Buffalo ran past NIU 90-73 for its eighth straight win in the first round of the MAC tournament March 8 in New York.

Buffalo won 14 of its final 16 games and posted its first MAC tournament victory in its six years in the conference. The Bulls then fell 97-85 in the quarterfinals to Toledo at Cleveland’s Gund Arena.

Toledo lost in the semifinals to the eventual MAC champion, Western Michigan, who is the MAC’s only team in the NCAA tournament. The Broncos are a No. 11 seed and will take on No. 6 Vanderbilt in the first round.

NIU (10-20 overall, 5-13 MAC) was led by seniors Perry Smith and Marcus Smallwood against Buffalo, who combined for 43 points.

“They did a wonderful job,” NIU coach Rob Judson said of Buffalo, following the Huskies’ loss. “At the same time, we’re extremely proud of our seniors and the fight they showed in a difficult but fun environment. It was unbelievable. This was a great collegiate atmosphere. I thought we played with great heart and desire.”

Smith scored 28 and Smallwood scored 15 with 7 rebounds. Smith shot 9-of-17 from the field, going 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.

“Perry Smith threw us on his back and really did the things that seniors are supposed to do,” Judson said. “He was not going to go out quietly.”

NIU began the season with closely contested losses against Notre Dame and Iowa and landed on ESPN’s top 10 mid-majors list with a 54-53 win over Illinois-Chicago.

The Huskies were picked first in the MAC’s preseason coaches’ poll, but finished sixth of seven teams in the MAC West.

NIU was plagued by a 10-game losing streak near the end of the season, but entered the MAC tournament winning three of its past four games.

Both Smith and Smallwood were selected as All-MAC honorable mentions March 10. Smallwood was first team All-MAC last season, and Smith was honorable mention.

NIU’s loss to Buffalo marked the final collegiate game for seniors Smallwood, Smith, Al Sewasciuk and Walter Thompson.

“It was a pleasure to coach the four seniors over the last three years,” Judson said. “They are the foundation of our program here. Perry [Smith] and Marcus [Smallwood] were outstanding.”