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Regan Impressive, Guides Bulls Over Flashes

Buffalo records a critical victory over Kent State to move into a tie for first in the MAC East.

Adam Hunger

Will Regan recorded his first double-double of the season as the junior forward scored a season-high 25 points, guiding Buffalo to a 71-60 victory over Kent State on Saturday evening.

The Bulls initially got off to a slow start out of the gate, trailing by seven, 26-19 with 3:53 left in the first half.

But after struggling early, Buffalo ended the first half strong, going on an 8-3 run entering the half to go into halftime down 29-26.

"I think [in] the first half, we hung in there with our defense" Hurley said.

The second half was all Buffalo. After a quiet first half scoring, the Bulls scored 44 points in the second half, led by Regan and Joshua Freelove.

Regan had 19 of his 25 points in the second half, finishing with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

"It was a little frustrating in the first half because I started off with a couple turnovers and got in foul trouble real quick" Regan said "In the second half, I just hit some shots and got it going."

"Will was great, got into a really good rhythm inside and out," Hurley said

Freelove, who went scoreless in the first half, scored 14 points in the second to finish as Buffalo’s second leading scorer.

"He wasn’t really good in the first half but he really found his rhythm on offense in the second half, hit some big shots for us" Hurley said.

Javon McCrea had a quiet scoring night while being doubled in the post but still managed to fill the stat sheet, finishing with 12 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Free throw shooting was huge for the Bulls on the night. Buffalo went 21-23 (91.3%) from the line while the Flashes went 6-13 (46.2%).

Buffalo also excelled on defense forcing turnovers. The Bulls forced 15 Kent State turnovers as Shannon Evans and Xavier Ford both recorded three steals apiece.

The Bulls improve to 9-5 (3-1) with the win and move into a tie for first in the MAC East.

They return to action Wednesday when they hit the road to Muncie, Indiana to take on struggling Ball State.