BUFFALO, NY— Jake Simmons (Rochester/School of the Arts) tallied a game-high 24 points, and No. 21 Buffalo State (8-1) watched a 3-point attempt by Capital (5-5) rim out at the buzzer to hold on for an 81-78 overtime victory in the title game of the Coles Classic today at the Sports Arena.
Morrisville State (4-6) cruised past conference-rival Keuka (1-8), 77-49, in the consolation game.
Justin Mitchell (Buffalo/Timon) and Ahmed Nagaya (Bronx/Astor Collegiate) each posted double-doubles in the win for Buffalo State. Mitchell finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Nagaya had 15 points and 10 boards. Nico McLean (Amherst/Amherst) chipped in 10 points and four assists.
Spencer Niekamp (St. Henry, OH/St. Henry) led Capital with 22 points and nine rebounds. Kelly Winter (Dublin, OH/Scioto) added 16 points and nine boards, and Ben Danhoff (Clyde, OH/Clyde) had 10 points and seven rebounds.
After an opening half that saw eight lead changes, Capital held a 32-29 edge heading into the locker room. Buffalo State assembled an early 11-0 run in the second half to lead by as many as nine, but the Crusaders continued to hang around. After Nagaya gave the Bengals a 2-point lead with 38 seconds remaining in regulation, Niekamp hit a jumper with 23 ticks left to even the score at 68-68. The Bengals nearly turned the ball over in the closing seconds and could not get a desperation shot to fall.
The Bengals never trailed in overtime, opening the session with a 9-1 run. Capital battled back again however, and had a look to tie the game at the buzzer, but an open 3-point look by Michael Sommer (Celina, OH/Celina) rattled in and out.
A day after hitting 12 3-pointers, Capital shot just 3 of 23 from long range today, including misfiring on its first 14 attempts. Buffalo State was just 2 of 13 from beyond the arc.
In the consolation game, five players scored in double-figures to lead Morrisville. Andrew Lucio (Syracuse/Solvay) netted a game-high 14 points to go with six rebounds and four assists. Mickey Davis (Syracuse/Jamesville-Dewitt) and Kucjok Ater (Syracuse/Bishop Grimes) tallied 13 and 12 points respectively. Brandon Hanks (Syracuse/Henninger) added 11 points, seven boards and six assists, and Kyle Gordon (Riverhead/Riverhead) also scored 11.
Teddy Tuggles (Rochester/Gates-Chili) led Keuka with 10 points, and Coty Paige (Rochester/Greece-Arcadia) had eight points and five rebounds.
Morrisville raced out to a 49-26 advantage at halftime and coasted to the win over the final 20 minutes. The Mustangs owned the glass, outrebounding the Storm, 51-34. Morrisville shot 44-percent, compared to 31-percent shooting by Keuka.
Tournament MVP: Jake Simmons (Buffalo State)
All-Tournament Team: Justin Mitchell (Buffalo State), Ahmed Nagaya (Buffalo State), Spencer Niekamp (Capital), Kelly Winter (Capital), Brandon Hanks (Morrisville State)