Buffalo Bulls vs Ohio Bobcats Match Player Stats On Mar 05, 2019

Jeremy Harris had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, and No. 19 Buffalo clinched the top seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament Tuesday by downing pesky Ohio 82-79 at Athens, Ohio.

The Bulls (27-3, 15-2 MAC) also clinched the East Division title with the road victory, which extended their winning streak to eight games. Nick Perkins had 17 points and eight rebounds, and CJ Massinburg contributed 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Doug Taylor led the Bobcats (13-16, 5-12) with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Teyvion Kirk had 17 points and five assists while Jason Carter added 15 points.

In the teams' first meeting, Buffalo set a school record with 19 3-pointers in a 114-67 rout on Feb. 19. The Bulls made another 15 3-pointers on Tuesday, but the Bobcats took them to the wire the second time around.

Davonta Jordan made four triples in the opening half, and Buffalo carried a 41-35 lead into the locker room. Perkins provided a boost with nine bench points before the break. Taylor led the way for Ohio with 10 first-half points.

Ohio was down by just two early in the second half before Ronaldo Segu and Montell McRae hit consecutive threes to give the Bulls a 53-45 lead with 13:15 remaining.

Perkins dunked following a timeout to nudge the Bulls' lead to double digits at 57-47. Another Perkins basket soon made it a 12-point game, but the Bobcats pulled within five by reeling off seven unanswered points. Taylor finished off the spurt with a three-point play.

Carter's three-point play with 6:09 left made it 63-61. The Bobcats had several chances to tie it or take the lead before Massinburg drilled a three, giving Buffalo a five-point edge with 3:11 remaining. A Harris three gave Buffalo a 73-67 lead.

Harris' layup with just over a minute left was answered by a Kirk layup. Ohio refused to go away, as it cut Buffalo's lead to three on a Gavin Block 3-pointer with 41 seconds left.

Massinburg made five late free throws to keep the Bobcats at bay.

--Field Level Media