BUFFALO, NY--
Roderick Epps (Uniondale/Uniondale) led four Bengals in double figures with 23 points as Buffalo State (1-0) ran past Medaille (0-1), 102-86, in the non-conference season opener tonight at the Buffalo State Sports Arena.
Sophomore
Jordan Glover (Buffalo/Sweet Home) netted a career-best 19 points to bolster Buffalo State's attack. Newcomer
Kevin Marmolejos (Woodhaven/Beach Channel) added 12 points, and
Chris Thompson (Far Rockaway/Channel View) chipped in 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.
Jammal Coleman (Rochester/Aquinas) led Medaille with 37 points, including going 18 of 20 at the free-throw line. Cooper Calzonetti (Neptune, NJ/Neptune) had 10 points and nine rebounds, and Chris Willingham (Nashville, TN/E. Literature) also scored 10 points.
Buffalo State used a 20-2 run midway through the opening half to take a 17-point lead, but stormed back to get within two before trailing 49-42 at halftime. The second half followed a similar script with Buffalo State quickly jumping out to a 19-point advantage, but Medaille battled back again, closing the deficit to 91-84 with three minutes remaining. The Bengals had an answer, however, capitalizing on turnovers and making free throws down the stretch to pull away for the 16-point win.
Buffalo State shot 59-percent from the field, compared to 42-percent shooting by Medaille. The Mavericks were able to stay in the game, shooting 83-percent from the charity stripe, and outscoring Buffalo State 29-16 at the line. The Bengals had success from long range, however, going 10 of 20 from beyond the arc. Buffalo State also forced 22 Medaille miscues and had a 30-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Bengals improved to 8-0 all-time against Medaille.
Buffalo State will host Point Park as part of the Coles Classic next Thursday at 7 p.m.
