GENESEO, N.Y.— Sophomore Robert Richards (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) made a game-saving block with 29 seconds left, lifting the Buffalo State men's basketball team to an impressive 67-66 victory over Geneseo in SUNYAC action Tuesday evening.
 
GAME BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State –67, Geneseo – 66
LOCATION:  Schrader Gymnasium – Geneseo, N.Y.
RECORDS:  Buffalo State 3-16, 2-10 SUNYAC), Geneseo (9-10, 7-6)


INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Richards led all scorers with 16 points, shooting 7-of-14 from the field. He added four rebounds and two blocks, including the game-winner.
• Daron Hughey (Hartford, CT/The Masters School) tallied 15 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
• Aaron Davis (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) added 11 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
• Philbert Weekes (Brooklyn, NY/Lafayette) and Marquell Boutwell (Liverpool, N.Y./) each tallied double-doubles.
• The Bengals shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the field and outrebounded the Knights by a 43-34 margin.
• The Bengals split the season series with the Knights after tonight's win, after Geneseo defeated Buffalo State 78-77 in overtime on Dec. 4.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a tight first 10 minutes, Geneseo pushed ahead with a 10-0 run to lead by 11, 27-16.
• The Bengals responded with six straight points in the final 2:42, as the Bengals trailed by five, 27-22 at the half.
• The Bengals pushed even further, as Richards and Davis combined to score seven straight Bengal points to trail by one, 30-29.
• A put-back by Boutwell and a Davis 3-pointer in consecutive possessions gave Buffalo State its first lead since the game's early stages at 35-32.
• After a back and forth five minutes, Geneseo flipped the script as Tim Giblin scored five straight points to give the hosts a 50-46 lead at the 11:09 mark.
• 'State went on a 13-3 run, including a Weekes jumper to take a 59-53 lead.
• The Bengals would lead by as many as seven points (64-57) in the second half.
• Geneseo closed the gap in the final 1:34, beginning with a pair of Michael Gannon free throws to reduce the deficit to five at 64-59.
• On the team's next possession, Jackson Gonseth converted on a layup as the lead was cut to three with 54 seconds left in regulation.
• After a Buffalo State miss, Gonesth raced down the court for what appeared to be an uncontested layup, but Richards hustled down the court, blocking the layup as Hughey recovered the loose ball.
• Hughey made 1-of-2 free throws to take a four point, 65-61 lead.
• After both teams converted from the charity stripe, Cole Kattan hit a floating 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left as the Bengals led 67-66.
• The Bengals missed both free throws with 1.2 seconds left, but Gannon's full court heave fell short as the Bengals picked up the crucial victory.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Sebastian Pacheo led the Knights with 13 points, adding four steals.
• Kattan and Giblin each added 11 points.
• Geneseo shot 31.7 percent (20-of-63) from the field and made all 19 of its free throw attempts.

 
UP NEXT
The Bengals will return to the Buffalo State Sports Arena after the four-game road trip, hosting New Paltz on Friday in a 7:30 p.m. start.