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Akron Dials Long Distance to Defeat Buffalo, 76-56

Greg Gamble

AKRON, OH – The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team dropped a 76-56 decision at Akron on Saturday night.

Akron utilized the three-point shot to its advantage as 13 of its 20 field goals on the night came from beyond the arc. In the second half alone, the Zips shot 7-of-10 from long range.

Buffalo chose to work the ball down low for its scoring chances and it proved successful. The Bulls outscored the Zips, 36-12, in the paint.

The Zips took a four-point halftime lead and built it to 13 with 11:42 left in the game. However, the Bulls battled back and over the next four minutes and managed to cut the lead to five. Greg Gamble (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) scored 10 of his team-high 19 points during the run and the Bulls trailed, 54-49, with 7:59 remaining.

But Cedrick Middleton hit back-to-back three-pointers and Akron quickly regained an 11-point advantage and silenced the UB threat.

Despite the loss, there were a number of positives for the Bulls. Jawaan Alston (Uniontown, PA/Albert Gallatin) played the best game of his young career with a career-high 11 points to go along with six rebounds, two blocked shots and a pair of steals in 31 minutes.

John Boyer (Hollidaysburg, PA/Hollidaysburg) provided solid minutes off the bench and proved to be a spark in the Bulls’ comeback effort. The sophomore point guard dished out five assists in only 14 minutes of action.

Defensively, the Bulls had eight steals – led by Sean Smiley’s (Erie, PA/MCDowell) career-best three – and forced 20 Akron turnovers.

Max Boudreau (Montreal, Quebec/Champlain-St. Lambert) added 10 points for the Bulls.

Akron (20-8, 10-4 MAC) was led by Middleton who scored 20 points, including six three-pointers. Nick Dials added 17 points for the Zips.

Buffalo (9-18, 2-12 MAC) will return home for its final home game of the season on Tuesday night when it hosts Bowling Green at Alumni Arena. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 pm.