ROCHESTER, NY – Amanda Olsen (Glen Mills, PA/Archmere Academy) notched a career-high 21 points as the RIT women's basketball team (6-1) tied a program record with 97 points, beating Buffalo State (5-3) 97-74 in its 2015-16 home opener at Clark Gymnasium on Friday night.
 
The Tigers, who won their third straight game, equaled their best scoring mark from 2009, when they scored 97 against Hilbert. The Tigers' 56 first-half points also set a new record. The win against the Bengals was also the first in program history, on their ninth try. RIT has also matched its best start in program history, last starting 6-1 in the 2006-07 season.
 
Individually, Olsen, who set a career-high in scoring for the second game in a row, shot 8-for-11 from the field, adding seven rebounds and three assists. Jessica Glaz (Rockaway Beach, NY/Scholars Academy) scored 17 first-half points, en route to a game-high 24 points and six assists. Tara Lynch (Green Township, NJ/Newton) scored 19 points on 9-for-14 shooting, adding six rebounds. RIT moved the ball well, assisting on 23 out of 38 baskets, while shooting a scorching 55 percent from the field.
 
Britt Perry and Caleh McLean each scored 16 points to lead the Bengals, who were held to 36 percent shooting in the contest.
 
"It's not everyday that you score 97 points," said RIT women's head coach Amy Reed. "The girls shot the ball very well, especially in the first half. We had some trouble on the defensive end, but we had a lot of players contribute. It's great to be 6-1 heading into the holiday break."
 
RIT had trouble in the beginning of the game, as Buffalo State was able to grab offensive rebounds at will, as they put up an early 8-4 lead. Once the game settled down, however, the Tigers took advantage in transition.
 
Off a made layup by the Bengals, Olsen found Glaz on the wing on the next posession, as she nailed a quick 3-pointer, giving RIT a lead they would never relinquish. After a stop on defense, Maria Edwards (Forrest Hill, MD/The Carroll School) found Olsen at the key, as her jumper gave the Tigers a 13-10 lead. After a missed shot on the other end, Edwards, pushing the pace, found Glaz at the same spot on the wing, as she nailed another trey, stretching the lead to six, part of a 12-2 run. Glaz later made her third 3-pointer of the quarter, part of a 13-point first quarter effort, as the Tigers held a 33-21 lead after one.
 
The run continued into the second quarter, as RIT began the period on a 9-1 spurt. Edwards later fed Lynch in the post, as she made the bucket while getting fouled. The 3-point play stretched the lead to its highest point of the first half, at 52-33. After a made jumper by Olsen with a few seconds left in the half, Aaliyah Graham raced to the other end of the court, and launched a 3-pointer that beat the buzzer, reducing the RIT lead to 15, at 56-41.
 
In the second half, the Bengals tried to mount a comeback, as a Clarissa Matias trey reduced the lead to 64-51, midway through the third quarter. The Tigers then made their final push, as consecutive layups by Glaz and Kara Birrell (Keego Harbor, MI/Walled Lake) sparked a big 21-6 run that ran through the fourth quarter, as the lead stretched to its highest margin at 28. 
 
The Tigers will take their holiday break, resuming action on Dec. 30 when they take on Elmira College (2-5) on the road, at 3 p.m.