Bulls Fall Short in 72-70 Heartbreaker to Huskies

By Christopher Drummond

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bulls men's basketball suffered a crushing 72–70 loss at home Tuesday night to the Northern Illinois Huskies, marking their fourth defeat in the last five games.

Northern Illinois entered the contest with an 8–16 record and trailed by six points at halftime, but stormed back with a dominant second-half performance to secure the comeback victory.

Fast Start for Buffalo

The Bulls came out firing in the opening half. Angelo Grizzi scored 14 of his game-high 25 points before the break, while Ryan Sabol added 12 first-half points, knocking down multiple three-pointers to help Buffalo build momentum.

Despite dealing with some foul trouble, Buffalo controlled much of the first half and appeared poised to protect home court.

Second-Half Surge by the Huskies

The tone shifted quickly after halftime.

Northern Illinois opened the second half on a 16–5 run, capitalizing on 10 Buffalo turnovers and a noticeable drop in physicality from the Bulls. Glenn Cobb led the charge for the Huskies, finishing with 23 points and delivering key plays that kept his team within striking distance in the first half before propelling them ahead in the second.

Dylan Ducommun added a standout performance of his own, draining four three-pointers and recording a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists.

Northern Illinois caught fire from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes, hitting eight second-half three-pointers. Buffalo was also outrebounded 35–25, a decisive factor in the outcome.

Grizzi and Sabol combined for 49 of the Bulls’ 70 points, but the supporting cast struggled to provide enough down the stretch.

Late-Game Drama

The closing moments were filled with tension.

Grizzi scored on back-to-back possessions to trim the deficit to 71–69. After a Huskies turnover, Tim Oboh was fouled with a chance to tie. Oboh converted one of two free throws, cutting the lead to one.

Both teams then came up empty on their next possessions before Cobb secured a rebound and was fouled with five seconds remaining. He split his free throws, extending the lead to 72–70.

Buffalo called timeout to draw up a final play. A long inbound pass found Oboh, who turned and launched a potential game-tying shot that drifted wide left as the buzzer sounded.

Halcovage Reacts

Buffalo head coach George Halcovage acknowledged both the fight and the shortcomings of his team.

“I love the fight that our guys had, being down nine and giving ourselves a chance to win,” Halcovage said. “I thought we played tremendously in the first half, despite a couple of guys in foul trouble, and then we just didn't come out with the physicality needed in the first 12 minutes of the second half that we needed to. We did not have that mentally; we needed to extend the lead. It became a back-and-forth game, credit to them.”

Halcovage also addressed the team’s positioning in the Mid-American Conference standings. The top eight teams qualify for the conference tournament, and Buffalo now sits at 5–8 in league play — holding onto eighth place.

“I don't know if guys are thinking about the tournament

Buffalo Bulls guard #10 DJ Talton playing defense in the second half versus the Northern Illinois Huskies on Tuesday evening

or not,” Halcovage said. “We have to take it possession by possession, game by game, and let the standing take care of themselves. I thought tonight we put ourselves in a situation we didn't need to be in.”

What’s Next

With the loss, Buffalo remains just one game ahead of Northern Illinois for the final MAC Tournament spot. The Bulls will look to regroup on the road, beginning Saturday evening with a 6 p.m. matchup at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.