BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State men's basketball team was tripped up at home, 71-62, by the Hilbert College Hawks in their latest contest before the December Break.

GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Hilbert College – 71, Buffalo State – 62
LOCATION: Sports Arena – Buffalo, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 4-5 (0-2 SUNYAC), Hilbert College: 9-1 (2-0 AMCC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Chisom Ani (Elmont, NY/John Browne) led the Bengals with 16 points, going 4-8 from the floor, and 8-8 from the free-throw line. Jacob Opare (Bronx, NY/St Raymond) backed up Ani with 13 points.   
• On the boards, Opare led with nine rebounds, while also finishing with three assists, tying for the lead with Oryan DeJesus (Schenectady, NY/ Mekeel Christian Academy).
• As a team, the Bengals shot 30.3% from the field, 18.5% from beyond the arc, and 73.9% from the free-throw line.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After dropping their first two SUNYAC matchups of the season, the Bengals looked to head into the holiday break with a non-conference win over the Hilbert College Hawks.
• The first half was a defensive slugfest, as both teams struggled to find momentum, with shots failing to fall. However, it would be the Bengals who'd find gold first, kicking off a 10-0 run midway through the half to go up seven points on the Hawks. While the Hawks would respond, chipping away at the Bengals' lead and finding their way to tie this matchup, both sides would grit out the final seconds of the half and walked into halftime tied at 24-24.
• In the second half, the pace of play picked up, as both sides traded baskets to open the half. After drilling a three to go up five on the Hawks, the Bengals would fall behind, as the Hawks would respond with an 11-0 run to take the lead. Trailing by six, the Bengals looked to keep this game within reach, but a hot shooting half from the Hawks would see the Bengals' deficit climb to double digits late in the half, and would be just out of reach for the Bengals to overcome, falling in this hard-fought, non-conference matchup with the Hawks.

FOR THE FOES

• Larry Morse led all scorers with 20 points, while Jayden Montgomery added 18 points in support, and Ari Jones finished with 17 points.
• As a team, the Hawks shot 50.0% from the floor and 73.3% from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will enjoy some time off to rest and recover, as campus heads towards the Holiday Break. The Bengals will return to action on Tuesday, January 6th, as they host the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs in the Sports Arena at 7:30 PM.