COLUMBUS, OHIO – The No. 12 seeded men’s basketball team (23-10, 12-6 Mid-American Conference) fell 68-62 to No. 5 seed West Virginia (24-9, 11-7 Big 12) Friday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
In its first-ever NCAA appearance, Buffalo trailed by 10 at halftime and by nine with 6:21 remaining in the game. But the Bulls went on a 12-3 run, capped off by a 3-pointer by senior forward Xavier Ford that tied the game at 62 with 2:41 remaining.
West Virginia forward Devin Williams capped the game for the Mountaineers with two free-throws near the final two minutes. A three-point basket by teammate Tarik Phillip just 28 seconds later sealed the Bulls fate.
Ford led the way for Buffalo with 16 points, and sophomore guard Shannon Evans had 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. MAC Player of the Year Justin Moss, who had been dealing with an ankle injury, finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
The NCAA tournament appearance was Buffalo’s first ever since joining Division I in the 1990s. The Bulls received an automatic bid for defeating Central Michigan in the MAC Championship game last Saturday.
Tom Dinki is the senior news editor. He can be reached at tom.dinki@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
