UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO ATHLETICS
BUFFALO — Six Bulls scored in double-figures, led by 23 from CJ Massinburg, as the University at Buffalo men’s basketball team made easy work of Robert Morris, 86-70, at Alumni Arena on Saturday afternoon. It was the Bulls’ third straight win.
Massinburg’s 23 points came on 6-of-8 shooting and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The junior guard added 10 rebounds and four assists. It was Massinburg’s sixth 20-point performance of the season.
Ikenna Smart returned to the lineup for the first time this season and was an instant spark for the Bulls. The junior forward scored 10 of his career-high 12 points in the first half and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field in the game.
Davonta Jordan stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, five rebounds, seven assists and a career-high five steals. Jeremy Harris finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Rounding out UB’s double-digit scorers were freshmen James Reese and Jayvon Graves who each tallied 10 points.
Leading, 29-24, with 3:59 left in the first half, the Bulls closed the half on a 17-6 scoring run to take a 46-30 lead at the break. Buffalo extended its lead to as many as 26 in the second half and never looked back.
Defensively, the Bulls held the Colonials to just 2-of-18 from beyond the arc with both three-pointers coming in the game’s final minutes. Buffalo outrebounded Robert Morris, 42-32.
“We really wanted to sure up our three-point percentage defense and our rebounding and we did that today,” head coach Nate Oats said. “It was great to get Ikenna back. I thought he played with unbelievable effort and had energy on the glass. C.J. has been consistent for us and had another double-double.”
Buffalo improved to 7-3 with the win and will start a two-game road trip on Tuesday at Syracuse followed by a Thursday matchup at ninth-ranked Texas A&M.
