Twelve and counting.
The losing streak continues for the UB men's basketball team after they dropped a 61-49 decision to the Ohio Bobcats before 5,532 fans at Ohio's Convocation Center Saturday afternoon. Buffalo (3-16, 0-10 Mid-American Conference) has not won since Dec. 11 when they defeated Niagara. The Bulls remain the only winless team in the MAC.
It was a rough game for the Bulls with few bright spots as they fell further and further into the cellar of the MAC East.
"It wasn't a real pretty game," Buffalo head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "But Ohio certainly did more to win it than we did."
Just as it was when Ohio (7-11, 4-6 MAC) came to Buffalo two weeks ago and handed the Bulls a loss, the play of Bobcat forwards Brandon Hunter and Steve Esterkamp were too much for UB, who were missing the inside presence of injured forward Clement Smith.
Ohio started the game with a three-pointer by Jaivon Harris and held the Bulls to just four points in the first eight minutes of play to effectively set the tone for the game. The Bobcats never trailed throughout the contest.
Despite their offensive woes, Buffalo played solid defense and trailed by only six, 28-22 at halftime.
UB freshman B.J. Walker started the second half with a jumper that narrowed Ohio's lead to four points. The Bobcats quickly recovered on consecutive baskets by Hunter and Esterkamp that started a 9-1 scoring run and gave them a 37-25 lead. Buffalo would never again come within seven points of the lead for the rest of the game.
"It's a game we had to have. There's like a psychological pressure when you play a team like Buffalo who is struggling the way they are because you feel like you have to win the game," said Ohio head coach Tim O' Shea.
The Bulls held Ohio to 39.2 percent (20-51) from the field, 17.6 percent (3-17) from three-point range. The Bobcats were even rattled at the free throw line, shooting a poor 51.4 percent (18-35).
Buffalo's defense, however, could not make up for such a poor day offensively. The Bulls shot a season-low 29.8 percent (17-57) and just 13.3 percent (2-15) from behind the arc. UB had 18 turnovers that were converted into 19 points by the Bobcats.
Ohio's win was highlighted by the play of the MAC's leading rebounder, Hunter (16 points, 20 rebounds, and five assists). He was double teamed on the inside and placed Buffalo in foul trouble the whole game.
"Our post players got in foul trouble early, and as a result we started to play more and more tentatively," said Witherspoon.
Hunter went to the line 20 times but connected on just eight shots. Three other Bobcats shot in double figures, Esterkamp finished with 17 points, Thomas Stephens and Harris both had 10 points.
Buffalo's Turner Battle (11 points, six rebounds) and Walker (10 points, seven rebounds) were the only Bulls in double figures.
Tuesday night, Buffalo will challenge Eastern Michigan (10-9, 4-6 MAC) at Alumni Arena. The Eagles are a middle of the pack team who have struggled in conference play all season. EMU is coming off a 76-72 MAC West Division victory over Toledo (9-11, 3-7 MAC).
