Men’s basketball went down to Fort Myers, Florida, to compete in the Skechers Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament. Placed in the palms division, the Bulls notched two wins over Virginia Military Institute (VMI) (3-6, 0-0 SoCon) 78-70, and a win over the Bucknell Bison (2-6, 0-0 Patriot) 73-71, to maintain a perfect 7-0 record.
The Bulls began the tournament with a win over the VMI Keydets. Sophomore center Tim Oboh scored the first points for Buffalo, with a layup shortly before two free throws. The rest of the first half was a defensive battle. Sophomore guard Daniel Freitag had just three points at halftime, despite his 33-point showing against the Vermont Catamounts the week prior. Graduate guard Angelo Brizzi once again had success from the free throw line, going five-for-six with two layups. At the end of the first, Buffalo trailed 33-31.
Junior guard Ryan Sabol helped the Bulls gain momentum in the second half. He hit two quick threes and the rest of the team followed: senior guard Derrick Talton Jr. got on the board, senior forward Noah Batchelor was lethal from the three and graduate forward Ezra McKenna picked up the rebounds. Perhaps the biggest factor for the Bulls win came from Freitag’s 14-for-16 performance from the line, where he spent a majority of the second half. Freitag’s 17, Batchelor’s 15, Sabol’s 13, and McKenna’s eight points and 10 rebounds led the Bulls to a 47-point half, picking up their sixth win.
The Bulls earned their seventh win against the Bucknell Bison. The first half went back-and-forth, with Oboh once again scoring first for Buffalo. Brizzi followed with a three, Sabol with a layup, and McKenna with another three. With 5:37 left in the half, junior guard Mikhail Pocknett made a dunk that rattled Bucknell, and the Bulls capitalized by putting 15 points to lead 45-32 at halftime.
The Bison came back, and in the remaining 12:45 in the game, the score never stretched more than a four point difference. Brizzi’s perfect 10-for-10 from the line and 67% shooting percentage from the field helped the Bulls, and Freitag’s buzzer beater shot solidified the deal 73-71. Brizzi led the team in scoring with 25 points, Freitag with 18, and Batchelor with 11.
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