BUFFALO, NY—D'Youville and Buffalo State recorded victories this evening in the opening round of the Holiday Inn Invitational at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. D'Youville rallied to beat Hilbert 59-56 in the opener, and Buffalo State held on for a 59-56 victory in the nightcap.

D'Youville (3-5) used a 21-3 run to close out the game and erase a 15-point deficit with less than seven minutes to play to slip past Hilbert (3-7) 59-56. Sanquin Starks (Niagara Falls/Niagara Falls) led D'Youville with 13 points and seven rebounds. Scott Mueller (Niagara Falls/Niagara Wheatfield) added 11 points for the Spartans. Sam Gioia (W. Seneca/W. Seneca West) paced Hilbert with 16 points, and Will Wereley (Syracuse/Henninger) added nine points and 10 rebounds.

In the second game, Buffalo State (5-3) never trailed in the second half and hung on for a 59-56 victory over Medaille (1-9). Joshua Becker (Hamburg/Frontier) led the Bengals' scorers with 22 points and added seven rebounds. Perry Davis (Buffalo/Seneca) recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Justin Konst (Williamsville/Williamsville East) scored 11 points. Rene Smith (Buffalo/South Park) led the Mavericks with 20 points and 10 boards. Pierre Bryant (Buffalo/McKinley) added 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Jason Filipski (Buffalo/Riverside) scored 14 points.

D'Youville and Buffalo State will meet in tomorrow's championship game at 8 p.m., preceded by Hilbert and Medaille in the consolation game at 6 p.m.