HAMBURG, NY – The Buffalo State men's basketball team falls to 0-2 to begin the season, dropping its consolation game against the Penn College Wildcats, 88-72, to round out the 16th Annual Hawks vs. Hunger Tip-Off Tournament, hosted by Hilbert College.
GAME BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Penn College – 88, Buffalo State – 72
LOCATION: Hafner Recreation Center – Hamburg, NY
RECORDS: Buffalo State: 0-2 (0-0 SUNYAC), Penn College: 1-1 (0-0 United East)
INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE
- Oryan DeJesus (Schenectady, NY/Mekeel Christian Academy) led the Bengals with 15 points, while Broek Ostrom (Holley, NY/Holley) added 14 points and led the team with four made threes.
- Michael Smith (Trinidad & Tobago/Bishop's) continued his strong weekend, pacing the Bengals with seven rebounds, while Ephraim Strong (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) led the team with four assists.
- As a team, the Bengals shot 41.2% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the three-point arc, and finished the night shooting 33.3% from the free-throw line.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Returning to the floor after a tough loss last night against Springfield College, the Bengals looked to take some positivity away from the weekend as they battled the Penn College Wildcats in the Hawks vs. Hunger Tip-Off Tournament consolation game.
- In the first half, both sides came out firing, as points tallied up quickly from each team's offense. A 5-0 run from the Wildcats gave the foe its biggest lead of the early going, but the Bengals found some rhythm to tie this one back up late in the half. However, a 9-0 run by the Wildcats forced the Bengals into uncomfortable territory, as they struggled to control the Wildcats' hot shooting late and trailed by double digits at halftime.
- Exiting the halftime break, the Bengals looked to get themselves back into this one, hitting two quick threes to trim their deficit to four points. But the Wildcats returned the favor, extending their lead back to double digits behind an 11-0 run. The Bengals continued to fight, but the Wildcats matched their efforts the rest of the way to close out the consolation matchup.
FOR THE FOES
- Joe Savage led all players with 26 points and 13 rebounds.
- As a team, the Wildcats shot 53.0% from the field, 38.9% from beyond the three-point arc and 64.7% from the free-throw line.
UP NEXT
The Bengals will get a week's rest before returning to action next Saturday, November 14, against the Alfred University Saxons at 2:00 PM.
