Friday, November 22
Buffalo, N.Y.
7 p.m.
3-3,0-0MAC
82
vs
73
Morgan State
3-4,0-0MEAC
1
2
F
Morgan St.
36
37
73
Buffalo
31
51
82
Photo by: Paul Hokanson / UB Athletics
Tale of Two Halves in Bulls’ Win Over Morgan State
11/23/2024 12:01:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BUFFALO, N.Y. – A second half surge by the University at Buffalo men's basketball team (3-3, 0-0 MAC) propelled them to an 82-73 victory over the visiting Morgan State Bears (3-4, 0-0 MEAC) on Friday evening.
Freshman Brayden Jackson had a breakout performance for the Bulls as he scored a career-high 18 points going 8-for-11 from the floor. He added 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal against the Bears. Tyson Dunn scored 22 points with 8 assists, 6 rebounds, a game-high 4 steals and 1 block. Ryan Sabol rounded out the Bulls' double-digit scorers with 12 points. The sophomore three-point specialist added 3 threes to his career total of 84.
The Bulls were disciplined on the defensive end as they had just one shooting foul on the night as Morgan State was just 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. Buffalo went 15-for-25 from the line.
Buffalo recorded a season-high in steals with 10 which translated to 24 points off turnovers, also a season high.
Buffalo dominated the paint outscoring Morgan State, 52-30. The last time Buffalo scores at least 50 points in the paint was on Feb. 10, 2024, at Georgia Southern when they scored 50.
It was a battle on the court between the Bulls and Bears. In total, there were 25 lead changes and nine ties. On the season, the Bulls only had 21 lead changes.
Buffalo was 12-for-30 (40.0%) from the floor in the first half to Morgan State's 16-for-36 (44.4%). The Bears knocked down 4 three-pointer compared to the Bulls' 1. It was back and forth in the first half as there were 16 lead changes. Tied at 28 with 4:09 to go in the half, the Bears ended the half on an 8-3 run to take a 36-31 lead into the locker room.
Buffalo's offense exploded in the second half. The Bulls scored 51 points in the half as they went 19-for-25 (76.0%) from the floor. The last time the Bulls scored at least 50 points in a half against a Division I team was on Feb. 7, 2023, against Eastern Michigan when they scored 58 points. To start the half, Morgan State took their largest lead of the game up 41-31 just 50-seconds into the half. Slowly the Bulls made their charge. Sabol drilled a three to tie the game at 44, and shortly after, Dunn buried a go ahead three of his own to put the Bulls in front, 49-46. With five minutes remaining, the Bulls led, 63-62. Under Head Coach George Halcovage III, the Bulls improved to 7-0 when they lead with five minutes to go. In the clutch moments down the stretch, Buffalo put the game away with a 7-0 scoring run, their best run on the night. Bryson Wilson sealed the game with a steal and a fastbreak layup followed by a defensive rebound and a pair of made free throws.
"Just a great team effort and team win for us tonight," stated Halcovage. "We were down at half, and I thought our defensive energy for the majority game was great. They made some really tough shots, so credit to Morgan State. We did not foul and did a really good job taking away what they really love to do. They only got to foul line two times, and I think that was a difference in the game. We got to the line 25 times, but we only made 15 of them. We know we need to improve our foul shooting as a team, but we got there, and we were the more physical team tonight. I know they beat us up in the offensive glass a little bit at times, but that's what they do. I thought when we needed to in the end, our guys just really buckled down and got the rebounds, got the stops we needed, and made the right plays. I'm just really, really proud of these two guys [Tyson Dunn & Brayden Jackson] more for their overall effort on the defensive end. These guys are really finishing on the offensive end, took the right shots at the right times, made the right plays, and that was the difference in the game. I think defense is what got it done."
The Bulls are back in action on Monday as they host the North Carolina A&T Aggies (3-2, 0-0 CAA) in game two of the Buffalo Classic. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
For all the latest on UB men's basketball, follow @UBuffaloMBB on Twitter/X, @ubuffalo_mbb on Instagram and like the UB Men's Basketball Facebook page.
Click here for ticket information.
Click here for information on the Blue & White Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Freshman Brayden Jackson had a breakout performance for the Bulls as he scored a career-high 18 points going 8-for-11 from the floor. He added 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal against the Bears. Tyson Dunn scored 22 points with 8 assists, 6 rebounds, a game-high 4 steals and 1 block. Ryan Sabol rounded out the Bulls' double-digit scorers with 12 points. The sophomore three-point specialist added 3 threes to his career total of 84.
The Bulls were disciplined on the defensive end as they had just one shooting foul on the night as Morgan State was just 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. Buffalo went 15-for-25 from the line.
Buffalo recorded a season-high in steals with 10 which translated to 24 points off turnovers, also a season high.
Buffalo dominated the paint outscoring Morgan State, 52-30. The last time Buffalo scores at least 50 points in the paint was on Feb. 10, 2024, at Georgia Southern when they scored 50.
It was a battle on the court between the Bulls and Bears. In total, there were 25 lead changes and nine ties. On the season, the Bulls only had 21 lead changes.
Buffalo was 12-for-30 (40.0%) from the floor in the first half to Morgan State's 16-for-36 (44.4%). The Bears knocked down 4 three-pointer compared to the Bulls' 1. It was back and forth in the first half as there were 16 lead changes. Tied at 28 with 4:09 to go in the half, the Bears ended the half on an 8-3 run to take a 36-31 lead into the locker room.
Buffalo's offense exploded in the second half. The Bulls scored 51 points in the half as they went 19-for-25 (76.0%) from the floor. The last time the Bulls scored at least 50 points in a half against a Division I team was on Feb. 7, 2023, against Eastern Michigan when they scored 58 points. To start the half, Morgan State took their largest lead of the game up 41-31 just 50-seconds into the half. Slowly the Bulls made their charge. Sabol drilled a three to tie the game at 44, and shortly after, Dunn buried a go ahead three of his own to put the Bulls in front, 49-46. With five minutes remaining, the Bulls led, 63-62. Under Head Coach George Halcovage III, the Bulls improved to 7-0 when they lead with five minutes to go. In the clutch moments down the stretch, Buffalo put the game away with a 7-0 scoring run, their best run on the night. Bryson Wilson sealed the game with a steal and a fastbreak layup followed by a defensive rebound and a pair of made free throws.
"Just a great team effort and team win for us tonight," stated Halcovage. "We were down at half, and I thought our defensive energy for the majority game was great. They made some really tough shots, so credit to Morgan State. We did not foul and did a really good job taking away what they really love to do. They only got to foul line two times, and I think that was a difference in the game. We got to the line 25 times, but we only made 15 of them. We know we need to improve our foul shooting as a team, but we got there, and we were the more physical team tonight. I know they beat us up in the offensive glass a little bit at times, but that's what they do. I thought when we needed to in the end, our guys just really buckled down and got the rebounds, got the stops we needed, and made the right plays. I'm just really, really proud of these two guys [Tyson Dunn & Brayden Jackson] more for their overall effort on the defensive end. These guys are really finishing on the offensive end, took the right shots at the right times, made the right plays, and that was the difference in the game. I think defense is what got it done."
The Bulls are back in action on Monday as they host the North Carolina A&T Aggies (3-2, 0-0 CAA) in game two of the Buffalo Classic. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
For all the latest on UB men's basketball, follow @UBuffaloMBB on Twitter/X, @ubuffalo_mbb on Instagram and like the UB Men's Basketball Facebook page.
Click here for ticket information.
Click here for information on the Blue & White Fund and how you can help UB Athletics.
Team Stats
Morgan
UB
FG%
.456
.564
3FG%
.476
.313
FT%
.500
.600
RB
38
31
TO
15
10
STL
6
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
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