Pierce back on track as Bulls pull away late

Breaking out of a shooting slump can be difficult, but that is exactly what the men's basketball team accomplished on Saturday.

The Bulls (2-1) knocked off the Towson Tigers (1-1), 78-69 in overtime, partly due to the play of senior guard Rodney Pierce.

Pierce has struggled early on this season, shooting only 4-for-22 from the field in his first two games. The first half against the Tigers was more of the same when he went 2-for-9 from the field and 0-for-3 from 3-point range.

But the old Rodney Pierce emerged during the second half and in overtime. Pierce and the Bulls shot 55 percent from the field as a team and outlasted the Tigers with some shutdown defense.

Pierce finished with a season-high 18 points, 14 of which came in the second half and overtime period.

Late in the second half, the Bulls seemed to have things under control, holding a 65-60 advantage before Tigers forward Calvin Lee hit a layup with 1:18 remaining in the game to cut the lead to three.

After a Buffalo turnover, Towson point guard Troy Franklin sank a clutch three-pointer with 21 seconds left on the clock to tie the game at 65 apiece. Pierce missed a layup attempt as time expired to send the game to overtime.

Exuberant after Franklin's game-tying shot, the crowd of almost 1,800 at the Towson Center was quickly silenced in the extra frame as senior guard Calvin Betts's jump shot started a 9-4 run that catapulted the Bulls to the win.

Sophomore forward Titus Robinson put an exclamation point on the game when he threw down a vicious dunk off of a pass from senior forward Max Boudreau with only a minute left on the clock.

Although the shooting helped, head coach Reggie Witherspoon attributed the victory to the play on the defensive end of the floor.

'I think it started on the defensive end,' Witherspoon said. 'We wanted to make it as difficult as we could for them. They got some offensive rebounds, but we stayed in there and tried to make it difficult for them.'

The Buffalo big men had solid performances in the game. Robinson and sophomore forward Mitchell Watt combined for 21 points and seven rebounds, and junior forward Jawaan Alston continued his strong play for the Bulls by scoring 11 points off the bench.

The Bulls were just two days removed from their previous game against the Navy Midshipmen. Because of the quick turnaround, Witherspoon knew that his players suffered from fatigue in the game.

'This was a tough swing,' Witherspoon said. 'We had guys that really ran out of gas, particularly our post players, but I think our depth at the post position really helped us.'

But the post players weren't the only ones to lead Buffalo to a 2-1 record. Betts and senior point guard John Boyer stepped up for the Bulls.

Betts was one of the catalysts for Buffalo, turning in a solid all-around performance. He notched his first double-double of the season by scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the contest.

Witherspoon couldn't be more pleased with the way Betts responded to a slow start to the season. The head coach cited two instances – where Betts hustled back on defense to contest easy fast break layups – as immeasurable keys to victory.

'[He] did a few things that don't show up in the box score,' Witherspoon said. 'Those are things that just bring tremendous energy. I thought he got back to really pursuing the basketball on the offensive glass.'

Boyer had a great game and came close to recording a triple-double. He set a career-high with 12 assists in the game, in addition to six points and eight rebounds.

'[Boyer] really saw the floor and did a terrific job,' Witherspoon said. 'He had 12 assists, and he had a few where he made nice passes and then we got fouled and got to the line but didn't score, so he didn't get the assist. But he did a really nice job throughout the course of the game and he logged heavy minutes today.'

In regards to their shooting slump, Witherspoon knew it was only a matter of time before Pierce and Betts found their touch once again.

'I always say that if your shot isn't going, there are a number of other ways you can contribute,' Witherspoon said. 'And usually it will help your shot come around. I thought Rodney [Pierce] and Calvin [Betts] did a good job with that today.'

The Bulls will return home and will once again play on short rest when they host cross-town rival Canisius on Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena.

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