Buffalo State’s men’s basketball team enters the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships as the No. 5 seed, and will head to Cortland to take on the No. 4 Red Dragons in the conference quarterfinals this Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Corey Gymnasium.
The Bengals (16-8/10-8) punched their playoff ticket on the last day of the regular season, defeating Fredonia in a ‘Battle by the Lake’ conference contest, 60-59.
Buffalo State has now advanced to the post season in three-consecutive seasons. The Bengals finished second in the SUNYAC and 32nd in the nation in scoring, averaging 84.9 points per game. The team finished the season shooting 45.9 percent from the field (second in conference).
The Bengals have been led by Lovell Smith (Buffalo/McKinley) and Mike Henry (Syracuse/West Genesee). Smith is fifth in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.6 points per game and second in field goal percentage, shooting 56.4 percent. The senior forward has also chipped in 6.6 rebounds per game, 18 blocks and 42 steals.
Henry leads the SUNYAC with a 57.8 field goal percentage and is fifth in the conference, averaging 8.4 boards. The junior forward chips in 16 points per game and has recorded 53 steals.
Jordan Glover (Buffalo/St. Joe’s) offers the Bengals strong play on both ends of the floor. The senior guard is 11th in Division III in steals per game, averaging 2.74 per contest, and ninth in the country with a 3.35 assist-to-turnover ratio. He also averages 10 points per game.
Jordan Chateau (Bayside/Lowell) and Leon Moise (Brooklyn/Thomas Jefferson) are back from mid-season injuries, and both provide solid minutes at center. Dom Grayer (Brooklyn/Bishop Loughlin) has stepped into his own this year, rounding out the Bengal attack with a career-best 11.3 points per game.
The Red Dragons (17-8/12-6) have been led by Justin Cooper (16.9 points, 8.7 rebounds per game) and James Morales (15.5 points). Cortland earned the No. 4 seed after winning six of its last eight conference games.
The two teams split its season-series, with Cortland picking up a 91-80 win back on Dec. 9, and Buffalo State getting revenge with a 78-70 victory on Feb. 10.
The Bengals lead the head-to-head series all-time, 55-42. The last time these two teams meet in the post season, No. 2 Buffalo State defeated No. 7 Cortland, 75-56 in the 2011 conference quarterfinals.
The winner will advance to face Oswego in the SUNYAC Semifinals on Friday, Feb. 24 at Max Ziel Gymnasium. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.
from BuffaloStateAthletics.com via IFTTT
