National Basketball Association
Buffalo 89, Central Michigan 84
When: 7:30 PM ET, Saturday, March 14, 2015
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials:
# Bill Ek, # Glenn Mayborg, # Mike Sanzere
Attendance:
5266
By SportsDirect Inc.
Buffalo 89, Central Michigan 84: Xavier Ford and Shannon Evans scored 18 points apiece as the Bulls earned their first NCAA Tournament berth after rebuffing the Chippewas in the Mid-American Conference tournament final in Cleveland.
Lamonte Bearden recorded 14 points and six assists while Jarryn Skeete scored 12 as second-seeded Buffalo (23-9) carry an eight-game winning streak into the Big Dance after avenging a pair of regular-season losses to Central Michigan. Justin Moss, the MAC Player of the Year who averages 17.7 points and 9.2 rebounds, recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds while Will Regan scored nine points and Rodell Wigginton added eight points and six rebounds for the Bulls.
Chris Fowler scored 27 points - giving him 53 in his last two games - for the top-seeded Chippewas (23-8), who were bidding for their first NCAA berth since 2003.
John Simons registered 13 points and nine rebounds while Braylon Rayson scored 13 and Luke Meyer 10 for Central Michigan.
Buffalo unleashed a 13-2 run - ignited by Ford's 3-pointer and highlighted by Moss' three-point play - to take the lead for good en route to a 42-39 lead at the break. Central Michigan created the final tie when a pair of Simons' free throws made it 50-50 before Regan buried a 3-pointer 18 seconds later.
The Chippewas got to within one on a pair of occasions before the Bulls stretched their lead to 73-66 on Ford's 3-pointer with 5:55 remaining and Skeete's jumper extended the margin to 77-68 with 4:14 to play. After Fowler scored four straight points, Buffalo put it away with a 6-0 burst - capped by Skeete's 3-pointer - to make it 83-72 with 2:19 left and the closest Central Michigan got from there was three with 2.4 seconds remaining.
Top Game Performances
| Buffalo |
|
Central Michigan |
|
Shannon Evans 18 |
Scoring |
Chris Fowler 27 |
|
Lamonte Bearden 6 |
Assists |
Chris Fowler 9 |
|
Justin Moss 11 |
Rebounds |
John Simons 9 |
|
Lamonte Bearden 5 |
Free Throws Made |
Chris Fowler 9 |
|
Lamonte Bearden 3 |
Steals |
Chris Fowler 2 |
|
Raheem Johnson 2 |
Blocks |
Chris Fowler 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Buffalo
|
89 |
49.2 |
10-22 |
19-30 |
13 |
34 |
5 |
6 |
9 |
| Central Michigan
|
84 |
50.0 |
8-22 |
18-22 |
14 |
26 |
4 |
4 |
10 |
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