Buffalo had high hopes going into Wednesday's game against Bowling Green. Then, junior center Kevin Netter stepped onto the court for the Falcons.
The Bulls (2-3, MAC 0-1) lost their first MAC conference game of the year 76-59 before 2,186 fans at Bowling Green's Anderson Arena Wednesday night. Netter had a career-high 36 points for the Falcons (2-1, 1-0) on 12-22 shooting from the field and 12-15 from the foul line. Freshman guard Roderick Middleton had a career-high 17 points for the Bulls.
The Falcons got out to a 4-0 lead in the first half when UB sophomore Daniel Gilbert knocked down a shot from the three-point arc to cut the lead to 4-3. That's about as close as it would get as strong defense and offense continued to propel the Falcons past the Bulls.
The Falcons led by as much as 14 points in the first half, and held a 34-23 advantage going into halftime. The Bulls turned over the ball 18 times in the first 20 minutes, and had a total of 24 turnovers. They also failed to produce points when they had shots in the first half, going 10-25 from the floor and only 3-11 from the 3-point line.
The Falcons only came out stronger in the second half, opening a lead that would reach 24 points. Buffalo shot a paltry 1-11 in the opening minutes of the half. When it was all over, the Falcons won by 17 and sent UB off in disappointment.
Buffalo's top scorers were Middleton, who added three rebounds and four assists, and sophomore guard Turner Battle, who had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Netter added four rebounds while sophomore John Reimold also contributed for the Falcons, scoring 19 with impressive 5-7 shooting from the 3-point arc.
Bowling Green defeated UB in an eerily similar fashion last year, winning 73-58 and holding UB to a .321 percent shooting. Wednesday, the Bulls were held to .370 percent shooting and lost 76-59.
UB Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon was not available for comments following the game. The Bulls may have deserved a stern lecture after committing 24 turnovers.
Buffalo will play at Youngstown State Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. (WWKB-AM 1520).
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
