Emotions were charged Saturday night when the Bulls took on their Mid-American Conference nemesis the Central Michigan Chippewas. Both teams at the bottom of the MAC standings were searching hard for a conference win, but the Bulls came up empty handed.
"(It was a) sloppy game. We didn't play well enough to win," said Buffalo head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "We didn't do really anything well enough to win, particularly at the free-throw line. Credit to Central Michigan."
Late in the game down by one, the Bulls (10-14, 2-9 MAC) had the ball with a chance to take the lead, only to have an errant pass intercepted by Central Michigan's freshman guard Jordan Bitzer who was immediately fouled. Bitzer proceeded to drain his two free throws, putting the Chippewas (9-14, 4-7 MAC) up three with time dwindling.
With time running out in the game, senior forward Parnell Smith got the ball and attempted a last ditch three-point prayer. Smith appeared to be fouled on the play, followed by a questionable rebound but the referees called nothing, leading to a much-enraged Witherspoon and a 59-56 loss for the Bulls.
"To me it looked like a typical night in the MAC," Witherspoon said. "I was trying find out first of all what happened on the last play and secondly I got three different explanations on it. I got explanations on the shot, on the rebound and on the time left and I got different explanations every time I asked."
Senior forward Sefton Barrett carried Central Michigan through the physical contest, shooting 7-11 for 21 points with eight rebounds and a pair of blocks on the way to its 59-56 victory over Buffalo.
"(Barrett) definitely stepped up for us tonight," said Central Michigan head coach Ernie Zeigler. "He's a kid that as a senior has had to go through some things in terms of a coaching change and a new philosophy, being asked to do a lot of things that are very unfamiliar. I'm just happy that he started to embrace some of the things we want him to do, in terms of attacking the basket and being more under control and putting himself in a position to make good decisions and he definitely did that."
The Bulls started off the first half poorly, only shooting 21.7 percent. After half time they came out roaring, scoring seven unanswered points and improving their shooting percentage to 37 percent.
"I just thought we were playing stiff," Witherspoon said. "(After half time) we were a little less hesitant about where we passed the basketball and we were a little bit more aggressive."
Another disappointing aspect of the Bulls' play was their three-point shooting. Buffalo turned in a below par 13.3 percent three-point shooting, as sophomore guard Eric Moore was held scoreless and 0-3 for three pointers. This was the third time in four games Moore was held without a three-pointer, after hitting a three in every game of the season before then.
Despite the team's execution, senior forward Yassin Idbihi turned in another stellar performance, going 6-7 shooting for 23 points and eight rebounds in their disappointing late game defeat.
"This team could play so much better, that's why it's frustrating," Idbihi said. "I know we can play a lot better."
Guard Giordan Watson was the only other player for the Chippewas to record double-digit points besides Barrett, finishing the night with 16. He also led the team in assists with four in 36 minutes of action.
"We were very fortunate to win a hard fought contest," Zeigler said. "In my opinion they're the most physical team and program we've played. It was two teams that were desperately in need of a win, and we were very fortunate to be able to battle through down the stretch and be the victors."
The Bulls will attempt to live up to their expectations of themselves this Tuesday when Buffalo takes on Bowling Green in Alumni Arena. The game will tip off at 7 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
