DEKALB, Ill. – Senior Tyler Cochran (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) scored a career-best 26 points but the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team was unable to keep pace with Buffalo, falling to the Bulls, 102-74, on Tuesday evening (Feb. 23) at the NIU Convocation Center. 

Junior Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich./Novi) added 13 points while sophomore Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill./Iowa Western CC) finished with a career-best 10 points and a career-high seven assists. 

"We played a very good Buffalo basketball team, one that has a legitimate shot of going to Cleveland and winning (the MAC Tournament)," said NIU interim head coach Lamar Chapman. "We played a very athletic, very aggressive, very physical, very unified basketball team. We got dominated on the backboard, we got dominated off the dribble, a positive is that we are scoring the basketball, so good offense, but not so good defense."

Buffalo (10-7, 8-5 MAC) made eight of its first 10 shots from the field to start the contest as the Bulls raced out to a 20-9 lead in the opening six minutes of the contest.

The Bulls lead grew to as much as 24 in the first half and Buffalo took a 51-28 lead into the intermission. UB pounded the ball inside in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 34 points in the paint while grabbing 11 offensive rebounds as they shot 54.1 percent (20-of-37) in the opening stanza, holding NIU to just 34.3 percent (12-of-35) shooting. 

Josh Mballa recorded a first half double-double for the Bulls with 13 points and 10 rebounds, LaQuill Hardnett added 12 points. Cochran led NIU with nine points in the first half. 

In the second half, NIU matched Buffalo nearly shot-for-shot as the Bulls outscored the Huskies by just five, 51-46, after the intermission. 

Buffalo shot 57.9 percent (22-of-38) from the field in the second half to finish the contest shooting 56 percent (42-of-75). 

The Bulls finished with 74 points in the paint and outrebounded NIU, 55-25. 

Mballa finished with a team-high 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead Buffalo. Jeenathan Williams scored 18 points, Hardnett finished with 16 points and Jayvon Graves chipped in 13 points for the Bulls. 

NIU will return to the road on Saturday, February 27, as the Huskies visit Ypsilanti, Mich., to face Eastern Michigan. Game time against the Eagles is scheduled for 12 p.m. on ESPN3.