Hosting SUNY-rival University at Buffalo without two of its leading scorers, the Binghamton men’s basketball team fell, 76-50, at the Events Center on Tuesday night.

Buffalo (8-3) was dominant early in the game, taking advantage of the room accorded it behind the arc from Binghamton’s zone. The Bulls shot 5 of 6 3-pointers in the first eight minutes and finished the game converting 9 of 24 attempts from distance.

That run was highlighted by four straight treys from the Bulls, giving them a 16-point lead, 23-7, with 11:59 remaining in the half. Buffalo shot 8 for 11 from the field in that span, depriving Binghamton (1-14) of any opportunity to score in transition.

Though that stopped being so much of a problem through the rest of the game and the onus shifted to Binghamton’s inability to make its shots fall — the Bearcats shot 34.6 percent from the field in the game, with at least three baskets simply rimming out — Binghamton wouldn’t come any closer than 14 the rest of the way.

The Bearcats had their own offensive spurts through the half, but that proved insufficient. One such instance was sparked by a 3-point basket from freshman forward Willie Rodriguez, leading to Binghamton cutting the lead from 20 to 14, 29-15, with 7:29 to go in the half. That 8-2 run comprised a trey from junior guard Karon Waller and a layup from freshman guard Bobby Ahearn, who finished out the game with a strong 12-point, six-rebound showing in his second start of the season.

Despite that small success, Buffalo closed out the half well on top, 40-21.

With freshman center Dusan Perovic — who leads the team with 11.6 points per game — and sophomore forward Nick Madray — who sports a third-best 7.8 points per contest — out with injuries, Binghamton looked to Rodriguez for offensive production. The 6-foot-6 forward lands second on the team with his 10.4 points per game, and has eclipsed the 20-point mark three times this season. But Rodriguez only chipped in five in the first half.

A good part of the Bearcats’ first-half production actually came from an unsuspecting guard — Ahearn, who went 3 for 3 from the field in the opening 20.

Come the second half, Ahearn largely retained his efficacy. The 6-foot-5 guard-playing-center converted 5 of 6 field goals and went 2 for 2 at the charity stripe in the game. That came via a combination of sophomore guard Marlon Beck II dishing him good feeds under the rim and of Ahearn finishing off his teammates’ missed shots.

After scoring nine in a span of 7:11, Rodriguez looked like he might stage a second-half comeback — which he has done multiple times this season. But after finishing a 3-point play with 9:17 remaining on the clock, Rodriguez wouldn’t score another point. Still, his 14 points were a team-high.

On Buffalo’s end, the Bulls extended their lead to 30 at one point in the game. A late 12-3 run featuring six from the line put the Bulls up, 74-43, with 1:57 to go. Binghamton’s next seven came from a Yacob 3-point basket, Ahearn’s two free throws and a layup from senior forward Jabrille Williams.

Head coach Bobby Hurley’s squad saw five score in the double-digits, headed by junior forward Justin Moss. Moss, who came into Tuesday night averaging 17 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest, contributed a game-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.

Sophomore guard Shannon Evans recorded the Event Center’s first triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in his team’s win.

Joining Moss and Evans in the double digits were senior forward Will Regan and junior guard Rodell Wigginton, with 14 points, and senior forward Xavier Ford, with 11.

Binghamton’s 12th straight loss comes on the back of an impressive performance from Rodriguez, who earned America East Rookie of the Week honors this Monday. That was due to his 25-point outing in Binghamton’s 69-68 loss to Mount St. Mary’s last week. Twenty-two of his 25 points came in the second half, and he shot 8 for 11 from the field and 8 of 10 from the line. He also pulled down seven boards.

With its non-conference schedule concluded, Binghamton is set to open America East play with a Friday night matchup against UMass Lowell. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at Costello Athletic Center in Lowell, Massachusetts.