Bulls See Red as they Soar by Cardinals, 85-72

Saturday, January 3

Buffalo, N.Y.

2 p.m.

University at Buffalo

13-2,3-0MAC

Ball State

4-10,0-2MAC

Ball St.

Buffalo

Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics

Bulls See Red as they Soar by Cardinals, 85-72

1/3/2026 5:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Zach Monell

BUFFALO, N.Y. – To open the 2026 calendar year, the University at Buffalo men's basketball team (13-2, 3-0 MAC) defended Alumni Arena against the Ball State Cardinals (4-10, 0-2 MAC) on Saturday afternoon. With the decisive 85-72 win, the Bulls improved to 3-0 in Mid-American Conference play for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2018-19.

Tim Oboh's superb sophomore campaign continued on Saturday. The Englishman scored a career-high 21 points with five rebounds and a pair of blocks. He finished 8-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Ryan Sabol scored a game-high 22 points, burring four threes. On the season, the Bulls have now had 16 20-point performances, matching last season's total.

Angelo Brizzi and Noah Batchelor had exceptional nights from the floor as they finished with 15 and 12 points, respectfully.

Buffalo's offense continues to fire on all cylinders as they shot 56.9% from the floor. For the fourth consecutive game, the Bulls have made at least 10 three-pointers. They were 10-for- 22 (45.5%) on the afternoon. In this four-game span, they're 47-for-107 from deep, good for 43.9%.

Ball State won the opening tip and scored on their possession. The 2-0 lead was the only lead of the game for the Cardinals. The Bulls then rattled off a 13-0 run in a four-minute span as they shot 5-for-6 to start the game. Buffalo's defense was stifling, holding Ball State to just 32.0% (8-for-25) from the field in the first half. The Bulls forced nine first half turnovers leading to seven points. Prior to the halftime horn, Sabol snatched a defensive rebound and went coast to coast as he made a contested layup to put the Bulls in front 41-25 at the half.

Buffalo's balanced attack in the second half sealed the deal. In the second half, they shot 65.2% (15-for-23) from the floor and 62.5% (5-of-8) from three-point range. 18 of the Bulls' 34 points in the paint came in the second frame courtesy of Oboh, Batchelor and Brizzi. Ball State tightened up their offense, as they shot 46.7% from the floor in the half with just three turnovers, but it was too little too late. Buffalo launched their lead to 24 halfway through the period. The Bulls won on Kids' Day, 85-72.

The Bulls finished with six dunks on the afternoon, marking a season best.

Buffalo's +12 in points in the paint tied a season-best from when they did so against Green Bay on Nov. 7^th.

BUFFALO LEADERS
Ryan Sabol: 22 pts, 4 reb., 5 asst., 4-5 3PTFG, 1 stl.
Tim Oboh: 21 pts., 5 reb., 8-10 FG, 5-6 FT, 2 stl.
Angelo Brizzi: 15 pts., 3 reb., 3-5 3PTFG
Noah Batchelor: 12 pts., 4 reb., 2 asst.
Daniel Freitag: 9 pts., 5 reb., 5 asst., 3 stl.

TEAM STATS
Ball State Cardinals: 40.0 FG% (22-of-55), 36.0 3PTFG% (9-of-25), 82.6 FT% (19-of-23), 28 Reb., 15 Asst., 12 TO, 11 Stl., 2 Blk.
Buffalo Bulls: 56.9 FG% (29-of-51), 45.5 3PTFG% (10-of-22), 94.4 FT% (17-of-18), 30 Reb., 19 Asst., 13 TO, 9 Stl., 2 Blk.

The Bulls are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 10^th when they travel to Athens, Ohio to face the Ohio Bobcats at 2 p.m.

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