BUFFALO — Buffalo State outscored Alfred State 13-5 in the third quarter to erase a seven-point deficit and take a 30-29 lead, but it wasn’t enough as the Bengals fell 56-54 in overtime to the Pioneers in a thriller at the Buffalo State College Sports Arena this evening.
Caleh McLean (New Rochelle/New Rochelle) led Buffalo State with 23 points on 8-of-22 shooting (including 6-of-7 from the line). Aaliyah Graham (Huntington/Elwood-John Glenn) chipped in 13 points while Grace Licata (Williamsville/Williamsville South) added eight. Princella McCullough (Rochester/Bishop Kearney) finished with a team-high nine rebounds and two blocks. Alfred State and Buffalo State went back and forth for much of the first quarter, with the Pioneers entering the second with a 12-11 lead. Alfred State went on to outscore the Bengals 12-6 in the second quarter, extending its lead to seven to take a 24-17 lead into halftime. Buffalo State shot just 17.9 percent from the field during the first half.
The Bengals came out of halftime strong, and outscored the Pioneers 13-5 in the third quarter to take a 30-29 lead into the fourth. Buffalo State raced out to an 11-point, 44-33 lead halfway through the fourth behind baskets from McLean, Licata, and Taylor Graham (Santa Rosa, CA/Maria Carrrillo). Alfred State answered, and went on an 11-0 run over the remainder of the quarter to tie the game at 44 and force overtime.
The Pioneers stayed hot in the overtime period, jumping out to a nine-point, 53-44 lead with 2:25 left in the game. Buffalo State was down but not out. The Bengals battled back and tied the game off a 3-pointer by Graham with 56 seconds left to play. Each team got an offensive possession before Alfred capitalized with a made jumper to take a two point lead with 11 seconds left. Buffalo State found itself at the line with a chance to tie the game with one second remaining but the first foul shot bounced out. With nothing but 0.4 seconds left, the second free throw was banked off the rim and into the air but not enough time remained for Buffalo State to get a tip-in opportunity off of it, giving Alfred State a 56-54 win.
The Bengals sit at 3-2 on the young season, with their only loses coming by a combined four points.
Buffalo State jumps into SUNYAC play this weekend, hosting Plattsburgh on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Potsdam on Saturday at 4 p.m. You can watch both games live on buffalostateathletics.com.
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