Staff Reports
Rodney Pierce broke out of his shooting slump to score 18 points, Calvin Betts notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and John Boyer handed out a career-high 12 assists as the Buffalo Bulls came back beat Towson 78-69 on Saturday in Maryland.
“The second half we started finding our rhythm,” coach Reggie Witherspoon said. “By the end of the game we really ran our offense pretty well. We got a little jittery and a little submissive when we had the lead. But for the most part, we ran our offense well through the end of the game.”
The Bulls (2-1) shot 60 percent from the field after halftime. They opened the second half on an 11-0 run, to turn a 35-29 halftime deficit into a three-point lead. They built the lead to as much as 56-47 before the Tigers hit three straight 3-pointers to tie.
UB then went on a 7-0 run that was matched by Towson. Pierce had a chance to win in regulation, but his driving layup was blocked.
In overtime, the Bulls missed their first shot, but did not miss again. Boyer’s jumper in the lane put UB ahead to stay with 3:25 left.
Mitchell Watt had 12 points and Jawaan Alston had 11, helping the Bulls outscore Towson 38-8 in the painted area.
UB hosts Canisius at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Canisius 79, St. Francis 69
Frank Turner scored 27 points to lead Canisius to a 79-69 win over St. Francis (N.Y.) on Saturday.
Turner, who finished 9-for-11 from the field, also dished out seven assists, grabbed six rebounds and had four steals for the Golden Griffins (1-1). Greg Logins chipped in with 13 points and Julius Coles had 11.
Canisius led by just three points at the half, but outscored the Terriers (0-3) 42-35 in the second half.
The Golden Griffins shot 47.5 percent from the field (28-for-59) in the game compared to just a 38.6-percent mark (22-for-57) for St. Francis.
