Physical and mental pain can't stop Betts

???There was a question whether junior forward Calvin Betts would play Saturday after missing practice on Friday.

???Grieving from the passing of his 86-year old grandfather on Thursday, a heavy- hearted Betts decided to take part in the basketball team's crucial game against Ohio.

???Once he made that decision, not even a late-game knee injury would force him out.

???Despite sustaining an injury at the 4:36 mark that left him limping for the rest of the contest, Betts sparked a late Buffalo (10-5, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) rally and led the Bulls to a win in their MAC home-opener against Ohio (9-7, 2-1 MAC) in a 70-66 thriller. The win put the Bulls in first place in the MAC East. Buffalo also became the first team in the conference to win 10 games this season.

???"It was a typical MAC game where both teams were going at each other," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "We really needed to raise our level of concentration and energy to have a chance in the second half."

???Betts persevered to lead the Bulls with 20 points and five rebounds, but it was his play down the stretch that lifted his team to victory.

???With the Bulls down 58-49, Betts went up for an offensive rebound. While making a put back and getting fouled, he landed awkwardly and looked to be in serious pain. He insisted on staying in despite clear signs of injury.

???"I asked [Calvin] was he OK, and before he could say 'yeah,' all the other guys said 'yeah,' so he had no choice," Witherspoon said. "I thought his concentration was really good."

???A wounded Betts, along with his teammates, got the stops needed to make a comeback possible. The Bobcat lead was cut to one thanks to a quick run sparked by four points from junior guard Rodney Pierce and a 3-pointer from senior guard Andy Robinson.

???After an Ohio turnover, Robinson found a cutting Betts, who converted on a goaltending call and gave the Bulls a 60-59 lead with 2:11 left.

???Ohio would never regain the lead. Betts scored four more points, including two free-throws with eight seconds left to close the Bobcats out.

???"We've been in this situation before," Betts said. "I feel that last year we probably would have stopped playing and would have given up. But this year, with the experience and the players we have, we knew we could keep going and keep fighting."

???Prior to closing out the game on a 21-8 run, the Bulls found themselves in a tough spot. Ohio's big men, led by Jerome Tillman, out-rebounded the Bulls, 37-28, and were effective in scoring on the blocks. Tillman finished with 21 points, including 13 in the second half, and eight rebounds.

???The tough, scrappy play gave the Bobcats momentum in the second half. After a Pierce jumper gave the Bulls a 41-39 lead five minutes into the half, Ohio went on a 19-8 run, capped by a Justin Orr put-back off his own miss, to give Ohio the 58-49 lead that had the Bulls on their heels.

???While the Bulls struggled to take advantage of their rebounding strength, they improved on their weaknesses to keep themselves in the game, committing only 10 turnovers that resulted in few points off turnovers for Ohio. The Bulls also converted on 74 percent of their free throws, including 8 of 10 in the second-half comeback.

???"It's one of the few games where we've been severely out-rebounded, but we did a great job taking care and handling the basketball," Witherspoon said. "I thought what we really did well was concentrating through the end of the game. We tweaked some things and changed some things and did it seamlessly. It was a great team win."

???But it was Betts that took the team on his shoulders and injured knee and carried them to victory. The dedication and effort he displayed on the floor while overcoming physical and mental pain encouraged his teammates to exert the same amount of effort.

???"I just thank God that Calvin has the competitiveness in him to come out and play because I didn't think he was going to play," said senior guard Greg Gamble. "For him to come out and play one of his best games was huge; we needed him. He knows that and we know that, and we just try to keep his spirit up."

???The Bulls return to action Wednesday night when they play Kent State, the reigning MAC champions. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena.