???Luckily, the Bulls have not needed an explosive offense to get off to one of their best starts ever.
???During their recent home stand, the men's basketball team has been struggling shooting the ball. They failed to reach the 60-point mark their last two games and shot 38 percent against Northern Illinois.
???With a stifling defensive effort and domination rebounding the basketball, the Bulls (16-5, 8-1 Mid-American Conference), defeated Northern Illinois (6-15, 2-7 MAC), 68-46. With the victory, Buffalo is off to its best start as a Division I competitor.
???It was important to Buffalo head coach Reggie Witherspoon to set the mark during last week's Basketball Alumni Weekend. He was glad the numerous former players that returned to campus were able to witness a dominating performance.
???"A lot of the history of the program was here to see it," he said.
???The Bulls domination on defense and rebounds was evident on the stat sheet. Buffalo out-rebounded the Huskies, 44-28. Twenty offensive rebounds led to 20 second-chance points for the Bulls.
???Buffalo's defense forced Northern Illinois into 20 turnovers, which Buffalo converted into 26 points. The Bulls held the Huskies to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor.
???"One of the things we need to do is not to just play defense but to enjoy playing it. That gives us a chance to get better at it," Witherspoon said. "There's still some things we got to work out, but we want to make it as difficult for our opponents as we possibly can."
???Northern Illinois could attest to that statement. A Darion Anderson layup five seconds into the game gave Northern Illinois an early 2-0 lead. They held the lead for a minute and a half before junior guard Rodney Pierce scored Buffalo's first basket. Consistent stretches of missed field goals eventually put the Huskies in a tough spot. Northern Illinois' lack of offense made the early lead their only lead of the game. Buffalo's offense was efficient enough to grab a double-digit lead in the first half. Pierce led the Bulls with 15 points. Senior guard Andy Robinson and senior forward Vadim Feditov joined Pierce as double-digit scorers. Robinson finished with 12 points while Feditov scored 10 points in 16 minutes.
???Despite only shooting 38 percent, the Bulls' offense was more competent than their two previous outings where they averaged 55.5 points a game. A total of 11 Bulls scored on the night. Buffalo's bench outscored the Huskies' reserves, 37-11.
???Senior guard Greg Gamble, who finished with five points, four assists and seven rebounds, thought the offense improved after the Central Michigan game on Tuesday.
???"I think we got back into a little bit of a groove. I don't think on Tuesday we were satisfied. We definitely were flat and had a lack of energy," he said. "We came out today with a lot more spirit and a lot more determination, and it showed."
???Buffalo's victory marks their eighth win in a row and 10th win in 11 games. The improvement on offense is an encouraging sign, but cohesiveness and defense has sparked the Bulls towards first place in the MAC.
???"Defensively, we've come together as a team," junior forward Calvin Betts said. "It's not something we do because we have to, we really enjoy playing defense. We came together as a family, as a whole, and that's helped us out."
???Buffalo now hits the road for two games. They travel to Ypsilanti, Mich., to take on the 1-20 Eastern Michigan Eagles Thursday night. Game time is 7 p.m.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
