Kent State improves to 14-6 overall and 4-3 in conference play. Buffalo falls to 13-7 (4-3 MAC).
Pippen scored a . .
Senior Troy Simons added 16 points, while sophomore Anthony Roberts scored nine. Senior CJ Williamson had a productive night on the boards grabbing a team-high nine and had four steals.
Buffalo had a balanced scoring attack, with four players reaching double figures. Davonta Jordan led the quartet with 13 points and also had a game-high six assists. Jeenathan Williams and Jayvon Graves scored 11 apiece, while RonaldoSegu added 10.
KSU and Buffalo traded the lead twice inside the five-minute mark of the first half, but the Golden Flashes closed the first half on a 13-4 run, including a buzzer-beater from senior Mitch Peterson, en route to a 33-26 lead.
UB cut Kent State's lead to three points in the first four minutes of the second half and tied the game at 41 just before a timeout at 15:18. The Golden Flashes forced the Bulls to call a timeout after Simons hit back-to-back shots, including a three-pointer, that opened KSU's lead to 53-47.
KSU took its largest lead of the game, 58-50, with 6:55 remaining, but a 10-0 run by the Bulls gave them a 60-58 lead, their first of the half, with 4:23 left. Pippen gave the Flashes a 64-61 from hitting two three-pointers and sealed the victory hitting his six free throws in the final minute.