Senior leadership driving Bulls

Winter break usually serves as a month long reprieve from the headaches and hassles of college life for many students at UB. The men's basketball team wasn't afforded that luxury.

The Bulls (8-4, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) were hard at work preparing for the start of their MAC schedule. The team won three out of four contests, highlighted by a 73-55 obliteration of MAC-rival Miami (3-11, 0-1 MAC) at home on Saturday evening.

Senior guard Rodney Pierce has exploded out of his early season slump and has carried the Bulls on his back. He tied a team record against the RedHawks by scoring 20 points or more in six straight games.

Along with senior forward Calvin Betts, Pierce has answered the call to take over out on the court.

'As far as myself and Calvin, I think the team wants us to be more assertive,' Pierce said. 'Not necessarily shoot, but to be aggressive every chance we get. I think that's what we did along with [senior guard] John [Boyer].'

The difference has been Pierce's all-around play. He is playing good defense and has stepped up to take the scoring burden upon himself. Head coach Reggie Witherspoon is glad to see his star finally realizing his full potential.

'The biggest thing with Rodney that has elevated his game is his embracing of the leadership role,' Witherspoon said. 'He has let everybody know that it's going to start with him. The effort and the energy we need is going to start with him. He has asserted himself and his talents are now showing.'

Against Miami, the Bulls utilized a dominating team effort in the second half to blow out the RedHawks. Miami head coach Charlie Coles was mesmerized by the Bulls execution.

'As I watched them play in the second half, it became obvious that we were going to get our butt kicked pretty good,' Coles said. 'I began to say ‘Well, what can I get out of this'.'

Coles wondered at times if the Bulls were playing on a different planet and if his players should have even been in the same arena.

'Buffalo played such great basketball in the second half that I don't know if we needed to be on the same floor with them,' Coles said. 'They took us to school. They really, really do a great job.'

The evolution of senior guard Sean Smiley cannot go without mention. He has proved to be a consistent spark plug for the Bulls as his confidence grows everyday.

Witherspoon realizes how important his play has been for his team and the success they have found so far this season.

'His communication, assertiveness and enthusiasm has been great,' Witherspoon said. 'And that has allowed him and his talents to rise to the forefront. It's been a huge help for our team.'

The Bulls also found some success away from Alumni Arena in December. Against Wisconsin-Green Bay (11-6, 4-2 Horizon League), Pierce dropped a career-high 29 points in a 71-65 win over the Phoenix.

Shortly after Christmas, the Bulls flew to Orlando, Fla. to compete in the UCF Holiday Classic. The team lost the first game against the Jacksonville Dolphins (6-8. 3-3 Atlantic Sun Conference), 83-73. Pierce scored 26 and Betts chipped in a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

The following day, Pierce again took control and set a new career mark for points – the second time in less than a week – with 31 points. The Bulls won the game going away 81-64 against the Flames of Liberty (8-9, 3-2 Big South Conference).

Witherspoon has preached to his team about closing games out all season long and the players have heard his message and are making it a reality.

'We have worked really hard on [closing out games],' Witherspoon said. 'There are games that we won that we didn't close out as well or maybe we were a little inconsistent earlier in the year. These games are really hard and difficult to win but we want to be in a position where if we have our hands on it we want to hold onto it.'

The next challenge for the Bulls will be on Thursday night when the team travels to Bowling Green, Ohio to battle the Falcons.

Witherspoon isn't worried about his team looking past Bowling Green, even with a showdown against MAC frontrunner Akron on the horizon.

'It'd be hard for us to look past [Bowling Green] because they beat us twice last year,' Witherspoon said. 'Their 2-3 zone that they play turn into a 3-2, turns into a 2-1-2. They play it differently so it's going to be a huge challenge.'

Tip off is set for 7 p.m. at Anderson Arena.

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