AMHERST, N.Y. — Jeremy Harris had 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and No. 23 Buffalo rallied to beat Central Michigan 90-76 on Saturday.
CJ Massinburg scored 18 points and Dontay Caruthers added 16 as Buffalo (20-3, 8-2 Mid-American Conference) won its 22nd game in a row at Alumni Arena. The streak, which dates to a 73-62 loss to St. Bonaventure on Dec. 2, 2017, is tied for the second-longest in the country with No. 1 Tennessee. No. 12 Houston has won 31 in a row at home.
Buffalo got 10 points and six rebounds in the second half from senior center Nick Perkins. The Bulls' leading rebounder and second-leading scorer was benched for the opening period for violating team rules in the locker room following the team's last game, a 92-88 loss at Ball State on Feb. 9.
Perkins's absence was notable early as the Bulls struggled to defend the basket and control the boards. Central Michigan used a 24-4 run to build an 18-point lead in the first 12 minutes. Buffalo closed the gap before halftime and pulled away with a 16-0 run in the second half.
Shawn Roundtree Jr. scored 26 points to lead the Chippewas (16-7, 5-5). He made 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
BIG PICTURE
Central Michigan: The Chippewas could not maintain their early hot shooting and fell to .500 in MAC play after winning two in a row. They have lost their last three on the road.
Buffalo: Having refocused during an eight-day break after dropping two of its past four conference games, the Bulls reached the 20-win milestone for fourth time in five years.
UP NEXT: Central Michigan visits MAC leader Bowling Green on Tuesday. Buffalo starts a two-game trip Tuesday at Akron.
