Last year, Roderick Middleton's ESPN-highlight block against Fresno State marked the turning point of the Bulls' season.
With that image still dancing in their fans' heads, the men's basketball team trounced the Bulldogs 85-69 on Wednesday, never trailing in a victory that saw the only tie of the game in the first 21 seconds, when the score was knotted at zero.
The Bulls (5-1 overall) scored the first 11 points of the game until Fresno State guard Dwight O'Neil finally hit a three pointer almost four minutes after tip off. Unfortunately for Fresno, by the time they were able to put points on the board, the Bulls had gotten into a rhythm, on their way to a season-high shooting percentage of 53.7.
UB pounded the Bulldogs on the home-court glass, out-rebounding them 38-22. UB's statistical dominance added up to a 16-point margin of victory.
Senior forward Mario Jordan led the Bulls in scoring as he finished the game with 21 points, the result of a 7-for-7 tear from the free throw line.
Jordan also tied for the team lead in rebounding, pulling down nine boards. Senior guard Calvin Cage was the quickest man on the court as he continuously dished the ball to his teammates for a game-high eight assists.
"Anytime you penetrate, the defender has to help and I was just making the kicks," Cage said.
Cage's presence was dominant as he left Fresno unable to keep a man in front of him in half-court sets. Cage also shot 50 percent from the field and hit all eight of his free throws for a total of 20 points.
After the Bulls jumped up early, the Bulldogs countered with a run of their own, closing the gap to 18-14. The middle of the first half was the most competitive run of play in the game. Each team locked the other down defensively and struggled to put points on the board.
After the lull in scoring, the Bulls outscored Fresno 12-6 to take an eight-point lead at the half.
"I think once we were able to be decisive and strong with the ball, then we were able to get good shots," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "We were able to rebound the ball effectively and be strong enough with the ball that we didn't have a large number of turnovers."
Fresno was on fire to start the second half, making the first seven shots it took and closing the gap to 47-45. When the game got tight and the outcome was in doubt, the Bulls rose to the occasion and went on the biggest run: 15-0, taking command of the game.
The rest of the game the teams traded baskets as the lead never got smaller than 10 for the Bulls.
UB's defense never allowed the Bulldogs to get in any kind of a rhythm and forced them to try and survive offensively on the perimeter. Fresno State took 32 three-point attempts but hit a mere 12. The Bulls continued their domination all over the court, scorching the net from the line with an incredible 24 of 25 free throws made for an almost unheard of 96 percent.
"They were the better team tonight by far in every area," Fresno's head coach Steve Cleveland said. "This is certainly the best team we have played this year and they exposed us."
UB will travel to Niagara University on Saturday for a highly anticipated match-up at the Gallagher Center. The game will begin at 7 p.m.
