| Ohio | 72 |
| Bulls | 66 |
Despite the immense devastation that Ohio Bobcat Brandon Hunter caused in the paint, it was his three-point heave with 5:27 remaining that finally put the scrappy Buffalo Bulls down and out.
"We've seen that before," said a disheartened Reggie Witherspoon, the Bulls head coach, referring to the Kent State game last Wednesday that ended with a Golden Flash prayer answered.
Hunter detonated in the second half, scoring 24 of his game-high and career-high 32 points on the way to a 72-66 win for Ohio (5-9, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) on Tuesday night at Alumni Arena. He also pulled down a game high 11 rebounds.
"I thought from the standpoint of being mistake free, this might have been Brandon's best game of the year," said Bobcat head coach Tim O'Shea. "He really didn't make any mistakes."
"I just let the game come to me," said Hunter. "You can't be trying to force it. I'm in great shape so eventually they get tired, which they did, then I just start exploding."
A late 6-0 run by Buffalo (3-12, 0-6 MAC) brought UB within five at 56-51, but just when it looked as if they might push themselves up and over the hump, everything came crashing down with a three-pointer.
The look on Hunter's face said it all. It was one of those "I'll take it" looks. UB's collective expression was all too familiar after that. It was the look of a defeated team, something they have been eight times in a row now.
"I couldn't see the shot clock, I thought the team said 'one,' but they said 'eight.' Someone in the crowd probably said 'shoot it,' so I put it up," said Hunter.
Buffalo played tough basketball in the first half going toe-to-toe with Hunter and the Bobcats. UB starting center Joe Veal, who was replacing the injured and much-needed Clement Smith, did a good job on Hunter in the first half, limiting the senior to only eight points, while going 5-5 himself, good for ten points and keeping the Bulls in the game. UB trailed 32-28 at the half.
Yet foul trouble limited Veal's action in the second half, causing freshman B.J Walker to receive the honor of guarding the tremendously muscular Hunter. Walker looked like a deer in the headlights when matched up with the imposing Hunter.
Hunter took advantage of this, exploding to the rim on six occasions in the second half and serving up facials for the UB squad. Even while being fouled, Hunter managed to finish the play on four occasions, giving himself the chance for multiple three-point plays.
"I played 37 minutes, I rarely get tired," said Hunter. "They are fouling me the whole game, but I don't care."
Along with Veal, the two smallest starters for the Bulls attempted to lead the way. Turner Battle, who was fighting sickness the entire game, chipped in 13 points on 4-8 shooting and also served up eight assists for his teammates. The diminutive Calvin Cage, Battle's backcourt companion, also scored 13 points many of them baskets that appeared to have sparked the Bulls morale.
Poor shooting however, kept the Bulls at bay for the entire game. The team shot 37 percent for the game, 22 percent from behind the arc. Ohio shot 38 percent from the field in the first half but rebounded in the second half, shooting 52 percent, with much thanks to Hunter's dunking theatrics.
Sonny Johnson and Steve Esterkamp also contributed to the Bobcats victory, scoring 19 and 13 points respectively. Their points, along with Hunter's, contributed to 64 of Ohio's 72 points.
The Bulls next game is at Marshall on Saturda
