BUFFALO, N.Y. – Playing in front of its home crowd was what the D'Youville men's basketball team needed to get its first win of the season, 90-71 over Bryant & Stratton Buffalo on Thursday night.

Jared Sullivan led the Saints with career-high 21 points on 10-of-11 from the field. D'Youville (1-2) led by as many as 24 in the first half and forced 16 first-half turnovers.

The Saints shot 51-percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. Sullivan had 12 in the first half, and Grant Beyer added 11.

In the first four minutes of the second half, Bryant & Stratton Buffalo (2-3) used a 12-0 run to get within 10, 51-41. Garrian Wade ended the run with a floater in the lane. The Bobcats outscored the Saints 19-9 over the first eight minutes of the second half but couldn't get within single digits.

Twice more, the D'Youville lead was cut to 10 points, but the Saints responded each to lengthen the lead back to 12, 15, and eventually 20 points in the final minute.

Both teams shot the ball well in the second half. D'Youville made 60-percent of its shots in the half, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Wade scored nine in the second half to finish the night with 17.

The Bobcats shot 48-percent from the field after halftime. Deric Johnson led all scorers with 29 points and added 10 rebounds.  

Notables

Sullivan's 21 was also his first 20-point game as a Saint … The 10 field goals made are also a career-high for Sullivan … Noah Denz added four points and a career-high five assists … Nelson St. Louis and Beyer were the other two Saints in double figures with 14 and 11, respectively … St. Louis's 14 points are season-high for the freshman …

Up Next

The Saints return to the College Center on Saturday at 3 p.m. against No. 15 Mercyhurst.

Follow the Saints

Saturday's contest against the Lakers can be seen on the ECC Network and followed with live stats. Be sure to follow the men's basketball program on Instagram @dycmbb and Twitter @dyouvillembb.