BUFFALO, N.Y.— The Buffalo State men's basketball team utilized a 12-2 run late in the second half, pulling away from New Paltz in a 91-81 SUNYAC victory Sunday afternoon.
 
GAME BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Buffalo State –91, New Paltz – 81
LOCATION:  Buffalo State Sports Arena – Buffalo, N.Y.
RECORDS:  Buffalo State (4-17, 3-11 SUNYAC), New Paltz (11-8, 8-5)


INSIDE THE BENGAL BOX SCORE

• Philbert Weekes (Brooklyn, NY/Lafayette) led the Bengals with 22 points and 18 rebounds, his fourth consecutive double-double. He shot 8-of-12 from the field and added three assists and three steals.
• Aaron Davis (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) also tallied 22 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. He added seven assists.
• DaRon Hughey (Hartford, CT/The Masters School) tallied 16 points and three assists.
• Marquell Boutwell (Liverpool, N.Y./Nottingham) finished with 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.
• Robert Richards (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville South) added 10 points and blocked two shots.
• The Bengals shot 48.5 percent (33-of-68) from the field and earned 23 second-chance points.
• The Bengals split the season series with the Hawks after today's win, after New Paltz defeated Buffalo State 89-75 in New Paltz on Jan. 13.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• New Paltz pulled ahead early with a 17-11 first half lead, but a Hughey 3-pointer ignited a 10-0 run, giving the Bengals a 21-17 advantage.
• The Hawks reduced the deficit to two (31-29) with 5:19 left, but the Bengals went on a 10-3 spurt to push its lead to nine, at 41-32.
• A Weekes put-back gave the Bengals a double-digit lead at 51-41early in the second half.
• New Paltz then began to hit the offensive glass, getting multiple second chances to ignite an 11-3 run to trail by just one, 63-62.
• Davis stopped the run with a floating jumper, then Weekes and Argjend Imeri (Syracuse, N.Y./Nottingham) converted from the free throw line to help push the lead back out to nine (76-67) with 6:18 to go.
• The Bengals held serve with New Paltz, holding them at bay in the game's final minutes.
• Davis put the finishing touches on the proceedings with an electric dunk with four seconds left, ensuring the double-digit margin.

 
FOR THE FOES

• Rylan Blondo led all scorers with 23 points, adding six rebounds and two steals.
• Solomon Neuhaus added 22 points, hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
• Sean St. Lucia added 17 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
• New Paltz shot 42.7 percent (32-of-75) from the field in the loss.

 
UP NEXT
The Bengals will host Fredonia in the latest installment of the 'Battle By The Lake', with season points and bragging rights on the line this Saturday in a 4 p.m. start.