Bulls rumble past Sun Devils
TULSA, OK -- Jeremy Harris and Nick Perkins notched twin double-doubles of 21 points and 10 rebounds each as four Bulls reached double figures in a 92-79 victory over Arizona State Friday at Bank of Oklahoma Center.
Also reaching double figures were C.J. Massinburg (18 points) and Jeremy Graves (13 points). UB hit 51.7 percent overall, making 31 of 60 from the floor and 10-of-27 (37%) from beyond the arc.
Arizona State, which earned victories in seven of its previous nine outings, connected on 26-of-60 from the floor and a miniscule 3-of-22 on threes.
Both teams cashed in on 19 free throws, although the Sun Devils were nearly perfect at 19-of-20. Buffalo made 19-of-26 at the stripe.
Arizona State led 14-10 before Buffalo put together a 14-2 run and by halftime, the Bulls owned a 31-19 advantage.
UB carried its momentum into the second half and forged a massive 74-49 lead with 9:20 left.
ASU, led by former Bulls head coach Bobby Hurley, chipped away with the help of a full court press, but it could not close within single digits and fell by 17.
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It was the 13th straight win for sixth-seeded Buffalo, which reaches the NCAA tourney’s second round for the second straight year. The Bulls will face another hot team, West Regional No. 3 seed Texas Tech, Tuesday. The Red Raiders won nine of their last 10 outings before knocking off Northern Kentucky 72-57 earlier Friday.
Also reaching double figures were C.J. Massinburg (18 points) and Jeremy Graves (13 points). UB hit 51.7 percent overall, making 31 of 60 from the floor and 10-of-27 (37%) from beyond the arc.
Arizona State, which earned victories in seven of its previous nine outings, connected on 26-of-60 from the floor and a miniscule 3-of-22 on threes.
Both teams cashed in on 19 free throws, although the Sun Devils were nearly perfect at 19-of-20. Buffalo made 19-of-26 at the stripe.
Arizona State led 14-10 before Buffalo put together a 14-2 run and by halftime, the Bulls owned a 31-19 advantage.
UB carried its momentum into the second half and forged a massive 74-49 lead with 9:20 left.
ASU, led by former Bulls head coach Bobby Hurley, chipped away with the help of a full court press, but it could not close within single digits and fell by 17.
NEXT:
It was the 13th straight win for sixth-seeded Buffalo, which reaches the NCAA tourney’s second round for the second straight year. The Bulls will face another hot team, West Regional No. 3 seed Texas Tech, Tuesday. The Red Raiders won nine of their last 10 outings before knocking off Northern Kentucky 72-57 earlier Friday.
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TULSA, OK – For the second straight season, the University at Buffalo men's basketball team rather easily defeated an opponent from the Pac-12 Conference in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The sixth-seeded Bulls defeated 11th-seeded Arizona State, 91-74, at the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK on Friday afternoon to advance to the Round of 32.
Trailing 14-10, the Bulls used their patented defense to mount a 21-5 scoring run, thanks to a number of buckets in transition, and took a 31-19 lead, setting the tone for the rest of the game. UB's lead stayed in double-figures for the remainder of the game and it took a 44-31 into the locker room at the break.
Nick Perkins was an early spark for Bulls. The senior forward led all scorers with 12 first-half points on 5-of-9 shooting. Jeremy Harris and CJ Massinburg each added nine first-half points to pace UB.
Arizona State cut the Buffalo lead to 46-37 early in the second half, but the Bulls responded with an 11-2 scoring run, capped by a Harris layup to take their largest lead of the game, 57-39, with 14:47 left. The Bulls were able to build their lead to as many as 25 points midway through the second half and the Sun Devils never threatened again.
Perkins finished with 21 points and added 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Harris tallied identical numbers with 21 points and 10 rebounds as well. Massinburg had 18 points and Jayvon Graves added 13 points to round out the Bulls in double-figures.
Though not nearly as big as Arizona State, the Bulls commanded the glass, outrebounding the Sun Devils, 42-26. Buffalo had 13 offensive rebounds and scored 16 second chance points. Defensively, UB held Arizona State without a three-pointer in the first half and just 3-of-22 from beyond the arc in the game.
"I'm really proud of our guys," head coach Nate Oats said. "They showed their experience. We kind of settled in there after about the first 8 minutes on defense and forced some tough shots. You know, I told these guys coming in, if we can get our turnovers down and win the rebounding battle, I think we'll win."
The win improved the Bulls to 32-3 on the year and extended their win streak to 13 games.
The Bulls will next play third-seeded Texas Tech on Sunday. The Red Raiders won their first-round game, 72-57, of Northern Kentucky.
Trailing 14-10, the Bulls used their patented defense to mount a 21-5 scoring run, thanks to a number of buckets in transition, and took a 31-19 lead, setting the tone for the rest of the game. UB's lead stayed in double-figures for the remainder of the game and it took a 44-31 into the locker room at the break.
Nick Perkins was an early spark for Bulls. The senior forward led all scorers with 12 first-half points on 5-of-9 shooting. Jeremy Harris and CJ Massinburg each added nine first-half points to pace UB.
Arizona State cut the Buffalo lead to 46-37 early in the second half, but the Bulls responded with an 11-2 scoring run, capped by a Harris layup to take their largest lead of the game, 57-39, with 14:47 left. The Bulls were able to build their lead to as many as 25 points midway through the second half and the Sun Devils never threatened again.
Perkins finished with 21 points and added 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Harris tallied identical numbers with 21 points and 10 rebounds as well. Massinburg had 18 points and Jayvon Graves added 13 points to round out the Bulls in double-figures.
Though not nearly as big as Arizona State, the Bulls commanded the glass, outrebounding the Sun Devils, 42-26. Buffalo had 13 offensive rebounds and scored 16 second chance points. Defensively, UB held Arizona State without a three-pointer in the first half and just 3-of-22 from beyond the arc in the game.
"I'm really proud of our guys," head coach Nate Oats said. "They showed their experience. We kind of settled in there after about the first 8 minutes on defense and forced some tough shots. You know, I told these guys coming in, if we can get our turnovers down and win the rebounding battle, I think we'll win."
The win improved the Bulls to 32-3 on the year and extended their win streak to 13 games.
The Bulls will next play third-seeded Texas Tech on Sunday. The Red Raiders won their first-round game, 72-57, of Northern Kentucky.
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