BUFFALO, NY—Buffalo State (7-7/3-4) overcame a pair of double-digit deficits to claw past visiting Geneseo (9-4/5-2), 67-62, in a SUNYAC game tonight at the Sports Arena.

Bianca Smiley (Amherst/Sweet Home) paced four Bengals scoring in double figures with 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.  Shay Jackson (Syracuse/Henninger) added 14 points and 11 boards.  Kala Crawford (Middle Falls/Saratoga Springs) had 10 points and five assists, and Olivia Luciani (Syracuse/E. Syracuse-Minoa) also netted 10 points.

Geneseo raced out to a 23-10 lead and carried a 28-20 edge into the second half.  Buffalo State used a hot start in the second half to battle back and take its first lead of the game at 31-30, but the Knights answered quickly.  With eight minutes remaining, Geneseo held an 11-point advantage, but Buffalo State continued to hang around.  The Bengals continued to trail 58-51 with three minutes left, but mounted a frantic 14-0 run in a span of just over two minutes to steal the victory.

The Bengals hit 20 of 29 free throws, including five in the final minute, outscoring the Knights at the line, 20-13.  Buffalo State committed just 13 turnovers, compared to 16 by Geneseo and held a 44-41 rebounding advantage against the much taller Knights' squad.

Buffalo State will host Fredonia for another SUNYAC game on Saturday at 6 p.m.