MEN'S BASKETBALL

Roster  |  Coaches  |  Schedule / Results  |  News

Bulls Come Back to Sting Hornets, 56-51

Roderick Middleton

Delaware State jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the game and looked as if it was going to run away with the contest. The Hornets played stingy defense early to force nine first-half turnovers and hold the Bulls to a season-low 19 first-half points. Delaware State held a 33-19 lead at the half.

The Hornets extended their lead to 36-19 on a three-pointer by Darrin Shine with 19:01 left in the game. Delaware State held a 49-38 advantage with 8:24 remaining before the Bulls mounted their comeback.

Sparked and capped by Roderick Middleton (University Park, IL/Marian Catholic) three-pointers, the Bulls rattled off 13 unanswered points to take their first lead of the game, 51-49, with 4:12 remaining. A Jahsha Bluntt jumper tied the contest on the Hornets’ next possession, but it would be the last points Delaware State would score. Yassin Idbihi (Tangier, Morocco/Schloss Hagerhof) hit a runner in the lane to give the Bulls a 53-51 lead. UB would seal the victory with free throws in the closing seconds.

It was a tale of two halves for the Bulls. After shooting a dismal 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from the field in the first half, UB rebounded to shoot 65.2 percent (15-for-23) in the second half. Defensively, the Bulls clamped down in the second half and held the Hornets to only four points over the final 10:13 of the contest. In addition, UB committed only four second-half turnovers.

Middleton led UB with 15 points, 13 of which were scored in the second half. Calvin Cage (Capitol Heights, MD/Bladensburg) notched 14 points and Parnell Smith (Indianapolis, IN/Pike) chipped in with 10 points. Middleton and Idbihi shared team rebounding honors with six boards apiece.

Delaware State (2-10) was led by Bluntt who scored 17 points and added 10 rebounds.

Buffalo will return home to open Mid-American Conference play on Wednesday night when it hosts Eastern Michigan at Alumni Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 pm.