Buffalo (0-1, 0-0 MAC) fell in their season opener 92-65 to the Marshall Thundering Herd (1-0, 0-0 Sun Belt), which controlled the game from the beginning.
The Bulls struggled with their offensive efficiency in the first half, shooting 27% from the field and 20% from behind the arc. Buffalo finished 37% from the field and 19% from three-point range on the night. They limited turnovers, with Buffalo only having 10 giveaways to Marshall’s 11, but could not finish on the extra possessions. Marshall shot 55% from the field in the first half and finished above 50% from the field in the game.
Defensively, Buffalo showed improvement, recording more steals (eight) and blocks (six) than the Thundering Herd in the game, as well as forcing 11 Marshall turnovers, but the defense wasn’t able to make up for the offense.
Coach George Halcovage III said he thought the team did a “pretty good job” in the first six to seven minutes defensively but took “contested shots at the rim” and tried to “shoot over length” offensively.
“We gave them easy plays on the other end by just making careless decisions at the rim,” Halcovage said.
Two Bulls players did stand out despite the loss, most notably senior forward Antoine Lorick recording a double-double with 28 points and 15 rebounds, and senior guard Drew Steffe also hitting double figures with 19 points.
The Bulls will look to bounce back on Thursday, taking on the University of Pittsburgh Panthers (1-0, 0-0 ACC) at 7 p.m. Thursday night. The game will be streamed on ACC Network.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com.
