The teams traded leads in the first half, before Potsdam closed the opening 20 minutes with a 39-38 advantage. The Bears never trailed in the second frame and led by as many as 14. Buffalo State rallied in the closing minutes and had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but Dion Mozelle’s (Rego Park/Xaverian) desperation three-point attempt rimmed out. Buffalo State outscored Potsdam 48-26 in the paint and 34-9 off turnovers, but the Bears were deadly from the perimeter, hitting 9 of 12 from three-point range.
Barton finished 5 of 10 from the floor and added a pair of blocks. Ernst Ducena (Brooklyn/Midwood) was a perfect 5 of 5 from the field, including 4 of 4 from beyond the arc, and also hit all four free throw attempts, scoring 18 points. Scott Mitchell (Brushton) had a nearly identical line, hitting 5 of 5 from the floor with four three-pointers, and was 2 of 3 from the charity stripe, for 16 points.
Mozelle led the Bengals with a career high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Gregg Jones (Syracuse/Nottingham) had 18 points. Dante Griggs (Bronx/Chester Academy) scored 17 points and had seven rebounds and five assists, and Charles Hepburn (Rochester/Greece Arcadia) added 11 points.
The Bengals will visit Geneseo on Tuesday at 8 p.m. for a conference match-up.