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AMHERST, N.Y. – Senior forward Dwight Wilson III (Tallahassee, Fla.) scored a game-high 21 points, including what proved to be the game-winning layup with 25 seconds left, to push the Ohio men's basketball team (10-6, 6-4 MAC) to a hard-fought 76-75 win over Buffalo (6-6, 4-4 MAC) Friday night inside Alumni Arena.

"I'm super proud of our guys," said second-year head coach Jeff Boals. "Last year, we were in a very, very similar situation and lost that one at the end. I told our guys, great teams find a way to win."

The Bobcats have now won a season-high three games in a row. Ohio continued to dominate in the paint, scoring 48 of its 76 points in the key. On the defensive end, the Bobcats limited the Bulls to 42.9 percent shooting from the field.

"Give our guys a lot of credit," said Boals. "They found a way to win against a really good team. That's three in a row now, and we've got to keep building on it."

Wilson III was one of four Bobcats to score in double digits. Sophomore forward Ben Roderick (Powell, Ohio) scored 17 points, with 15 of them coming in the first half. and collected four rebounds and three steals. Junior guard Jason Preston (Orlando, Fla.) logged 14 points and finished just shy of a double-double with nine rebounds. He also dished out four assists. Sophomore guard Lunden McDay (Akron, Ohio) added 10 points. 

Buffalo won the tip and got the first points of the game. Wilson III tied the game at two before a three from the Bulls put UB ahead by three early on. A layup from Roderick sparked a 9-0 run to push Ohio ahead, 15-5 going into the first media timeout. 

"The start was really key," said Boals. "The ball was moving, we were hitting shots. Defensively, we were really active, and I thought that set the tone for the game."

After both teams traded baskets, the Buffalo cut Ohio's lead to two with 5:02 left in the half. However, a Roderick layup and three sparked Ohio, giving the Bobcats a nine-point lead with under three minutes to go. After another three from Roderick gave the Bobcats a 41-30 lead, a last-second layup from Buffalo brought the score to 41-32 going into halftime. 

Buffalo opened the second half on a 7-2 run to cut the Ohio lead to two in the opening four minutes of the half. Ohio responded, taking a nine-point lead. The Bobcats and Bulls traded baskets before taking an 11-point lead with 11:08 left in the game. Buffalo went on a 9-0 run again to cut the Bobcats lead to two with just under nine minutes to go. After a three by Buffalo senior guard Jayvon Graves cut the Ohio lead to one, a three from sophomore guard Miles Brown (Rochester, N.Y.) brought Ohio back up four with 5:56 left. 

Moments later, Buffalo tied the game at 68-68 before Preston and redshirt junior forward Ben Vander Plas (Ripon, Wis.) gave Ohio a four-point lead once again. Ohio and Buffalo traded baskets before a Graves second-chance layup gave the Bulls their first lead since the opening minutes of the first half. 

Wilson III saved the day for Ohio, though, coming up with a huge offensive rebound off a miss by Vander Plas and putting it back up and in for what proved to be the game-winning score with 25 seconds left. On Buffalo's ensuing possession, Vander Plas blocked a shot by junior forward Jeenathan Williams and Wilson III secured the rebound and was fouled. He missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity and Graves came up with the board for Buffalo. Junior guard Ronaldo Segu missed the potential game-winning three-pointer for the Bulls at the buzzer, though, and the Bobcats survived.

"We knew they were going to make a run at some point, but we withstood it," said Boals. "Great win for us."

Up next, Ohio heads to Mount Pleasant, Mich., for a matchup with Central Michigan on Tuesday, February 2. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET.

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