AMHERST, N.Y. — Toledo men’s basketball tripped up against the 11th-place team in the Mid-American Conference, losing 87-74 at hot-shooting Buffalo on Saturday. In a game that was close throughout the first half and into the second, the Rockets could not keep up down the stretch as the Bulls pulled away.
Toledo (16-13, 9-7) ended the day tied with Kent State for fourth in the MAC with two games remaining. Buffalo (9-20, 4-12) has already been eliminated from the postseason.
The Bulls upset the Rockets by shooting 62.5 percent (35 of 56) from the field and 56.5 percent (13 of 23) from 3-point range. Toledo forced 14 turnovers to Buffalo’s 11, but the Bulls outscored UT 22-11 in points off turnovers.
Tyson Dunn led the way with 26 points for Buffalo, including a 6-for-9 mark from deep. Bryson Wilson and Ben Michaels added 20 and 14, respectively, off the bench, and starter Ryan Sabol put up 13.
Javan Simmons’ 21 points for Toledo were complemented by 16 from Sonny Wilson and 15 from Sam Lewis. But only three other Rockets found the basket, combining for 22 points.
Neither team led by more than six points in the first half, with UT rallying from down 29-23 to send the game to halftime tied at 32. It was 50-47 Buffalo with 13 minutes left in the game when the Bulls took control.
Buffalo used an 11-0 run to go up 61-47, and Toledo never made it closer than eight points the rest of the way. When the Rockets climbed back to within 68-60, the Bulls responded with a 7-0 run.
Toledo returns to action at 7 p.m. Tuesday at home against Akron, which has already clinched the MAC regular-season title.
First Published March 2, 2025, 1:16 a.m.
