Wheeling Jesuit
Bulls Open 2014-15 With 79-60 Exhibition Win
11/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – The State University of New York, Buffalo men's basketball team began its 2014-15 season on Thursday night, defeating Wheeling Jesuit 79-60 in an exhibition contest at Alumni Arena. The Bulls received balanced scoring as four players found their way into double figures and seven different players saw at least 20 minutes of court time.
With seven new faces on the team this year, the Bulls were able to maintain a lead for nearly the entire evening. Freshman Lamonte Bearden got the night started by tipping in his own miss for the first points of the game. Wheeling Jesuit took its only lead of the contest at 4-2, but senior Xavier Ford answered as he hit a three-pointer, the first one that he has taken in his career. The game was tied up at 5-5, when the Bulls went on a quick 6-0 run with the final four points coming from senior Will Regan.
A three pointer from freshman Mory Diane gave the Bulls their first double-digit lead of the night at 31-21 with 6:48 remaining and the Bulls went on to lead by as many as 11 in the opening half before taking a 42-33 lead into the half.
The Bulls opened the second half on a 9-0 run, getting four of those points from the free throw line from Ford. Another three pointer from Diane put UB ahead 59-40 with 14:06 remaining and the Bulls kept their double-digit lead through out the second half.
The Cardinals pulled within 11 twice in the second half as the Bulls led 61-50 with 9:18 remaining. The Bulls went on a 13-4 run over the next five and a half minutes to extend their lead to 74-54 with just 3:30 left. A jumper from Diane with 1:16 left gave the Bulls their largest lead of the game at 22 before a final three pointer from Wheeling Jesuit made the score 79-60, which was the final.
"I thought it was a good test for us to come out tonight and have the chance to play in front of a live crowd prior to the season beginning," said head coach Bobby Hurley. "Coming in with a group of a lot of young guys, this game made a lot of sense for us. We have a lot of work to do to continue to improve and get better and we need to have a great week of practice leading into our game here next Friday night."
Regan led all scorers with 16 points as he was extremely efficient from the field, going 4-of-5, including 3-of-4 from three point range. Regan also hit five out of six free throws and hauled in eight rebounds. Evans added 14 points and a game-high six assists, while Diane also added 14 points in his college debut, including hitting four thee-pointers. Ford had 12 points, including 7-of-10 from the free throw line and four steals.
Bearden picked up the start and added six points, four assists and two steals, while junior Jarryn Skeete added six points on a pair of three-pointers. Junior Raheem Johnson saw 22 minutes off the bench and he had six points and a team-high nine rebounds. Fellow junior Rodell Wigginton added five points and two rebounds. Newcomers Christian Pino, Bobby Fraco and Ikenna Smart also saw action late in the contest.
As a team, the Bulls shot over 50% from three-point range, hitting 12-of-23 shots from behind the arc. Defensively, UB was able to force Wheeling Jesuit into 22 turnovers and kept them under 40% from the floor.
The Bulls will begin the regular season next Friday night as they host South Dakota State at 7:30 pm. The game will be the second half of a doubleheader with the UB women's team.
