They never make it look easy, but somehow the UB Bulls' men's basketball team keeps finding ways to pull off a close game.
Louis Campbell's leaner off the glass with 11 seconds to play gave the Bulls a thrilling 73-72 win over the New Hampshire Wildcats before 882 fans at Alumni Arena Saturday night. Buffalo is now 2-0 at home after using a buzzer-beater shot to trump Canisius in their home opener.
Freshman point guard Turner Battle pulled down a defensive rebound and hurried up the court, where he dished it off to Campbell. With no timeouts remaining, Campbell had to make a decision quickly. He drove hard to the basket and put up a leaning lay-up that went off the glass and through the cylinder, handing the Bulls another thrilling victory.
"My teammates have confidence in me, and that's pretty much my game to drive to the basket so it's pretty much a normal shot," Campbell said. "That's what it's all about, being a basketball player."
"We decided to just slide a guy off the block and just have him ball screen for Louis," Bulls head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "I thought that would be a good option because the other three players we had in the game were good enough shooters that [New Hampshire] couldn't leave them and help on Louis. If they did leave them, then we would end up with an open perimeter shot from a good shooter."
The Wildcats had one more shot to win it but a three-pointer by Marcus Bullock was off the mark, and led to a loose ball scramble that was not picked up before the final buzzer sounded.
The scene was nearly deja vu for UB. Less than 48 hours after a disappointing single-digit loss to Rhode Island in which the Bulls failed to hold on to a 13-point lead, they surrendered an 11-point advantage to New Hampshire.
On this night, however, UB maintained their poise, which Witherspoon reflected glowingly following the game.
"I told the guys I am proud of the way they fought and they didn't give in," Witherspoon said. "There was a lot more determination than there was frustration [in the final minutes of game] and there were a lot more frustrating times, and for that I am proud of these guys. We are a work in progress."
At this juncture, the Bulls stand with a record of 3-2 but could easily be 5-0 at best or 1-4 at worst. Four of their five games this season were decided by two points or less, and the eventual outcome has been decided in the final minute of each game.
Both teams were red-hot shooting from the field in the first half. The Wildcats connected on 48.3 percent of their attempts, while Buffalo shot a smoldering 47.2 percent. Near the end of the half the Bulls went on a seven-point run that gave them their 11-point lead, which would be the biggest for either team in the contest.
UB struggled in the second half when their shooting and foul shooting percentages dropped off tremendously. Buffalo made just 7 of 17 free throw attempts in the half, allowing the Wildcats to crawl back into the game.
The Bulls had some trouble dealing with the Wildcats' full court press down the stretch, which Witherspoon attributed to a lack of mental focus.
"You know it's funny - we played Rhode Island and they pressed us a lot and we handled it great, and what happens sometimes with the press is while it's constantly on and in front of you, your preparation is fresh and you go at it," Witherspoon said. "They didn't press us until the end of the game. We're working on that, we understand that's gonna happen when we're ahead at the end of a game. We lost sight of some of our preparation."
UB finished with four players in double figures including Campbell, who led the Bulls with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.
Freshman Mark Bortz and senior guard Gabe Cagwin came off the bench and added 13 points each for Buffalo - career highs for both players. Cagwin provided the Bulls with a three-point threat, going 3-5 from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats had the game's two leading scorers. Allen Gould had 20 points off the bench for New Hampshire while starting forward Chris Brown scored 15.
Buffalo is off to their best start since the 1998-99 season, something Cagwin attributes to his team's cohesion on and off the court.
"The main thing is the team chemistry. The coaches have done a good job of bringing us together, putting us in situations off the court, where when we get on the court we're going to come out on top," Cagwin said. "I'm just excited to be able to be a part of the team."
Buffalo will play at Cornell on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. They return home to open Mid-American Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. against Akron. Both games can be heard on WWKB-AM Radio 1520.
