Nathan Peavy saved the best for last, as the senior forward netted a career-high 24 points, along with 10 rebounds, during the RedHawks' 80-68 home finale win over Buffalo Saturday afternoon.

"I couldn't ask for more," Peavy said, following his final game at Millett Hall.

Peavy used Senior Night to showcase just how much he has improved during his four years at Miami. Peavy led the 'Hawks on both ends of the floor, consistently driving to the basket for strong layups and cleaning up the boards on the other end. He finished the first half with an emphatic dunk that gave him his 1000th point for his career. Peavy is only the 31st Miami player to reach the 1,000 point mark.

"He could have had 30 (points)," Miami Head Coach Charlie Coles said. "He's tough to stop when he's under the basket."

Millett Hall has been very friendly this season, as the 'Hawks have only lost two games all season at home. The win was also the ninth straight home win for the RedHawks, who last loss at home to Michigan Dec. 7 early in the season.

Miami jumped out to an early lead and never relinquished it. The RedHawks played solid defense against the Bulls, contesting nearly every shot. The staunch defense translated into a rhythmic RedHawk offense that blew the Bulls away early.

Miami took advantage of Buffalo's cold shooting to jump out to a 23-6 lead. Buffalo managed to shoot only 33 percent during the first half and 38 percent for the ball game. The Bulls shot just 11 percent from the 3-point line during the opening half.

It's hard to see how the Red and White lost to this same Bulls squad 68-51 in Buffalo earlier this season after their convincing win Saturday.

In the Jan. 14 game, Miami did a solid job containing Buffalo's leading scorer, senior Yassin Idbihi. The center leads the Bulls in scoring at 15.9 point per game and netted 23 points against the 'Hawks in January.

However Saturday, Idbihi was limited to only three points during the first half, all off free throws. Idbihi did not record a field goal until midway through the second half, finishing with 14 points.

RedHawk forward Tim Pollitz said the difference was the rebounding for Miami.

"Last time they out-rebounded us by 14 or so," Pollitz said. "Tonight they only out-rebounded us by three."

Buffalo actually out-rebounded Miami by 18 during their previous meeting, but the RedHawks benefited greatly this time around having Pollitz in the lineup. The junior forward sat out January's game, but complemented Peavy's strong rebounding performance with eight boards of his own Saturday.

Pollitz has emerged as Miami's go-to guy on offense this season. Pollitz seemed nearly unstoppable on offense, scoring 22 points and making eight of his 12 shots.

Pollitz's hot shooting continued his run toward the top shooting percentage in the MAC. He currently is ranked second, but has connected on over 30 more attempts than any of his competitors.

Throughout the second half, the RedHawks withstood all of Buffalo's attempts to rally back into the ball game. Buffalo saw strong second half performances from Idbihi and sophomore guard Andy Robinson.

Robinson caught fire in the second half, scoring 19 of his team-high 21 in the last 20 minutes.

Tempers flared briefly toward the end of the game between Peavy and Bulls' freshman Calvin Betts. Both Betts and Buffalo senior guard Darwin Young tested Peavy's patience all afternoon and tension finally boiled over resulting in a double technical for both Betts and Peavy.

"(Betts) got in his face and Peavy responded," Coles said. "Peavy has to stand up for himself. You never want players fighting, but you want them to be aggressive."

Seniors Monty St. Clair, Doug Penno, and Peavy were honored before their final game at Millett. Penno was inserted into the starting lineup in place of sophomore guard Michael Bramos. Both Peavy and Penno received standing ovations as Coles substituted them out during the final minutes of the game.

With the RedHawks only allowing 68 points to Buffalo Saturday, they are still the only team in Division-I basketball to not allow more than 70 points in any of their games this year.

Miami finishes the regular season with two road games, one in Athens Thursday against Ohio and the last regular season game in Bowling Green Sunday to take on the Falcons. After Sunday's game against Bowling Green, the 'Hawks head to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament to earn their chance to go to the NCAA Tournament.