BUFFALO, N.Y.—
Sheldon Adams (Rochester/Bishop Kearney) matched his career-high with 31 points, while
Jordan Christopher (Bronx/Mott Haven Campus) added 13 points and eight rebounds, to lift Buffalo State to a 78-71 victory over visiting Washington & Jefferson to capture the crown in the Coles Classic for the first time since 2016.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 78, Washington & Jefferson - 71
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, N.Y.
RECORDS: Buffalo State (2-1), Washington & Jefferson (3-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Adams finished 11 of 20 from the floor and 5 of 10 from long range to lead the Bengals.
- Christopher went 4 of 9 from the field, finishing 5 for 5 from the charity stripe.
- Argjend Imeri (Syracuse/Nottingham) added a career-high 10 points, while Kay Grant (Jamaica/Thomas Jefferson) chipped in eight points and six rebounds.
- Both teams matched each other in the opening minutes, until a quick 12-2 run gave the Bengals an early 22-12 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.
- Buffalo State maintained its momentum for the rest of the first half, using a pair of free throws by Imeri and a layup from Adams to give themselves a 39-35 halftime lead.
- Washington & Jefferson slowly chipped away at the lead for the majority of the second half, trimming it to 52-51 with 13:17 left in the contest.
- The Bengals responded by extending their lead back to 69-57, just seven minutes later, as Imeri connected on a three-point field goal with 6:11 left.
- Buffalo State held its lead for the final six minutes and used four-straight points by Christopher in the final 13 seconds to complete the win.
- The Bengals outscored the Presidents 23-7 on fast break, 22-14 on points off of turnovers and 18-16 in bench production.
- Washington & Jefferson finished with a 38-30 edge in points in the paint.
FOR THE FOES
- Primo Zini finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks to lead the Presidents.
- Okikiola Agbale and Cameron Seeman added 12 and 11 points respectively.
NOTEWORTHY
- Coles Classic Champions: Buffalo State Bengals
- MVP: Sheldon Adams (Buffalo State)
- All-Tournament: Jordan Christopher (Buffalo State), Primo Zini (Washington & Jefferson), Cameron Seeman (Washington & Jefferson), Kevin Dennis (Morrisville), Kirk Hawkins (Medaille.
UP NEXT
Buffalo State will look to continue its winning streak as it hosts St. John Fisher in non-conference action on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 6 p.m.
