Unlike in the MAC Championship Game last March, Ohio was unable to come back from a large deficit against Buffalo as the Bobcats fell 70-51 to the Bulls Thursday night. As Buffalo (15-4, 5-3 MAC) surged out to a 28-12 lead, Ohio (12-4, 6-2) went through a stretch where it turned the ball over five times in six possessions. The Bobcats narrowed the halftime deficit to 32-21 but would get no closer the rest of the way.

Struggling with a Buffalo zone defense all night, the Cats shot just 38.5% including 5-for-29 (17%) from the 3-point line. 21 Ohio turnovers resulted in 29 Buffalo points. Mychal Green and Jeremy Fears led Ohio with 13 points each. Leon Williams had no shot attempts and went scoreless for the first time in his college career.

The Bulls shot a sizzling 66.7%, the second best mark in school history. Yassin Idbihi netted 10 of his 12 shots on the way to a game-high 22 points. Roderick Middleton hit 5-of-6 threes and tied a career-high with 19 points. Ohio returns to the Convo Sunday for a noon matchup with Miami televised on Fox Sports Ohio.