BUFFALO, NY—Sophomore Dalton Cousin (Sherrill, NY/Vernon-Verona-Sherrill) scored a career-high 22 points in an 83-75 loss to Buffalo State on the road on Saturday afternoon.
 
In addition to setting a career mark in scoring, Cousin also eclipsed his mark in rebounds with eight.  Prior to the game on Saturday, he had collected five rebounds in two games this season. Sophomore Nick Schmidt (Olean, NY/Olean) and junior Tyler Seelman (Lorton, VA/Hayfield Secondary) also helped pace the Saxon offense with 18 and 17 points, respectively.  Seelman added a team-high three assists in the matchup.
 
In the first half the Bengals jumped out to an early lead in the 18^th minute and refused to let go the remainder of the game. By half time Buff State held a 10-point lead on the Saxons behind 40.5% shooting from the field.  The Saxons struggled in the first half shooting 9-of-28 (32.1%) from the field.
 
However, in the second period AU rallied back to only trail by one with 13:20 to go in the contest following a layup by Cousin.  Over the course of the next three minutes the Bengals rattled off an 8-1 run to generate space, only to have it eliminated by the unrelenting Saxon offense with 1:14 left in the game.  With time waning away, Buff State grabbed another small lead and hit 8-of-8 free throws to stave off AU, 83-75.
 
The Bengals were led by Lovell Smith with 23 points and 12 rebounds.  As a team, Buff State shot 26-of-61 (42.6%) from the field while the Saxons made 25-of-69 (36.2%) of their shots. 
 
The Saxons (4-3, E8 0-0) now head Reading, PA for the Albright College Tournament on the 29^th of December.  Coach Phillips and his squad will take on Albright College in the opening round at 4PM.