Kent State University
11-6, 2-2MAC
University at Buffalo
9-5, 3-1MAC
A second-half struggle in 71-60 loss at Buffalo
1/18/2014 8:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
AMHERST, N.Y. – Will Regan led a second-half surge as the University at Buffalo handed Kent State a 71-60 loss at UB Arena on Saturday night.
The Golden Flashes led 29-27 at the break thanks in large part to a defense that forced nine Bulls turnovers while holding the Bulls to just 37.5-percent shooting from the field (9-for-24) and 12.5-percent shooting from three-point range.
Buffalo flipped all of those numbers around while dominating the second 20 minutes. Regan enjoyed the biggest turnaround. After scoring just six points and one rebound in the opening half, the 6-foot-8 Buffalo junior finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He also blocked two shots after halftime.
"We played well in the first half, but we need to be more consistent," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff. "You can't play the way we did in the second half and expect to win on the road in this league."
Regan led a three-point barrage in the early minutes of the second half as the Bulls built a double-digit lead and never looked back. As a team, Buffalo connected on 6-of-11 from beyond the arc after the break.
Buffalo also helped itself at the foul line, connecting on 21 of its 23 free throws (91 percent) while Kent State struggled to make just 6-of-13 (46.2 percent).
Devareaux Manley scored 17 points and worked hard on defense for most of his 37 minutes of work. He didn't get much help, however. Manley hit a three-pointer with five seconds to play in the first half to give the Flashes their two-point lead at halftime. He also connected on all four of his free throws. The rest of the team combined to go 2-of-9 from the foul line.
Kris Brewer added 11 points for the Flashes, but hit two late threes, including one at the buzzer, to reach double-figures.
Javon McCrea and Joshua Freelove joined Regan in double-digits for Buffalo (9-5, 3-1). After averaging 28 points and 10 rebounds against Kent State last season, McCrea finished with 12 points and seven rebounds on Saturday. Freelove added 14 while going 2-of-4 from three-point range.
Kent State (11-6, 2-2) returns to action on Thursday when Western Michigan visits the M.A.C. Center.
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