Behind Perkins’ 26 points, the Bulls down NIU

For the second game in a row the Buffalo offense took a half to get moving. But despite the slow start UB’s defense held strong in the first half, and the Bulls exploded for 59 second half points. The end result was a 95 to 67 win over visiting Northern Illinois.

Nick Perkins, a strong candidate for the MAC’s 6th man of the year, was the star of the night. The Junior matched his season-high output with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting.

NIU was statistically the strongest defense in the MAC, and behind that defense they traded leads with Buffalo until the one minute mark of the first half. With 58 seconds left in the half Perkins made a layup to put UB up 34-33, and Buffalo led the rest of the game.

On the night three other Bulls scored in double figures. CJ Massinburg scored 16, Jayvon Graves added 12 points and Jeremy Harris put up 11 points.

Buffalo is 5-0 in conference play for the first time since the 1997-98 season when it was a member of the defunct Mid-Continent Conference.

UB’s next game is on the road at Western Michigan, nationally televised on ESPNU. Tipoff is 7:00pm on Friday.