Jan 7, 2004

Box Score

BUFFALO, N.Y. - A first-half scoring surge, bolstered by a .538 shooting percentage, culminated in an eventual 20-point edge, which catapulted Miami to a 72-62 win at Buffalo as the RedHawks resumed Mid-American Conference play.

Miami jumped out to an 11-2 lead within the first three minutes of the game, sparked by seven points from Gene Seals to cap the run. A layup by Buffalo's Mark Bortz at the 10:22 mark shrunk the Miami lead to one, 12-13. William Hatcher sunk a pair of 3-pointers and Chet Mason tossed in two field goals as Miami extended its lead to 25-14 with 6:58.

Josh Hausfeld and Juby Johnson also drained treys to push the Miami lead to 15 twice, while Seals connected on a pair of free throws with a second remaining in the first stanza to preserve Miami's 15-point edge, making the halftime score, 41-26. The RedHawks shot a sizzling 63.6 percent from 3-point range over the first 20 minutes, going 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.

Johnson tossed in eight of his 23 points over the first four minutes of the second half, including a 3-pointer and a three-point play, to extend the RedHawks' lead to 20 points with 16:01 remaining, 50-30. The Bulls, however, went on a 15-2 run over the next 6:38 to pull within seven points, 52-45. Buffalo got as close as six points twice over the final eight minutes, but Miami persevered to the 72-62 win.

Johnson went 6-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe, to pour in a game-high 23 points. Seals added a career-high 17 points, while Mason notched his third double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-best 12 rebounds. Mason also dished out a game-high-tying six assists, while Seals tallied a game-best three steals and game-high-tying two blocks.

Yassin Idbihi led the Bulls with 16 points and eight boards.

Miami collected 10 points off Buffalo's 11 turnovers while preventing the Bulls from scoring off any of its nine turnovers.