(AMHERST, NY.) — Before the University at Buffalo women’s basketball team tipped off their Wednesday matinee against Toledo on Education Day, Bulls head coach Becky Burke set the tone.
As she pumped up the crowd just before tip-off, Alumni Arena turned into a loud house. An all-time record-setting crowd of 4,096 people filled mostly with elementary and middle schoolers, made their presence felt.
“Setting an arena record here is pretty incredible given how this city supports women's basketball," Burke said after the game. "Thank you to everyone who came out here and supported us. It's going to go down in the record books.”
The game itself lived up to the hype. After trailing by as many as 19 points, Buffalo clawed back into the game and Chellia Watson hit a game-tying three with 11 seconds to go.
Toledo, however, came back with a three of their own on the other end and spoiled the fun as they went on to win 58-55. Despite the loss, Watson and her teammates know how special today will be down the road.
“We play for the kids," Watson said. "We’re like their role models and we try to do our best for the kids. Just having them here and knowing they can do anything and if they want to be like one of us when they grow up they can try hard."
So no, this was not the result the Bulls wanted today but in many ways, it was still a win.
“So they know there’s more out there than just the classroom," said Lackawanna middle school teacher Kelli Thompson. "There’s so many things to learn whether it be social or emotional, sports and just motivating them to be the best they can."
"There’s so much pressure in school these days for academics, but to be here with so many schools from the area and all they're worrying about is cheering for their team, that’s great and what kids need," Blasdell Kindergarten teacher Lindsay Jakubowski added.
Up Next: Buffalo (19-3) heads to Conway, South Carolina on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. game against Coastal Carolina.
