East Carolina defeats Buffalo 73-70

East Carolina Edges Buffalo in Thrilling Comeback Victory at Home

In a dramatic turn of events, East Carolina University's men's basketball team erased a 19-point halftime deficit to defeat visiting Buffalo 73-70 on Sunday evening at Minges Coliseum.

Trailing 28-47 at the break, East Carolina came out with renewed energy in the second half, using their fast-paced offense to chip away at the deficit. The Pirates' Jordan Riley led the charge, scoring 13 points in the period, including three clutch free throws down the stretch. His 31-point performance was complemented by Luke Davis's 11 rebounds and Corey Caulker's four assists.

Buffalo, meanwhile, struggled to contain East Carolina's defense, shooting just 39% from the field, including a dismal 23% clip on three-point attempts. The Bulls' only bright spot was Daniel Freitag, who scored 31 points but shot just 42.1% from the floor.

The largest lead of the game came when Buffalo pushed their advantage to 21 points with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. However, East Carolina's response was immediate and decisive, as they stormed back with an 11-0 run that tied the contest at 28-28.

As the second half wore on, both teams traded baskets and neither could gain a clear advantage. With under two minutes to play, Riley hit another clutch free throw, putting East Carolina up by one. On the ensuing possession, Buffalo's Mikhail Pocknett committed a crucial turnover that set up Caulker for a layup and gave the Pirates a 73-72 lead with just seconds remaining.

The Bulls' Derrick Talton Jr. had a final chance to tie the game, but his three-point attempt from beyond half court was wayward, securing East Carolina's hard-fought victory.

East Carolina's win improves their record to 7-2 on the season, while Buffalo falls to 6-3. The Pirates will look to build on this momentum when they host Coastal Carolina next week, while the Bulls will try to bounce back from this tough loss against Syracuse.

GAME LEADERS:

* East Carolina:

+ Jordan Riley (31 pts)

+ Luke Davis (11 reb)

+ Corey Caulker (4 ast)

* Buffalo:

+ Daniel Freitag (31 pts)

+ Mikhail Pocknett (13 reb)

Advanced Team Statistics:

East Carolina:

+ eFG%: 39.7%

+ True Shooting%: 47.9%

Buffalo:

+ eFG%: 45.8%

+ True Shooting%: 51.3%

Note: Statistics provided in the original data are used throughout this recap.