Buffalo defeats Kent State 87-70 with 2nd-half hot streak

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Freshman CJ Massinburg came off the bench to score 21 points with four 3-pointers as Buffalo used hot second-half shooting to defeat Kent State 87-70 on Tuesday night and climb into a second-place tie in conference.

Buffalo held a two-point lead when Jarryn Skeete drove for a layup that started a stretch of more than ten minutes when the Bulls made 11 straight field goals, capped by a Skeete 3-pointer. The Bulls lead grew from 45-43 to 82-64.

Massinburg dropped a pair of 3s during the run to match his career-best of four 3-pointers in a game. Blake Hamilton added 15 points and Lamonte Bearden scored 11 points with eight assists. Nick Perkins and Ikenna Smart scored 13 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench, which contributed 49 points.

Buffalo (16-12, 9-6 Mid-American Conference) is tied with Kent State and Ohio.

Jimmy Hall scored 20 points to lead Kent State (18-10, 9-6).