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Jayvon Graves paces UB men’s basketball to blowout of Ohio

Once Jayvon Graves started hitting 3-pointers, it seemed as if the sophomore guard couldn’t stop making those long-range shots.

Graves hit the first of four successive shots from behind the arc about 10 minutes into the first half, then continued his torrid pace, as the Bulls defeated Ohio 114-67.

Graves finished with 26 points, and went 7 for 9 on 3-pointers Tuesday at Alumni Arena. Graves’ sixth 3-pointer opened the Bulls’ lead to 52-27 at halftime, and he eclipsed his previous season best of 19 points, Dec. 8 at St. Bonaventure.

CJ Massinburg scored 23 points for the Bulls, and Jeenathan Williams added 13.

By the five-minute mark (4:40) of the second half, Graves had a season-high 21 points and the Bulls were 11 of 22 on 3-pointers and finished 19 for 33 on 3-pointers – a new program record for 3-pointers.

The Bulls shot 50 percent twice this season prior to Tuesday; UB went 15 for 30 on 3-pointers in a 110-80 win Jan. 8 vs. Toledo, and 16 for 32 in a 76-49 win Nov. 24 against Marist.

The Bulls also eclipsed the 100-point mark for the third time this season, when Graves hit his seventh 3-pointer with 5:42 left.

The Bulls improved to 23-3 and 11-2 in the MAC, and have won their last 23 games at Alumni Arena. That currently moves the Bulls ahead of Michigan, which has won 22 straight at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. The No. 7 Wolverines – coached by former Canisius coach and Western New York native John Beilein – were idle Tuesday.

No. 5 Tennessee entered Tuesday second in the nation with 23 straight home wins; Tennessee hosted Vanderbilt on Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.

No. 9 Houston leads the nation with 32 straight home wins. Houston was idle Tuesday.

Ohio fell to 11-14 and 3-10 in the MAC, and have lost six games in a row. The Bobcats are also 2-10 on the road this season.

UB entered Tuesday tied with Bowling Green for first in the MAC East Division at 10-2; Bowling Green played Tuesday at Akron.

The Bulls continue a three-game homestand at 7 p.m. Friday against Kent State, and host Akron at 7 p.m. Tuesday. UB plays March 1 at Miami (Ohio) and March 5 at Ohio, then closes the regular season March 8 against Bowling Green at Alumni Arena.

The MAC Tournament begins March 11 with first-round games on campus sites, and continues March 14 with the conference quarterfinals.

Nick Perkins scored nine points in his 129th game at UB; Perkins set a program record for games played in a career.

Jason Carter scored 16 points for Ohio. He entered Tuesday as the Bobcats’ leading scorer with 16.3 points per game.

UB took an early 10-6 lead behind Davonta Jordan and Montell McRae, who combined for eight points and two assists, including a pair of 3-pointers by McRae. The Bulls opened their lead to 13 at 26-13 with 9:38 left in the first half, on back-to-back 3-pointers by Graves, and held the Bobcats without a successful shot.

After Carter made Ohio’s first field goal in more than four minutes on a dunk with 7:59 left, Graves answered again with his third and fourth 3-pointers – he hit four in a span of 2:58 – to give UB a 32-15 lead with 7:18 left in the first half. The Bulls led by as many as 25 points for the remainder of the half, as Graves’ sixth 3-pointer gave the Bulls a 52-27 lead with 36 seconds left before halftime.