DENTON, Texas — David Roddy had 17 points and eight rebounds, Isaiah Stevens added 14 points with nine assists, and top-seeded Colorado State beat Buffalo 75-73 in the first round of the NIT Tournament.
Colorado State advances to play North Carolina State in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Stevens drew three defenders in the lane and found Roddy wide open under the basket for a 73-70 lead with 37.6 seconds left.
Following LaQuill Hardnett’s 3-pointer to tie it, Stevens got into the paint gain and converted a contested layup with 1.2 seconds left, and Roddy sealed it by intercepting the inbound pass at the buzzer.
Jeenathan Williams led the Bulls with 21 points and six boards, while Josh Mballa was a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
The Bulls finish the season with a 16-9 record after making it to the Mid-American Conference championship game and missing out on the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with a loss to Ohio.
