BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State men's basketball earned a thrilling win over the Morrisville Mustangs tonight at the Sports Arena with a final score of 73-65. The win gives head coach Mike Berkun his first career SUNYAC win.

GAME BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 73, Morrisville – 65
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 3-7 (1-2 SUNYAC), Morrisville: 5-5 (1-2 SUNYAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Zee Johnson (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) and Matt Parkinson (Springfield Gardens, NY/John Browne) led the way for Buffalo State with 18 points apiece.
• Johnson also shot 3-5 (60%) from three point range.
• Ephraim Strong (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) chipped in career-high 12 points.
• Buffalo State also had the advantage in rebounds with a narrow 40-38 margin.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first half was a constant back-and-forth affair with either team's lead never exceeding four until the final minutes.
• The Mustangs were able to end the half on a 12-3 run to carry a 35-27 lead into halftime.
• Morrisville was able to grow their lead to 11 out of the half before the Bengals offense began to catch fire.
• The Bengals gradually chipped away at the Mustangs lead and regained the lead after a free throw from Parkinson and a three-pointer of Nate Severson (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg).
• A 7-0 run from the Mustangs put Morrisville back in front before the Bengals pounced for a 9-3 run capped-off by a three-pointer from Parkinson to put Buffalo state in front for good.
• The Bengals kept the pressure on in the final minutes as they came away with their first conference win of the season.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Kareem Sanders led the Mustangs with a double-double performance with 14 points and 10 rebounds while also shooting 6-7 (85.7%) from the free throw line.
• Jacob Works chipped in 12 points and four assists.

 
UP NEXT
The Bengals return to action this weekend as they will host Potsdam for another SUNYAC matchup at 6:00 pm.