Buffalo defeats N Illinois 67-81

Buffalo Outlasts N Illinois in Conference Thriller

The Buffalo Bulls traveled to the NIU Convocation Center, facing off against their Mid-American Conference rivals, the Northern Illinois Huskies. In a closely contested matchup, Buffalo emerged victorious, 81-67.

At halftime, the score was tied at 29-29, but Buffalo's offense found its rhythm in the second half, outscoring N Illinois by 14 points to seal the win.

Daniel Freitag led the Bulls with 33 points, shooting an impressive 64.7% from the field and making four of his eight three-point attempts. His performance was a key factor in Buffalo's decisive victory.

On the other hand, Dylan Ducommun led N Illinois with 19 points, but struggled with his shot, going just 3-12 from beyond the arc at a 36.8% clip. Despite his efforts, the Huskies were unable to overcome the Bulls' balanced attack.

Buffalo's success was fueled by its strong shooting performance, which outpaced N Illinois in both field goal percentage (49.0% vs. 41.0%) and three-point shooting (42.0% vs. 22.0%). The Bulls also did an excellent job on the glass, grabbing 34 rebounds to N Illinois' 31.

As the game wore on, Buffalo's defense stiffened, holding N Illinois to just one lead of four points. The Bulls responded with a surge of their own, taking control and never looking back.

The outcome was significant not only for Buffalo's conference record but also for the Huskies, who suffered their first home loss of the season. The win marked a crucial victory in the Bulls' quest for a top seed in the conference tournament.

With this win, Buffalo took a key step towards securing their position in the standings, while N Illinois will need to regroup and refocus after a tough loss on their home court.