BUFFALO, NY – The Buffalo State men's basketball team dropped their SUNYAC opener, falling 84-71 to the SUNY Potsdam Bears.

GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: SUNY Potsdam – 84, Buffalo State – 71
LOCATION: Jerry Welsh Gymnasium – Potsdam, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 4-3 (0-1 SUNYAC), SUNY Potsdam: 1-6 (1-0 SUNYAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Hali Shabazz (Buffalo, NY/St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute) led the Bengals with 14-points, going 5-9 from the field. Wilmer Beard backed up Shabazz with 13-points, going 3-4 from beyond the arc.
• On the boards, Chisom Ani (Elmont, NY/John Browne) led all players with ten rebounds, to add on to his 12 points and securing a double-double.
• As a team, the Bengals shot 40.0% from the field, 47.1% from beyond the arc, and 57.5% from the free-throw line.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Fresh off their third win of the season in the Sports Arena, the Bengals looked to carry that momentum into the start of SUNYAC play as they traveled to SUNY Potsdam.
• The first half opened with both teams trading baskets, before the Bears gained a slight edge. A scoreless stretch midway through the half sparked the Bengals to regroup and capitalize on the Bears' cold spell, trimming the deficit to two. However, the Bears responded with back-to-back threes to push their lead to eight. Battling to gain momentum before the break, the Bengals closed the gap and entered halftime trailing by six.
• In the second half, the Bengals struggled to find offensive rhythm, going through another scoring drought to start the frame. The Bears took advantage, extending their lead into double digits. Despite continued effort from the Bengals, cold shooting proved costly, as the Bears maintained control and closed out the matchup by double digits in the SUNYAC opener.

FOR THE FOES

• Jaylen Singh led all scorers with 23 points. Mike Hancock finished with 17 points and a team-high, eight rebounds.
• As a team, the Saxons shot 56.9% from the field and 76.0% from the free-throw line.

UP NEXT
The Bengals remain on the road, traveling to Plattsburgh State tomorrow afternoon for a 4:00 PM matchup with the Cardinals.