After splitting the regular season series, Buffalo State and Brockport were destined for a rubber match. In a quarterfinal playoff matchup at Brockport on Tuesday night, the Bengals fell just short 82-78.

Unlucky number four struck again; it was the third game this season in which the Bengals fell by just four points. The loss is the third straight quarterfinal loss Buffalo State has been handed by Brockport.

Buffalo State fell to Brockport last year, 78-73 and in 2012-13, their last playoff appearance before that, 89-83.

After winning SUNYAC Player of the Week, junior guard Lovell Smith continued his hot sreak by contributing 26 points. Sophomore guard Mike Henry scored 18 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Nico McLean added 17 points.

The bench had been playing well for the Bengals in recent games, but couldn’t get it done on Tuesday. They were outscored by Brockport’s bench 49-6.

Senior guard Kevin Marmolejos had been a reliable scoring option for the Bengals in previous games. He struggled mightily against Brockport, scoring only two points while shooting just 2 of 10 from the field and 1 of 9 from the 3-point line.

As a team, the Bengals had an off shooting night. They shot 28 of 69 (40.6%) from the field and 2 of 16 (12.5%) from beyond the 3-point line. The 3-point shot was not working for anyone, but they kept shooting it. Brockport made two 3-point shots as well on just seven attempts. Brockport shot 29 of 65 (44.6%) on all field goals.

Getting outscored by 43 in bench points and shooting 12% from the arc is the making of a blowout, but the free-throw line kept Buffalo State in the game. Brockport missed 16 free throws, shooting 22 of 38 (57.9%) while the Bengals made 22 of 29 (76%).

The game never got away from the Bengals. They found themselves down by eight with 11 minutes to play in the first half, but then worked to get up by as many as five with 14 minutes left in the contest. After four lead changes and six ties, the Bengals ultimately fell to Brockport. Their season comes to an end after a 15-10 regular season record and a third-straight one and done playoff appearance.

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