West Virginia holds off Buffalo for 68-62 win
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Devin Williams scored 17 points and Juwan Staten added 15 in his return from a knee injury as fifth-seeded West Virginia held off 12th-seeded Buffalo 68-62 in a second-round NCAA Tournament game on Friday at Nationwide Arena.
Freshman Daxter Miles Jr. added 10 points for the Mountaineers, who advanced to face the winner of Friday’s game between No. 4 seed Maryland and No. 13 seed Valparaiso.
West Virginia led by as many as 13 points before Buffalo rallied to tie the score in the closing minutes. Bulls senior forward Xavier Ford scored nine of his team-leading 16 points during a three-minute stretch.
Sophomore guard Shannon Evans added 15 points for Bufalo, which was confident after playing both Kentucky and Wisconsin this season and leading at halftime in both games before losing.
Buffalo committed 17 turnovers against West Virginia. That was the Bulls’ biggest concern coming in, limiting turnovers against the Mountaineers’ press.
Things didn’t start well in that regard. Buffalo committed three turnovers and a shot clock violation as the Mountaineers jumped out to a 7-0 lead.
Buffalo went scoreless for the first three-plus minutes. Evans’ 3-pointer with 16:01 left in the half was the Bulls’ first field goal.
Seven minutes in, Buffalo was 1 of 10 from the field with six turnovers.
The shots finally started to fall for the Bulls late in the first half. A 3-pointer by Ford got them within five at 29-24.
Buffalo pulled within three points, but WVU extended its lead to 36-26 at halftime.
Staten, back after missing four games with a knee injury, scored 10 points in the first half.
Buffalo committed 12 turnovers in the opening half and West Virginia led by as many as 13 points.
The Bulls began the second half with a 7-0 run. But West Virginia again responded.
Moss picked up his third foul with 17:58 left. But Ford took over, scoring nine points in three minutes, including a 3-pointer to tie score 62-62 with 2:39 left.
Two free throws by Williams gave the Mountaineers a two-point lead. A 3-pointer moments later by guard Tarik Phillip sealed the win for West Virginia.
The game was foul-ridden with a total of 49 called. One player from each team fouled out.
NOTES: Both teams finally were at full strength. West Virginia’s leading scorer, G Juwan Staten, who missed four games with a knee injury, and senior G Gary Browne, who missed the past three games with an ankle sprain, started. Buffalo leading scorer, F Justin Moss, the Mid-American Conference player of the year, returned form an ankle injury. … Buffalo, the MAC tournament champion, made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. … The teams split the two prior meetings, with WVU winning 91-46 in 1991 and Buffalo 41-23 in 1917. … West Virginia is playing in its 26th NCAA Tournament, with a Final Four appearance in 2010. … West Virginia’s pressure defense produced a nation’s-best 10.9 steals per game this season.
