NIAGARA UNIV. — The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team went on 15-3 run over the final four and a half minutes on Friday night, defeating Niagara, 76-66, in the season opener for both teams. It was the first time that the Bulls had won their road opener since 2009-10.
Buffalo got out to a slow start in the contest as the Bulls turned it over six times in the first five minutes and Niagara took advantage, opening a 15-6 lead with 12:32 left in the opening half. The Purple Eagles continued to lead by nine with 5:51 left when the Bulls scored seven straight points, capped off on a fast-break layup from redshirt sophomore Dontay Caruthers, cutting the Niagara advantage to 26-24. The two teams played even for the final 4:19 of the half as the Bulls went into the break down, 33-31.
UB came out in the second half and outscored Niagara, 45-33, as the Bulls recorded just six second half turnovers, while also shooting nearly 61% from the field over the final 20 minutes. Four quick points to start the half gave Buffalo its first lead at 35-33 and a three pointer off the bench by freshman James Jones increased the UB lead to 53-45 with 12:47 left.
The Purple Eagles then went on a 13-4 run as a three pointer from Matt Scott gave Niagara a 58-57 lead with 7:08 remaining. Niagara continued to lead 63-61 after a pair of free throws when the Bulls answered with their game-ending run. Senior Willie Conner got it started with a three pointer, the first of 11 straight UB points. Freshman Quate McKinzie had a layup in the run and then Conner delivered the backbreaker, a four-point play with 2:37 left, giving UB a 70-63 lead. McKinzie had back-to-back baskets after that, as a fast-break dunk with 1:01 left gave Buffalo its largest lead of the game at 74-64. UB would go on to win by that same margin, 76-66.
“I thought it was a tough, hard fought win and Niagara competed really hard,” said UB head coach Nate Oats. “We had to figure some different lineups out tonight and I thought Davonta gave us great minutes, he just has to learn to play without fouling. We definitely had some guys step up and I was really happy with Quate’s play, but we have a few guys that need to play better. However, for the first game of the season, on the road, we will take the win for sure.”
The Purple Eagles begin a three-game road trip starting Sunday against Brown at 3 p.m. The game will air on WGR 550 AM and on the Niagara Sports Network via PurpleEagles.com.
The Bulls will remain on the road Monday night when they travel to nationally-ranked Xavier for a 7 p.m. contest that will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.
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