In an exhibition game, the Buffalo men's basketball team had a definitive victory over Buffalo State at Alumni Arena Friday night with a 91-48 win. New players for the team saw substantial playing time and posted some impressive stats against the Division III Bengals.
For freshmen, such as guards John Boyer, Calvin Betts and forward Kambi Laleye, Friday night was the first opportunity to showcase their skills on the court in front of the Buffalo crowd.
"We wanted to get our younger guys some minutes," said Bulls' head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "They got the uniforms on, got to run up and down the court, and that was important for us. Tonight was a good chance to get some of the jitters out."
The freshmen had ample time to settle in as Boyer received 23 minutes, Betts clocked in with 20 and Laleye played 15 minutes. Betts and Laleye tied for second highest points in the game with 11 each, while Boyer added to the win with six points. Laleye also gathered eight rebounds, including a game-high three offensive boards. Betts chipped in with six rebounds and Boyer grabbed five.
Although the exhibition game was a perfect chance for the freshmen to get some experience with the team, the veterans also saw action to find their rhythm with the season at hand. Junior forward Andrew Atman led the Bulls with 14 points and senior forward Parnell Smith was one of four Bulls to post double-digits in points with 10. Defensively, Smith led the team with five steals and added five rebounds.
"We played pretty well I think," Smith said. "We came out here and wanted to work on a lot of things both offensively and defensively. We had a lot of turnovers today so we need to work on cutting that number down, but overall I think we played pretty well."
The team as a whole came together as they dominated inside play with 44 points from the paint and 46 rebounds, which outmatched Buffalo State's 14 points down low and 32 rebounds. At the other end of the court, the Bulls managed 16 steals and caused 30 Bengal turnovers.
Despite the decisive win, the team looks to improve on several aspects of its game.
"We were really strong with the ball, but at times we were pretty anxious," Smith said. "That's a sign of being a young team, getting anxious offensively doesn't allow us to do what we wanted to do. But we will take care of it."
With the start of the regular season close at hand, Friday night became a benchmark on which Witherspoon can gauge the team.
"We have a long way to go but tonight was a good way to get the jitters out and see what we need to improve on," Witherspoon said. "As always I think we need to work on everything, but we need to be stronger with the basketball. We were strong with it today but now we need to secure it and value it so that we don't give it away. We need to be more assertive rebounding and more alert defensively. I think if we get those areas down we'll be good."
The regular season will kick off Friday at 8 p.m. when the Bulls travel to face local rival the Canisius Griffins. With promising young talent the Bulls look toward a successful season.
"I just think that having these young guys is a battle for us," Witherspoon said. "We are trying to accelerate their development as players and obviously the quicker we can do that the better we will be."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
