Bulls Comeback Falls Short Against the Richmond Spiders

Thursday, December 21

Richmond, Va.

7 p.m.

1-10,0-0MAC

Richmond

7-5,0-0Atlantic 10

Buffalo

Richmond

Photo by: Zach Monell/UBBulls.com

Bulls Comeback Falls Short Against the Richmond Spiders

12/21/2023 9:53:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: Zach Monell

RICHMOND, Va. – Despite a second half comeback, the Buffalo men's basketball team (1-10, 0-0 MAC) fell to the Richmond Spiders (7-5, 0-0 A-10), 72-66. A late 13-5 run with 4-minutes to go gave the Bulls a chance to sneak out with a win.

Sy Chatman led the team with 21 points, doing so in back-to-back games. In his first game back since Nov. 21, Isaiah Adams added 19 points and three rebounds on the night. James Graham made his Buffalo debut and finished with six rebounds, one assist, and the lone block for the Bulls. Jonnivius Smith recorded a team-high eight rebounds.

Shawn Fulcher added a team-high three assists. The Bulls finished with their fewest turnovers on the season with just six.

As a team, the Bulls recorded a season-high three-pointers attempted with 37. They finished 7-for-37 (18.9%) on the night with Adams leading the way with three makes. In total, the Bulls were 26-of-72 (36.1%) from the floor while the Spiders finished 27-of-59 (45.8%).

It was a tough night in the paint for the Bulls as Richmond's 7'-0" center Neal Quinn was tough to guard. Quinn finished with 23 points and the Spiders outscored the Bulls, 40-20 in points in the paint. The 20-point differential marked the Bulls' largest deficit on the year.

The Bulls were able to snag a 10-8 lead, but it was short lived as they only had the lead for a total of 36-seconds. It was a tight first half for the first 16-minutes, however a fast break and-one for the Spiders opened the flood gates. That play marked the first foul of the game with 3:58 remaining in the first half. Coming into the game, the Bulls ranked 72^nd in the country averaging just 15.4 fouls per game. The Spiders were able to create a 14-point lead, but the Bulls cut it to 10 at the half.

The Spiders' largest lead on the night was 20 points in the second half. They were able to reach this lead as the Bulls started the second half 1-for-9 from the floor. Despite the deficit, Buffalo fought to the end. At the final media timeout, the Spiders led 67-53. The Bulls were able to force three turnovers and cut the lead to six. Time wasn't on Buffalo's side as Richmond was able to crawl away with the victory.

The Bulls are back in action on Friday, Dec. 29 as they host Big 4 rival Niagara at 7 p.m. for Kids Day.