Senior guard Greg Gamble drove to the lane with his team down four to Akron with less than 10 seconds left. After clearing a plethora of Akron Zips, Gamble had a clear path to make the Bulls' critical conference game a one-possession contest.
Gamble's layup attempt hit the back of the rim and fell into the hands of Akron's Nate Linhart. Somber fans hopped to their feet in disgust and ran towards the exit.
They just saw Buffalo's once insurmountable lead in the Mid-American Conference East Division wither away.
Gamble's layup was a microcosm of the Bulls' struggles Thursday night as missed lay-ups and costly turnovers doomed Buffalo (17-9, 9-4 MAC) as they fell to Akron (18-10, 9-4 MAC), 62-57. It was the Bulls' fourth-straight loss and dropped them into a three-way tie for first place in the MAC East.
"When you win a lot, other teams are going to make adjustments," said junior guard Rodney Pierce. "You have to play harder and stay together."
Sloppy play plagued both teams. Buffalo committed 20 turnovers while the Zips turned the ball over 21 times. Fourteen traveling calls were made over the course of the game.
Despite the lack of solid play, Akron looked to take control of the battle for first place early on. The Zips went on a 19-5 run midway through the first half to pull ahead 30-16 with 2:19 before halftime.
Pierce single-handedly brought the Bulls back into the game. He scored the last night points of the half to cut Akron's lead to 30-25. Pierce had 16 points at halftime.
The second half started with Buffalo and Akron alternating baskets. The Bulls grabbed their first lead since the 16:13 mark in the first half when junior forward Max Boudreau was fouled on a layup with 10:02 left in the game. His successful free throw gave the Bulls a 46-43 lead.
Both teams battled back and forth for the rest of the game. With the game tied at 50, Akron went on a mini 7-1 surge that put the Bulls down by two possessions. Gamble answered with a three-point play that made the score 57-54 with 2:29 left.
It was the last field goal Buffalo would convert. Gamble was able to bring the Bulls within two after two free throws. An Akron turnover gave the ball back to the Bulls, but a Boudreau illegal screen with 37 seconds remaining gave the ball back.
A composed Anthony Hitchens converted on two free throws for the Zips to put Buffalo down by two possessions. Gamble's missed layup wrapped up what proved to be a painful ending to the Bulls' comeback effort.
"If not for a play or two, a missed dunk and two missed layup, they [the Bulls] win," said Akron head coach Keith Dambrot. "That's the way these games go in the MAC East; everyone is the same... It's just who can make plays in the last two to three minutes."
Pierce finished with 20 points on the game. Gamble added 14 points while Boudreau chipped in nine points and five rebounds off the bench.
But it was Buffalo's inability to perform near the end of a game that cost the Bulls once again. The loss puts the Bulls in a three-way tie with both Bowling Green and Akron in the MAC East.
With three games left, Gamble knows it's gut-check time for his struggling team.
"We're in a little bit of a slump, but we just have to come with some heart. We have to dig down and find it," Gamble said. "We're still on top of the mountain. We're tied up and back to ground zero. There's still a chance to take it [the MAC East], but if we don't come with some heart, it's over."
Head coach Reggie Witherspoon, who slammed and injured his right hand against the scorer's table during Buffalo's collapse, believes his team has to work harder. He expects a few changes to be made in the future.
"Nothing works if we don't work," Witherspoon said. "There are going to be a few things we look at... We're finding out a little bit about some guys. We're going to have to do some things differently."
The Bulls have another tough MAC East contest ahead as they travel to Athens, Ohio to face the Ohio Bobcats. Tip off is Sunday at noon. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
