Buffalo, N.Y. | At least it wasn’t for a lack of effort.

Once again, the NIU men’s basketball team won most of the statistical categories, except one: rebounding. And it may have cost them their first chance at a win since early January.

The Huskies (4-17, 1-8) lost to Buffalo (10-12, 2-7) 80-74 Saturday at Alumni Hall in New York.

Buffalo out-rebounded NIU 47-27 and had numerous second-chance opportunities with a 25-9 edge on the offensive glass.

“Today’s game was won by the Bulls on the boards,” NIU coach Rob Judson said. “Twenty-five offensive rebounds, 47 total rebounds allowed them to have 12 more shots than we had and in a one- or two- possession game, that’s the difference.”

NIU shot 47 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three-point range, but allowed Buffalo to score a season-high 80 points and record season-best 13 steals.

The second-chance points and extra possessions, combined with a career game from the Bulls’ Yassin Idbihi, handed NIU its eighth-straight MAC conference loss. The senior forward had a career-high 26 points and pulled down six rebounds.

“Yassin Idbihi was difficult to stop inside,” Judson said. “We tried to play zone, we tried to play man, we tried to double-team him. Buffalo did a nice job in getting him the basketball and putting him in a position to score.”

In a hotly contested game that featured four ties and 10 lead changes, Buffalo out-scored NIU 21-11 over the final 7:13.

The run was keyed by senior forward Parnell Smith (16 points, 8 rebounds) and freshman point guard Byron Mulkey (11 points).

A walk-on freshman that earned a start in only his second career game, Mulkey sparked the Bulls in the open court.

NIU managed to take a late four-point lead with a scoring spurt, but an Idbihi basket with four minutes and nine seconds left gave Buffalo a 66-65 lead. Buffalo would score nine unanswered points to take a 71-65 lead and secure the lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

In the final minute, the Bulls converted seven of eight free throws to seal the victory and make NIU 1-17 in their last 18 games.

Senior center James Hughes led NIU with 20 points and pulled down six rebounds.