Bulls back on track

Standing on the court at a lanky 7-feet tall, forward Andrew Atman surprised Bulls fans in more ways than one Saturday, first with a new-look hairdo and then with a breakout performance.

For the first time in his collegiate career, Atman started a game for Buffalo and made the most of his mere 11 minutes, scoring nine points en route to a 73-62 win over Western Michigan.

Previously known for a shaggy head of hair, Atman entered the locker room with a shaved head Saturday night, which head coach Reggie Witherspoon said he felt might be a sign.

"I knew that once he got his hair cut, he knew he was going to be a contributor," Witherspoon said.

Atman said he was just in the mood to cut his typical quaff of curls in favor of a shaved head.

"I just thought it was time for a change," Atman said. "It needed to go."

Fittingly enough, it was Atman's team that was also in need of a change Saturday night, as the win evened Buffalo's conference record at 2-2. The Bulls came into the Western Michigan game after two straight road losses during the winter break, one of which saw them trampled early at the hands of Toledo.

Buffalo went 4-2 while students were away, but the record and the scores of the games do not begin to describe the emotional ups and downs over the past month for the Bulls, who are now 12-3 overall, and 2-2 in the Mid-American Conference.

In their first game of the break, the Bulls battled a frisky Elon team (7-9), coming off an 11-day layoff between games. With less than five minutes remaining in the game, the Bulls were down eight when senior guard Calvin Cage caught fire and made three consecutive three pointers in the final three minutes. The last basket gave Buffalo the lead for good at 66-65. UB eventually won by a final score of 68-67.

Slow starts and close finishes proved to be a theme for the Bulls over the next five games.

Following another long layoff, the Bulls traveled to Delaware State (7-10) in a game that tested the team's heart and mettle. The Bulls went into halftime down 14 and the deficit ballooned to 17 before the team got its act together. Senior guard Roderick Middleton came up big for the Bulls, scoring 15 points in the second half.

The Bulls exploded after a 19-point output in the first half, for 37 in the second half, overcoming the 14-point deficit with a 56-51 victory. Middleton and Cage played all 40 minutes together for only the second time this season.

Delaware State marked the end of out-of-conference play for the Bulls, who compiled a 10-1 record to begin the season, the best start by a Bulls team in over 40 years. UB also went into MAC play riding an eight-game winning streak.

The streak jumped to nine with a victory over Eastern Michigan. Led by junior forward Yassin Idbihi's 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Buffalo ran right by the Eagles for a much-needed easy victory. The win allowed Witherspoon to rest his starters and give the bench players game experience, as the Bulls cruised to a 78-62 win.

But the team failed to bring the winning streak to double digits, falling to Northern Illinois several days later in overtime. UB jumped out to an early lead but the Huskies (8-5, 3-2 MAC) clawed their way back into the game and by halftime the score was tied at 40.

The second half was tightly contested all the way through the end, setting up a game-winning opportunity for Cage. With the score tied at 74, Cage attempted a lay-up with time expiring, missed, and sent the game into overtime.

The Bulls were at a disadvantage in overtime when senior forward Mario Jordan and Middleton both fouled out. Starting junior forward Parnell Smith injured his ankle and was not available for the rest of the game. Smith has not played since. With the Bulls having to rely on their bench, Northern Illinois was able to come away with a victory when freshman guard Eric Moore missed a three-pointer as time expired.

"We're on the road and Eric Moore is taking the game-winning shot at the buzzer," Witherspoon said. "I hope I don't have to convince him that he might have to play a lot."

Witherspoon said that the injury to Smith was a wake-up call for the team, especially the less-experienced players, who now will have to play a larger role and take on more minutes.

"When Parnell got hurt you could see (Atman's) eyes get bigger and you could see every freshman's eyes get bigger," Witherspoon said.

After a nine-game winning streak, the Bulls hit a streak that they were not expecting. The team lost its second game in a row at Toledo (8-5, 1-4 MAC), who at the time were winless in the MAC. Despite a furious comeback in the second half, a 22-point deficit at halftime was too much to overcome.

The Bulls came out rusty to begin the game, and only managed a season-low 16 first-half points. An explosive 54-point second half followed the drought. With 30 seconds left, the Bulls found themselves down 10. Two Cage three-pointers and a free throw later, the team was down by three with 14 seconds to go. But that was where the comeback ended, and Bulls fell 73-70.

UB's final game over break saw the Bulls return to Alumni Arena for a showdown against Western Michigan (4-10, 1-3 MAC). The Bulls were able to withstand an early charge by the Broncos, and self-inflicted errors-including several turnovers-on their way to that much-needed 73-62 victory.

Witherspoon is preparing his squad to receive the best effort from each of its opponents from here on out, due to the attention UB has been getting as a result of its early-season success.

"I think what happens is that every game that we play, the next game your opponent is going to make it harder for you," Witherspoon said. "I think our opponents here (on) out are going to make it as hard as they possibly can for us. That's just something that we're going to have to deal with."

The Bulls look to continue their winning on Wednesday as they host Bowling Green. Forward Martin Samarco, who is averaging 17 points and five rebounds on the season, leads the Falcons. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.