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Massinburg scores 43, Buffalo stuns No. 13 WVU 99-94 in OT

Buffalo West Virginia Basketball

Buffalo head coach Nat Oats calls a play during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against West Virginia, Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Raymond Thompson)

AP

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- CJ Massinburg had 43 points and 14 rebounds as Buffalo pulled off another big upset against a power program, stunning No. 13 West Virginia 99-94 in overtime Friday night.

Jeremy Harris added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Bulls in the season opener for both teams. Buffalo grabbed attention last March when the 13th-seeded Bulls blew out No. 4 seed Arizona 89-68 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

This time, the Bulls (1-0) rallied with a late 15-4 surge to force overtime before outscoring the Mountaineers 15-10 in the extra period.

It was the first time West Virginia (0-1) lost its home opener since a 91-84 defeat against Northeastern in 2003.

Jayvon Graves added 14 points for Buffalo, and Nate Perkins scored 10 off the bench.

Lamont West led West Virginia with 22 points and nine rebounds. James “Beetle” Bolden scored a career-high 21.

Buffalo had a 29-14 edge in offensive rebounds.

BIG PICTURE

Buffalo: Hits the road to take on Southern Illinois, which just gave Kentucky a game in Lexington. It was Kentucky that knocked Buffalo out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round last season. The Bulls get more opportunities at major teams with Syracuse and Marquette on the slate for December.

West Virginia: After the Mountaineers dropped their opener against the Bulls, more mid-major powers like Valparaiso, Western Kentucky, Monmouth, UCF and Rhode Island are still on the horizon.