BUFFALO, NY – Geneseo's Cole Kattan sent the game into overtime with a buzzer-beating put-back, and a trio of last-second shots missed the mark in overtime for the Buffalo State men's basketball team, who dropped a heartbreaking loss to the visiting Knights by a 78-77 score, in SUNYAC action Saturday evening.

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Geneseo – 78, Buffalo State – 77
LOCATION: Buffalo State Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State (0-6, 0-2 SUNYAC), Geneseo (3-3, 2-0 SUNYAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• For the third time this season, Philbert Weekes (Brooklyn, NY/Lafayette) pulled down 20+ rebounds, pulling down 21 to go along with his 17 points, shooting 8-for-16 from the field.
• Sheldon Adams (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney) also scored 17 points, adding three assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
• Brendyn Cheng (Wantagh, NY/Commack) added 10 points and three assists off the bench.
• Marquell Boutwell (Liverpool, NY/Nottingham) added eight points and nine rebounds.
• The Bengals shot 38.6 percent (27-of-70) from the field in the contest and out-rebounded the Knights by a 55-40 margin.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bengals trailed by nine at halftime, but a massive 32-16 advantage in the first 12 minutes of the second half gave the hosts a 59-52 lead.
• The Knights then went on a 10-2 run, as a Sebastian Pacheco 3-pointer gave the visitors a 62-61 lead.
• Tyron Smith (New York, NY/Thurgood Marshall) then scored three consecutive points, including a nifty layup in the paint to give Buffalo State a two-point lead with 2:46 to go.
• Geneseo and Buffalo State continued to take haymakers at each other, as Smith and Kattan hit shots to tie the game at 67 with 1:24 to go.
• Coming off a missed Kattan jumper, Cheng found Boutwell in the paint as he converted on a tough layup to push the Bengals ahead, 69-67 with 52 seconds left in regulation.
• Harrison Dignan was fouled on Geneseo's next possession, but missed the front end of the 1-and-1 as Weekes grabbed the rebound.
• The Geneseo defense forced a Buffalo State shot clock violation on the next possession, as the Knights held the basketball, trailing by two with 11 seconds left.
• On the last possession of regulation, Terrance Nichols missed a contested 3-pointer, but Kattan grabbed the rebound in traffic and lofted a shot from just outside the paint that rattled in, beating the buzzer and sending the game into overtime tied at 69.
• In the extra session, free throws by Adams and a Boutwell put-back layup gave 'State a 72-74 lead.
• Nichols then hit a 3-pointer in the Knights' next possession to give them a 75-74 lead.
• After Boutwell converted at the charity stripe to give the Bengals the lead, Nichols was fouled at the 3-point line, calmly sinking three free throws as Geneseo led 78-76 with 59 seconds left.
• Aaron Davis (Beacon, NY/Beacon) was fouled on the next possession, but only converted one of two free throws as Geneseo held a slim, 78-77 advantage.
• Geneseo held the ball with a chance to extend the lead with nine seconds left, but Kattan missed both free throws, as the Bengals raced down the court.
• Adams took a 3-pointer from the wing in a bid to win the game, but his shot was missed and rebounded by Boutwell, who was fouled trying to go up for the put-back attempt with five tenths of a second left.
• Boutwell then missed both free throws, as Nichols secured the rebound and the Geneseo victory.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Five Knights scored in double figures, as Kattan led the way with 17 points, 15 of them coming in the second half and overtime coming off the bench.
• Dignan added 15 points, nine assists, and six rebounds.
• Michael Gannon added 13 points and seven rebounds.
• Pacheco and Nichols chipped in 12 and 10 points, respectively.
• The Knights shot 42.9 percent (30-of-70) from the field, but made just 7-of-18 shots (38.9 percent) from the charity stripe.

 
UP NEXT
Buffalo State will look for its first victory in its next contest, as the Bengals head to D'Youville on Monday, beginning at 6 p.m.