Offensive rebound

For the men's basketball team, Saturday's game against Northern Illinois served as an opportunity to stop the bleeding by winning a game for the first time in two weeks.
The Bulls (11-7, 4-3 Mid-American Conference) took advantage and defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies (8-11, 4-3 MAC), 95-83, at the Convocation Center in DeKalb, Ill. Buffalo recorded season highs in total points and shooting percentage during its best offensive performance of the year. The conference victory snaps Buffalo's three-game losing streak. The team made 34 of 61 shots – including 8-of-19 shots from beyond the arc – for a 56 percent average from the field.
Senior guard Rodney Pierce led the Bulls with 17 points, four rebounds and six assists in the win. Pierce went over 1,000 points for his college career, becoming the 16th player to reach that mark at UB, and the 10th player to do so in just three seasons as Bull.
According to head coach Reggie Witherspoon, the sudden improvement in shooting percentage was a result of executing the offensive scheme to perfection.
'I thought our execution was great,' Witherspoon said. 'Even in transition when they scored, we got it out, ran the floor, and scored three seconds into the shot clock… What I also thought was good… we executed and ran the clock down, so we had to make a lot of passes. We were able to make passes, catch it, and get a shot in rhythm.'
The offensive attack was balanced. Five Bulls scored in double figures, and the bench outscored the Huskies' reserves, 34-14.
In addition to a powerful offense, the Bulls took good care of the basketball, recording 21 assists and only eight turnovers. Additionally, the team won the battle on the boards against the Huskies, who came into the game leading the MAC in rebounding. The Bulls outrebounded Northern Illinois, 38-34, after losing that battle in four-straight games.
Defensively, the Bulls did a good job of getting stops and held the Huskies to 47 percent shooting from the field.
'I think our effort, energy, and concentration improved,' Witherspoon said. 'The last three games, our opponents shot over 50 percent from the field, and this one didn't.'
The first half was closely contested and included nine ties and five lead changes. Trailing 19-17, the Huskies went on a 9-0 run to take a 26-19 lead.
After the Bulls battled back to tie the score at 26, Northern Illinois made a 6-0 run. The Bulls rallied yet again and took a lead that they never relinquished when sophomore forward Dave Barnett hit a 3-pointer to make the score 39-36.
Though the Bulls went into halftime leading 47-42, the team began to dominate in the second half.
Buffalo hit 20 of 33 shots (61 percent) after the intermission. With 9:50 left to go, the Bulls extended their lead to 17 points, the largest lead of the game. After that point, the Huskies couldn't get within single digits of the Bulls to drop its third-straight contest.
The Bulls' mistake-free play gave them a key road victory against a quality conference opponent.
'[Northern Illinois] is a very good team on the rise,' Witherspoon said. 'I said that before last year, and I'm saying it again. This is a team that is going to be a very, very difficult one.'
Senior guard Sean Smiley scored 13 points off the bench. Boyer recorded 12 points, five rebounds, and a game-high eight assists. Sophomore forward Mitchell Watt had 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting in just 17 minutes of play.
The Bulls will try to keep their high-powered offense going on Monday, when they take on Western Michigan at home. The game will be at Alumni Arena and is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m.

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