Box Score Box Score
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Buffalo's bench outscored Cornell's 32-10 and provided it the lift needed to knock off the Big Red 78-66 on Monday evening at Newman Arena. The Bulls improved to 8-4 with the triumph, while Cornell slipped to 3-10 and lost for the ninth time in the last 10 games.
Cornell's trio of Drew Ferry (18 points), Chris Wroblewski (16 points) and Errick Peck (16 points) combined for 50 points for the Big Red, playing their second straight strong game together. Ferry and Wroblewski each hit four 3-pointers, with Ferry adding four rebounds and Wroblewski being credited with six assists. Peck notched six rebounds and three assists in the loss. Adam Wire added six points and nine rebounds, while Mark Coury had seven points, six rebounds and two steals. The Big Red shot just 33 percent from the floor as a team, but stayed in the game throughout by hitting 10 3-pointers, committing just 10 turnovers and holding its own on the backboards against a bigger Bulls squad (39-38).
The Bulls used balanced scoring to earn its eighth win of the year, as Zach Filzen posted 17 points and Byron Mulkey had a productive 16-point, eight-rebound, six-assist night. Tony Watson came off the bench for a career-high 11 points and Jawaan Alston notched 10 points, four assists and three rebounds as a reserve. Rochester, N.Y.-native Javon Mccrea had seven points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in just 14 minutes.
Buffalo shot .532 from the floor, becoming the fourth consecutive Big Red opponent to shoot at least 50 percent. Buffalo shot 30 free throws in the second half after getting to the line just twice in the first 20 minutes and overcame 19 offensive rebounds by Cornell.
The Bulls jumped out to a 10-3 lead behind a pair of baskets and an assist by Mulkey in the first two and a half minutes, and ultimately led by as many as eight (14-6) five minutes in before Cornell scratched back in it. A pair of Peck free throws and two 3-pointers in the span of two minutes brought the Big Red within two at 16-14, but it would be another three minutes before the home team would get back on the scoreboard. Ferry's trey at the 10:25 mark gave Cornell its first lead. From there, substitue Tony Watson, whose career high was four points entering the contest, knocked out three straight 3-pointers in the span of just over three minutes to put the visitors back up nine (26-17. Wroblewski settled down the home team with a running jumper with six minutes left in the half, but Cornell wouldn't get back within five the rest of the half.
The second half saw theh ome team get back with two for much of the second half, even knotting the score at 44-44 and 46-46 after a Ferry trey followed by a jumper in the lane, but Buffalo never wilted. Cornell would cut the deficit back to two twice more, the last at 54-52 after Wroblewski found Wire for a nice backdoor layup. The lead was just five (68-63) after Wroblewski canned a 3-pointer with 2:43 remaining, but Buffalo hit all 10 free throws in the final 2:07 to seal up the win.
Cornell closes out non-conference season on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 2 p.m. when it plays host to Stony Brook.
