MORRISVILLE, NY – The Buffalo State men's basketball team picked up a major win on the road, 82-75, over the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs, keeping their SUNYAC playoff hopes alive.
 
GAME BASICS

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State – 82, SUNY Morrisville – 75
LOCATION: John W. Stewart Center for Student Activities – Morrisville, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 6-14 (4-9 SUNYAC), SUNY Morrisville: 10-8 (6-6 SUNYAC)

INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Matt Parkinson (Springfield Greens, NY/John Browne) led the Bengals in the scoring department, finishing the day with a 19-point performance, going 6-15 from the field, while banking home five three-pointers. Nate Severson (Hamburg, NY/Hamburg) provided some extra help with an 18-point performance, netting four threes' as well.
• Chisom Ani (Elmont NY/John Browne) kept play alive for the Bengals, pulling down six rebounds for the Bengals.
• As a team, Bengals shot 48.1% from the floor, while going 51.9% from the three-point arc and 69.6% at the free-throw line.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• As the Bengals looked for a late season push into the SUNYAC playoff contention, a matchup with the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs was the latest stack of hurdles in the Bengals path for playoff contention. Opening the first half, the Bengals looked like a team poised for a win, starting off strong and jumping out to an early lead on the Mustangs. By the midway point of the half, both teams would begin to trade baskets, with the Mustangs closing the gap on the Bengals and bringing this matchup within one-point with six minutes left in the half. However, the Bengals would keep their foot on the pedal with some hot scoring from behind the three-point line and head into halftime with a seven-point lead over the Mustangs.
• In the second half, the Bengals would come out sleepwalking…opening the door for the Mustangs to come back in this matchup and bringing this game within one possession. But all credit given to the Bengals staff and players, who would find a way to answer the call and tighten up their performance on the defensive end and keeping the Mustangs at bay as much as they could. While the Mustangs would bring this game back to a one-possession game, the 'foul game' would benefit the Bengals as they hit their free-throws late, while holding the Mustangs on the defensive end and grit out a major SUNYAC win on the road.

FOR THE FOES

• Jalyn Moorehead led the Mustangs in scoring with 20-points.
• Chris Merilus would bring down seven boards for the Mustangs in this matchup.

UP NEXT
The Bengals will be looking to carry this momentum back into the Sports Arena, as they host the SUNY Canton Roos Friday, February 7^th at 7:30 P.M.