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BOX SCORE)
MAHWAH, N.J.—Buffalo State (22-6) overcame an early 12-point deficit to defeat Gwynedd-Mercy (21-7), 83-73, in an NCAA First Round game this evening at the Bradley Center on the campus of Ramapo College. The victory pushed the Bengals' winning streak to 12 and marked the first win in the tournament for Buffalo State since 1997.
Chris Cartwright (Binghamton/Binghamton) led five Buffalo State players scoring in double-figures with 21 points and had five assists.
Jake Simmons (Rochester/School for the Arts) added 19 points and three blocks. He also broke the school's career record for 3-pointers with 150 in just two seasons.
Glenroy Carr (New York/Sweet Home) chipped in 15 points and seven rebounds, and
Justin Mitchell (Buffalo/Bishop Timon) and
Ahmed Nagaya (Bronx/Astor Collegiate) had 11 points each.
Jon Hogga and Dan DelConte paced the Griffins. Hogga had 18 points, 12 boards and five assists, and DelConte had 18 points and six assists. Jon Crabtree added 13 points.
Buffalo State looked to push the tempo early, and
Norman Simmons (Rochester/East) hit Mitchell for a soaring alley-oop dunk just five seconds into the game. The Griffins matched the Bengals intensity however, and used a 20-5 run to lead by as many as 12 in the first half. Buffalo State answered with a 17-1 run of its own and held a 37-36 halftime edge.
The Bengals scored the first five points of the second half and eventually pushed the lead to nine. Gwynedd-Mercy cut the margin to 64-63 with less than five minutes remaining, but
Jake Simmons hit back-to-back 3's to give Buffalo State some breathing room. The Bengals made free throws down the stretch to pull away.
Buffalo State won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the Griffins, 45-37, including 16-9 on the offensive glass. The Bengals held a 17-2 advantage in second-chance points.
Buffalo State will play Johnson & Wales for a berth in the “Sweet 16” tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The Wildcats upset host Ramapo, 114-106, in overtime tonight, led by the nation's leading scorer Lamonte Thomas' 43 points.
