MAC Men’s Basketball Recap: Buffalo Bulls vs. Central Michigan Chippewas

Jeremy Harris led Buffalo with 22 points, grabbed three rebounds and dished out three assists, as Buffalo held off Central Michigan, 88-82 in Mount Pleasant on Tuesday night. Buffalo moves to 18-6 (10-1 MAC) with the win, and Central Michigan falls to 15-9 (4-7 MAC) with the loss.

Along with Harris, three other Bulls scored in double figures on the night. CJ Massinburg scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Buffalo cause. He also earned three assists. Wes Clark did a little of everything, as he scored 16 points, grabbed seven rebounds and gave out six assists on the night. Nick Perkins also made his presence felt, as he added 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

The Bulls made their first seven shot attempts to start the game off hot, and kept it going throughout. Altogether, Buffalo made 50% (32-64) of their shot attempts on the night. UB attempted 30 three-pointers and connected on 11 of them (37%). They were also able to cash in at the free throw line, as the Bulls made 13 of their 15 attempts (87%). Buffalo didn’t get a chance to attempt a free throw until the 9:25 mark in the second half of this game.

Four different Chippewas scored in double figures. Cecil Williams led all scorers with 23 points, and he also grabbed nine rebounds for the Maroon and Gold. Shawn Roundtree added 20 points, and Kevin McKay and David DiLeo added 12 points each. McKay also grabbed eight rebounds and earned three assists and DiLeo grabbed five rebounds and earned three assists as well.

Central Michigan couldn’t overcome the cold shooting in the first half, as the Chippewas attempted 17 first half three-pointers and only connected on three of them (18%). CMU connected on 29 of their 66 shot attempts (44%), but continued their great free throw shooting, as they made 16 of their 17 attempts at the line (94%). 3MU struggled tonight, as they took 34 shots from beyond the arc and only made eight of them (24%). The Chippewas were able to out rebound the Bulls, but weren’t able to rally late in this game.

Buffalo had their lead out to 18 with 6:18 left in the game, as a Massinburg free throw made the score 72-54. Central Michigan would then go on a 9-0 run, capped off by two free throws from DiLeo to get the score within single digits at 72-63. The Chippewas would get the score as close as six, but the Bulls kept the pressure on, and was able to stay away from a late Chippewa rally.

Buffalo looks to continue their dominance in the MAC, as they travel to Dekalb to take on the Northern Illinois Huskies on Saturday, February 10th. Tip is set for 4:30 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3.

Central Michigan will look to get back in the win column, as they travel to Akron to take on the Zips on Saturday, February 10th. Tip is set for 2 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3.