Clang. Clang. Clang. That is the sound of the ball hitting the rim before it careens off into the hands of a waiting defender.
So, is it really necessary to write that word 14 more times? If that's the case, then that would be the total times that sound was heard as the Buffalo Bulls went 3-20 from behind the arc.
Generally not the kind of numbers the winning team in a game tallies on the board.
And that was the case as the Bulls (0-9 MAC, 3-15) fell to the Northern Illinois Huskies (7-3 MAC, 11-9) by a score of 70-61 before 1,392 fans Thursday night at Alumni Arena, extending their losing streak to 11 games.
"We just shot too many (three-pointers)," said Bulls head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "We lived out there today."
Despite UB's inefficiency from three-point land, they were able to keep themselves in the game and had it tied up at 50 after a pair of Mario Jordan free throws with 7:13 left.
Then disaster struck.
NIU's top gun, Marcus Smallwood, was fouled by Danny Gilbert but still managed to get the ball in the hoop, giving himself a chance for a three-point play. He missed the free throw but was able to follow his own shot, scoop up the rebound and kick it out to Todd Peterson, who consequently nailed the killer three.
As crushing a possession as can be, and with that five-point play the Bulls' fate was essentially sealed.
"Opportunity to get a three, got a good look, did what you're supposed to do," said Peterson.
"It's rebounding," said Witherspoon. "I don't specifically remember the five-point play, I just remember the rebounds we didn't get. And I'll probably see those in my sleep."
The offensive board that Northern Illinois obtained was a microcosm of the Bulls' rebounding woes all night long. They were out-rebounded 39 to 28 by a more experienced group that simply had their way with UB in the rebounding category.
"What really bothers me is what they did to us on the glass," said Witherspoon. "We let them get to the glass when we needed a big rebound."
Despite a quiet first half for Smallwood, he was able to score 10 of his 14 points and eight of his 13 rebounds in the second half alone, amid the jeering chants of "Smallllwoooood" from the raucous student section.
The Bulls were led by their man of steel, Turner Battle, who played for all 40 minutes, scoring 13 points with five assists, four steals and five rebounds. But he was also the culprit of the three-point barrage of misses, going 0-7 on 3-point attempts.
"We didn't penetrate the gaps in the zone like we are supposed to," said Battle. "We settled for too many threes."
Being as young as UB is, they pulled off an eye-raising feat by only turning the ball over six times. By comparison the Huskies gave the ball away time and time again, totaling 17 turnovers.
Yet the problem for Buffalo was they could only convert eight points off of that high amount of giveaways, and they were also drilled by the Huskies scintillating three-point shooting.
"That was huge," said NIU head coach Rob Judson of his team's ability to make defensive stops following turnovers. "But tonight we go 10-17 from the three, and that was the game."
Buffalo's Jason Bird also made an impact in the game for the Bulls, kicking off the second half with a pair of threes. In fact, Bird was the only Bull able to knock down the three, going 3-6 from downtown with 13 points and three assists.
Buffalo's next contest is on Saturday as they head to Ohio to battle the Bobcats at 3:30 pm (WWKB-AM 1520).
"We just have to will our way over the hump," said Battle.
