Kent State advances to NIT quarterfinals; Buffalo still alive in CIT
NIT second round: Kent State 72, Fairfield 68
The Kent State men’s basketball team is heading to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament after it beat Fairfield 72-68 Sunday at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.
The Golden Flashes (25-11) were up 66-58 with 4:19 remaining, but the Stags failed to quit.
Sophomore guard Derek Needham converted on a layup with 18 seconds remaining to close the gap to within two. But the comeback was stopped short as junior guard Carlton Guyton converted both free throws to push it to a two-possession game with 11 seconds remaining.
Two 3-point attempts fell short for the Stags (25-8), ending their season in the second round of the NIT.
Needham led the way for Fairfield, scoring 20 points on 8-19 shooting. He converted on four 3-pointers, but attempted a game-high 13.
Junior forward Ryan Olander scored 15 points, shooting 6-10 from the field.
The Golden Flashes will play play top-seeded Colorado on Tuesday.
Buffalo advances in CIT
On Saturday, the Buffalo men’s basketball team went into the University Arena in Kalamazoo with a chance to earn a spot in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament quarterfinals.
It was a defensive battle, but the Bulls found a way to squeak out a one-point victory, 49-48, over the Broncos in a game that had both teams reaching their season-low in points.
UB (20-13) was led by senior guard Byron Mulkey, who scored a team-high 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting. He was the only player to score in double-figures for Buffalo.
The Broncos (21-13) had a 41-32 lead with 11:09 remaining after bouncing back from a rough start. The Bulls opened the game on an 18-8 run before they allowed WMU to mount a comeback.
WMU took a three point lead into the locker room before it extended the lead to nine.
It was a game of runs as UB went on a 17-7 run to finish the game and move into the CIT quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against Iona.
