BUFFALO, NY—Host Buffalo State and Gwynedd-Mercy each posted victories to open the Coles Classic this evening at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. Gwynedd-Mercy defeated UT Dallas, 89-76, in the opener, and the Bengals topped D’Youville, 101-70, in the nightcap.

Gwynedd-Mercy never trailed in the first game, as it owned a 38-32 halftime advantage, before pulling away for the 89-76 win. Dave Smith (Cape May, NJ/Middle Twp.) led Gwynedd-Mercy with 19 points and added seven rebounds and three blocks. Tom Keenan (Philadelphia, PA/Prep Charter) and Lemeire Talley (Blackwood, NJ/Highland) each scored 15, and Colin Fitzgerald (Abington, PA/LaSalle) added 11 points for the Griffins. Brandon Greene (Houston, TX/Westbury Christian) led UT Dallas with 17 points. Jimmy Witten (Houston, TX/Clear Lake) had 16 points, and Jordan Eppink (Spring, TX/Spring) chipped in 11 points and nine boards.

In the late game, Buffalo State raced out to a 54-34 lead at the intermission and cruised to the 31-point win. Anderson White (Rochester, NY/Bishop Kearney) led 15 Bengals with points, scoring 14 and had five steals. Santo LaMar (Cheektowaga, NY/Maryvale) added 13 points, and Dion Mozelle (Rego Park/Xaverian) had 10. Freshman Antonio Speed (Buffalo, NY/East) chipped in nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Derek Tapscott (Warrenton, VA/Fauquier) led the Spartans with 19 points. Charles Walker (Buffalo, NY/NCCC) and Tom Kowalski (Cheektowaga, NY/JFK) each had 14 points, and Matt Baker (Perry, NY/ECC) had a game-high 11 boards with seven points.

Buffalo State and Gwynedd-Mercy will square off in tomorrow’s championship at 3 p.m., and D’Youville and UT Dallas will meet in the consolation game at 1 p.m.