A Night Of Firsts

Something is different about the Mid-American Conference East Division standings.

The Buffalo Bulls are on top.

Earning their first victory of the season, the UB men's basketball team (1-3) penned a masterpiece, using clutch free throw shooting along with a 24-5 opening period run to cruise to a 82-64 win over the Bowling Green Falcons on Wednesday night in Alumni Arena.

The win marked the first time in school history that the Bulls have bested the Falcons, having lost the previous nine contests to BGSU, and sets them atop the East Division of the Mid-American Conference standings for the time being at 1-0 in the conference.

It was truly a team effort, as five Buffalo players finished in double-figure points, despite playing without leading scorer B.J. Walker (back injury). Jason Bird stepped up, knocking down three treys and finishing with 14 points.

"I'm proud of the effort that our guys gave," said UB head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "We blocked out, we took charges, we got loose balls, we sprinted the floor and we did those things with passion."

Point guard Turner Battle was the catalyst, leading the Bulls with 17 points, four steals, while nailing 12 of 14 free throws.

Free throws have been UB's Achilles heel this season, as they were shooting a dismal 36-65 prior to Wednesday night, bad enough for a 55 percentage while costing the Bulls some games this season.

"If we concentrate," said Battle, "we know we can knock them down."

The Bulls got off to a lethargic start, falling behind 5-0, signaling the birth of another disaster early on. Daniel Gilbert (14 points) ignited the flurry though, putting the Bulls on the board off a Mario Jordan free throw miss by hitting some free throws of his own, and the Bulls never looked back.

Mario Jordan also led the charge, literally. He single-handedly took six charges, helping to contribute to the disqualification of four Falcons players.

"For Mario to step in and take six charges tells you (he) was really moving his feet," said Witherspoon. "He took them, there wasn't really any question either, he was there waiting."

Buffalo's smothering defense shut down the Falcons' leading scorer, Ron Lewis (14 points), who just two weeks ago torched Urbana for 34 points.

"They beat us all day," said Bowling Green head coach Dan Dakich, whose squad fell to 2-2 (0-1 MAC). "They hung onto the ball and cut, (they) executed their offense very well throughout the course of the game. Buffalo looked quicker at every movement. Defending what we do better than what we did, I thought it was great. I mean I didn't think it was great ... they played great."

Despite the crowd being one-third the size of the opening night crowd, it was still a hostile environment, with the fans' cheers spreading like wildfire after every Bulls play.

"Especially, it being finals week," said Jordan on the appreciation of the support. "Most students might be skipping some of that study time to get here, we appreciate it, but you got to get them A's."

One of the more exciting plays included a steal by Jordan (four steals overall), who tight-roped the sidelined, and then flew down the court finishing it off with a jam.

Buffalo will try to carry over the momentum of their first victory of the season Saturday night when they play host to Youngstown State Penguins in Alumni Arena.

The Penguins improved their record to 2-3 Wednesday night with a 106-69 victory over Slippery Rock. Youngstown tied a school record with 14 three-pointers and scored more points in a game than they have in almost three years.

TeJay Anderson is the team's best player, leading the team in rebounds with 7.4 a game and second in scoring with 10.6 points a game. With his inside presence and the prolific outside shooting for YSU, it could be a tough match up for Buffalo.

"We got Youngstown State on Saturday and we went there last season and it was a very difficult place to play in," said Witherspoon. "They had a MAC game against Toledo earlier this year and lost 78-74, so they have proven they can play with the teams in our league."

UB lost last season in Youngstown State by a score of 63-48.

"They beat a couple of MAC teams last year," said Witherspoon. "For us, it's an opportunity to get better. There are things we have to improve on. We are just looking forward to the challenge and hope that our students stay with us."

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday night in Alumni Arena.