BUFFALO, NY – Behind a season-high 93 points, the Buffalo Bulls rolled to a 93-66 win over Ohio, Tuesday night at Alumni Arena. The win was UB's fifth straight and elevated the Bulls into a first place tie in the MAC East with a final slate of regular season games on Friday.
The victory was also UB's 20th of the season, marking the first time it has reached that plateau that since the 2011-12 season. Buffalo is 11-6 in conference play. Ohio, meanwhile, dropped to 9-19 overall and 4-13 in MAC competition.
The Bulls dominated nearly every facet of play on Tuesday evening, finishing with 23 assists to just six turnovers and holding a 42-29 advantage on the boards. The Bulls surrendered just three offensive rebounds all night. UB also forced 16 Ohio turnovers, which it turned into 24 points.
Both teams started off slowly as Ohio led by two, 15-13, just eight minutes into the contest. However, the Bulls went on an 18-5 run over the next six minutes and never looked back. The run was capped off on back-to-back three pointers from Rodell Wigginton and Shannon Evans. Another three from Evans with 1:43 left gave the Bulls their largest lead of the first half at 12, which is the lead they took to intermission following a layup from Wigginton right before the buzzer.
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The victory was also UB's 20th of the season, marking the first time it has reached that plateau that since the 2011-12 season. Buffalo is 11-6 in conference play. Ohio, meanwhile, dropped to 9-19 overall and 4-13 in MAC competition.
The Bulls dominated nearly every facet of play on Tuesday evening, finishing with 23 assists to just six turnovers and holding a 42-29 advantage on the boards. The Bulls surrendered just three offensive rebounds all night. UB also forced 16 Ohio turnovers, which it turned into 24 points.
Both teams started off slowly as Ohio led by two, 15-13, just eight minutes into the contest. However, the Bulls went on an 18-5 run over the next six minutes and never looked back. The run was capped off on back-to-back three pointers from Rodell Wigginton and Shannon Evans. Another three from Evans with 1:43 left gave the Bulls their largest lead of the first half at 12, which is the lead they took to intermission following a layup from Wigginton right before the buzzer.
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The Bulls continued to dominate in the second half as they outscored the Bobcats 52-37 over the final 20 minutes of play. Following a three pointer by Ohio to open the second half, the Bulls went on a 16-3 run, pushing their lead to 57-35 with 15:47 left. The highlight came on a steal from Evans, who bounced a pass between his legs to Xavier Ford, who finished with the dunk while being fouled. It was one of a new career-best 11 assists for Evans.
Ohio pulled within 67-46, but a quick 8-0 run gave UB its largest lead of the game at 75-46 following a three from junior Jarryn Skeete. The Bulls held three separate 29-point leads, with the last one coming with 7:02 left and a 79-50 lead. Ohio pulled no closer than 23 during the remainder of the game.
"I thought we approached tonight the right way because I was worried we might overlook them because of their record, but they have a ton of talent and we respected their talent a lot, so we tried to use what happened at Ohio as some motivation for us," said head coach Bobby Hurley. "Our guys played terrific tonight and Rodell was really good off the bench and gave us a big spark, and then the play we got from Lamonte and Shannon was outstanding."
Junior Justin Moss recorded his 15th double-double of the season as he had 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds while adding an assist and three steals. Wigginton added 20 points and six rebounds, while Evans finished with 16 points and a career-high 11 assists.
Freshman Lamonte Bearden added eight points and eight assists as he and Evans combined for 19 assists and just two turnovers. Skeete added nine points and four rebounds, while Ford had seven points and four rebounds. Senior Will Regan came off the bench and added seven points and four boards.
UB took a season-high 73 shots, making a season-best 36 field goals. UB also made 10 three pointers, its second highest total this season.
Ohio fell to 9-19 on the year and 4-13 in MAC play. Maurice Ndour led the Bobcats with 25 points and six rebounds, while Javarez Willis added 15.
The Bulls will remain home Friday night as they host Bowling Green in the regular season finale. With a win, UB would clinch at least a share of the MAC East Division title. The Bulls are also looking to gain a bye in the upcoming conference tournament. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
Ohio hosts Miami Friday (7 p.m. ET).
(Courtesy of UB Athletics/MRO Edit)
Ohio pulled within 67-46, but a quick 8-0 run gave UB its largest lead of the game at 75-46 following a three from junior Jarryn Skeete. The Bulls held three separate 29-point leads, with the last one coming with 7:02 left and a 79-50 lead. Ohio pulled no closer than 23 during the remainder of the game.
"I thought we approached tonight the right way because I was worried we might overlook them because of their record, but they have a ton of talent and we respected their talent a lot, so we tried to use what happened at Ohio as some motivation for us," said head coach Bobby Hurley. "Our guys played terrific tonight and Rodell was really good off the bench and gave us a big spark, and then the play we got from Lamonte and Shannon was outstanding."
Junior Justin Moss recorded his 15th double-double of the season as he had 22 points and a career-high 17 rebounds while adding an assist and three steals. Wigginton added 20 points and six rebounds, while Evans finished with 16 points and a career-high 11 assists.
Freshman Lamonte Bearden added eight points and eight assists as he and Evans combined for 19 assists and just two turnovers. Skeete added nine points and four rebounds, while Ford had seven points and four rebounds. Senior Will Regan came off the bench and added seven points and four boards.
UB took a season-high 73 shots, making a season-best 36 field goals. UB also made 10 three pointers, its second highest total this season.
Ohio fell to 9-19 on the year and 4-13 in MAC play. Maurice Ndour led the Bobcats with 25 points and six rebounds, while Javarez Willis added 15.
The Bulls will remain home Friday night as they host Bowling Green in the regular season finale. With a win, UB would clinch at least a share of the MAC East Division title. The Bulls are also looking to gain a bye in the upcoming conference tournament. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.
Ohio hosts Miami Friday (7 p.m. ET).
(Courtesy of UB Athletics/MRO Edit)
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