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Bowling Green rallies past No. 18 Buffalo 92-88

The Bulls may drop out of the Top 25 now, but given the environment and the quality of the opponent, this was by no means a terrible loss.
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) - Dylan Frye scored 25 points and Bowling Green rallied in the second half to beat No. 18 Buffalo 92-88 on Friday night.

Buffalo star CJ Massinburg had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but his 3-pointer from near the top of the key missed. The Bulls lost for the second time in four games.

Justin Turner added 22 points for the Falcons (15-6, 7-1 Mid-American Conference), who took first place in the MAC East away from their nationally ranked opponent. Buffalo (19-3, 7-2) was the highest-ranked men's basketball team to face Bowling Green at the Stroh Center, where the Falcons have been playing since 2011-12.

The crowd was appropriately raucous throughout the night, and although the Bulls led 47-39 at halftime, Bowling Green scored the first seven points of the second half, and Buffalo couldn't shake the Falcons.

The decisive stretch was a 12-2 run by Bowling Green, capped by a 3-pointer by Antwon Lillard that put the Falcons up 84-73. Buffalo scored eight straight points after that, and then it was just a question of whether Bowling Green could hold on.

Massinburg and Davonta Jordan each missed the front end of a one-and-one for the Bulls in the final 30 seconds.

Dontay Caruthers pulled Buffalo within two with a three-point play with 14 seconds left, and after a free throw at the other end made it 91-88, Massinburg missed his attempt to tie.

BIG PICTURE

Buffalo: Rebounding is a strength for Bowling Green, but Buffalo actually outrebounded the Falcons 42-30. That advantage didn't help that much, since the Bulls had 18 turnovers to Bowling Green's nine.

Bowling Green: The Falcons are unbeaten at home this season, and it was easy to see why. The arena was packed, and members of the football team were there wearing their jerseys. The fans got what they came for - a thrilling game that ended with a Bowling Green victory.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The Bulls may drop out of the Top 25 now, but given the environment and the quality of the opponent, this was by no means a terrible loss.

UP NEXT 

Buffalo: The Bulls get a bit of a break before hosting Central Michigan on Feb. 9.  

Bowling Green: The Falcons play at Western Michigan on Tuesday night.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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