seal the road victory.
 
Cotter registered an impressive stat line with 12 points, eight rebounds, four blocks, and one steal. Shipley complimented her teammate with a career-high 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Hill tallied seven points and Latham contributed six points and eight rebounds, both career-highs, and one block. Howard grabbed seven rebounds and posted three steals to round out the leaders for the Bears.
 
Adiya Jones registered a double-double performance of 13 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Bengals. Grace Carey and Emma Cohen both tallied 11 points.
 
The Bears scored 38 points in the paint and managed 24 points off Buffalo State turnovers.
 
Howard currently has 1,163 career points and 740 career rebounds for the Bears. She needs 51 points and 22 rebounds to reach second place in both categories on the all-time records lists.
 
The Bears are back in action when they host SUNY Oneonta for the 20th annual Bear Pride Night next Friday, Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the Jerry Welsh Gymnasium.