GENESEO, N.Y. – SUNY Geneseo junior guard Justin Ringen scored a game-high 28 points an junior guard John Decker added 22, but it was visiting Buffalo State making up a seven-point deficit over the last five minutes of regulation to earn a 92-87 victory over the Knights in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) men's basketball, Tuesday.

Bengals' senior guard Kevin Marmolejos scored a team-high 22 points, including a left-corner three-pointer to cap an 11-3 surge that put the Bengals on top, 84-83, with 2:42 remaining in regulation. Junior guard Nico McLean scored six of his 18 points in the final 1:24 of play to help seal the road win.

"We missed and gave up too many lay-ups," said head coach Steve Minton. "We got to the basket and we either didn't finish or play through contact. However, I'll say I thought we were still pretty effective when Ringen and Decker got into some foul trouble and was pleased with our bench play. But we still have to cut down on turnovers at crucial times as they obviously prevent you from winning close games." 

Geneseo jumped out to an 11-4 lead on a Ringen lay-up at 17:01 but the Bengals responded with a 19-5 run to take a 23-16 lead at 11:07. Back-to-back three pointers by Decker and Ringen followed by a lay-up by first-year forward Jack Manke of a nice pass by senior guard Kevin Zabransky comprised an 8-0 run that gave the Knights a 24-23 edge with 9:54 to play in the half. 

Geneseo built a four-point lead, 32-28, on a Decker long-range strike with 4:58 to play, but the Bengals climbed back to tie the game, 40-40, with 27 seconds on the clock. With three seconds remaining, Decker connected on a deep three-pointer on the right wing as the Knights carried a 43-40 lead into the halftime locker room. 

In the second half, a Ringen three-pointer staked the Knights to a 50-45 lead with 16:45 on the clock but a 6-0 Buffalo State run on a Marmolejos three-pointer and a lay-up by sophomore guard Mike Henry gave the visitors a 50-49 edge at 16:19.

Geneseo responded with a 13-3 that included nine points by Ringen to regain a nine-point edge, 63-54, with 11:30 left in the game.

Henry finished a 14-6 spurt with a three-pointer that pulled the Bengals within one, 69-68, at 8:48, but a a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Jack Eisenberg and a three-pointer by sophomore forward Jordi Menkhorst fended off the run that made it a 74-68 Geneseo lead at 7:39.

Two more free throws by Eisenberg later grew the Knights' lead back to seven, 80-73, but Buffalo State started its decisive run with six unanswered points, including a pair of free-throws and an emphatic dunk by junior forward Jordan Chateau, to pull back within one, 80-79, with 3:43 remaining.

Sophomore guard Kevin Crockett broke an 81-81 tie with a lay-up at 2:57, before Marmolejos' answered with his sixth three-pointer of the game 15 seconds later. Decker followed with a tough hanging lay-up in the lane that gave the Knights a 87-86 lead with 1:05 on the clock. 

McLean made a driving lay-up and completed the three-point play after drawing a contact in the lane for the 89-87 Bengals lead. Two costly turnovers in the final 18 seconds kept Geneseo from attempting the equalizer as Buffalo State held on for the victory. 

Geneseo hits the road for a pair of conference games later this week, taking on host Oneonta on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and host New Paltz on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.