BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (Interstat) — In a Mid-American Conference clash defined by offensive efficiency and a standout individual performance, the Buffalo Bulls weathered a career-high 31 points from Bowling Green’s Javontae Campbell to secure an 89-78 road victory Tuesday night at the Stroh Center.

The game, played before an announced crowd of 2,298, pitted a methodical and sharpshooting Buffalo attack against the interior dominance of the Falcons. While Bowling Green commanded the paint, outscoring Buffalo 48 to 24, the Bulls’ remarkable perimeter shooting and ability to capitalize on mistakes proved the decisive formula.

Buffalo established control early with a blistering display from beyond the arc. The Bulls connected on 14 of 26 three-point attempts, a 53.8% clip that stretched the Falcons’ defense and created driving lanes. This outside accuracy fueled a first half where Buffalo built a 39-32 lead, a margin that belied the back-and-forth nature of the opening period.

The Falcons, led relentlessly by Campbell, refused to fade. The 6-foot-2 guard from Muskogee, Oklahoma, played all but one minute, adding seven assists to his game-high point total. His driving layups and playmaking kept Bowling Green within striking distance throughout the second half. Each time the Bulls threatened to pull away, Campbell answered, often through traffic in the key.

However, Buffalo’s offensive execution was simply superior. The Bulls scored 89 points on just 65 possessions, translating to an elite offensive rating of 136.0. They complemented their three-point barrage with a near-perfect 17-of-22 performance from the free-throw line. Bowling Green, by contrast, managed 78 points on 70 possessions and shot just 9 of 15 from the charity stripe.

The most critical phase of the game arrived midway through the second half. With Campbell willing the Falcons forward, Bowling Green trimmed what had been a double-digit deficit to just five points on multiple occasions. The Falcons’ physicality inside, highlighted by five blocks from Sam Towns and three from Troy Glover, momentarily disrupted Buffalo’s rhythm.

But each Falcon surge was met with a composed response from the Bulls’ balanced scoring attack. Ryan Sabol, a 6-foot-2 guard from Washington, D.C., led Buffalo with 22 points and five assists, often hitting crucial shots to stem Bowling Green momentum. Angelo Brizzi added 14 points, including timely free throws, while Daniel Freitag and Derrick Talton Jr. chipped in 12 and 13 points, respectively. The interior presence of Tim Oboh, who scored 13 points and blocked two shots, provided a necessary counterpoint to Bowling Green’s paint points.

The defining sequence came not from a single shot, but from Buffalo’s sustained poise under pressure. Following a Campbell layup that brought Bowling Green within 70-65 with just over three minutes remaining, the Bulls executed a flawless offensive set resulting in a Sabol three-pointer. On the ensuing possession, a Campbell turnover led to a Brizzi layup, pushing the lead back to 10 and effectively sealing the game. Buffalo closed the contest on a 19-13 run, with 11 of those points coming from the free-throw line.

Defensively, Buffalo’s ability to generate turnovers and limit their own was pivotal. The Bulls committed only seven turnovers while forcing 10 from the Falcons, converting those into an 18-6 advantage in points off turnovers. This clean handling, against a Bowling Green team that had nine offensive rebounds, allowed Buffalo to maximize its efficient possessions.

The result improved Buffalo to 14-6 overall and provided a key conference road win following a narrow loss to Massachusetts in its previous outing. Bowling Green fell to 13-8, suffering its second consecutive close defeat after a one-point loss at Toledo.

The game’s outcome defied the pregame projections, as Bowling Green had been installed as a 7.5-point favorite with a 78.4% probability to win according to Interstat’s ELO system. The combined score of 167 also sailed over the posted over/under line of 149.5, a testament to the offensive firepower on display.

Buffalo next hosts Ohio on Saturday, while Bowling Green travels to face Central Michigan the same day.