Many students were unaware that the men's basketball team's season was still going after its loss in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Unfortunately for the squad on Tuesday night, every member not named Javon McCrea looked like he didn't know either.
Iona (24-11, 13-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), the MAAC runner-up, proved to be too much for the Bulls (20-14, 9-8 MAC) to handle down the stretch, and the Gaels bested Buffalo, 78-63, in an Iona home game in New Rochelle, N.Y.
Following a disappointing loss to Kent State (25-11, 12-4 MAC) in the MAC Tournament, the Bulls were invited to play in the Collegeinsiders.com postseason tournament. It marked the third time the Bulls had ever competed in postseason play.
After two wins in the opening rounds, the Bulls looked to advance to the semifinals.
Tuesday's matchup was the 34th game for Buffalo this season—the most ever played by a UB team.
McCrea has had a remarkable season. The freshman forward's 397 points this year are the most by any Buffalo freshman in team history. With 29 points on 13-of-16 shooting and 10 rebounds, McCrea was the best player on the court the entire game.
The Bulls couldn't follow the star freshman's lead.
Buffalo looked overwhelmed early as Iona jumped out to a 6-0 lead. After a jumper by junior guard Zach Filzen, Buffalo settled down and went on a 10-2 run of its own.
The teams traded baskets for the remainder of an extremely competitive first half, which ended in a 41-36 Iona lead.
The squads appeared to be evenly matched throughout the first half, as neither team managed to pull away. The teams' stats were virtually indistinguishable at the break.
With 10 minutes remaining, Iona pulled away for good.
Filzen was unable to finish the year on a strong note, finishing with five points—10 lower than his average. With the team's leading scorer struggling, the Bulls needed someone else to step up.
Center Mitchell Watt was a non-factor, finishing with two points and two turnovers in only 12 minutes of action.
Senior guard Byron Mulkey had his usual game in what now was his last game in a Bulls uniform, putting up 12 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Turnovers played a large role in Buffalo's inability to mount a comeback. Seemingly every time the Bulls closed in on Iona, the Gaels had an answer, and the Bulls would respond with a turnover.
"[Iona] shot the ball extremely well, especially from three," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "I thought our guys played really hard, but our decision making wasn't good. You can't defend the turnovers. When we made errors, they made us pay."
Turnovers and assists were the Gaels' only noticeable advantages on the stat sheet. The Bulls had 20 giveaways to Iona's 13, and 13 assists to Iona's 21.
Witherspoon incorporated youth early and often as freshmen McCrea, guard Jarod Oldham, and guard Aurum Nuiriankh contributed solid minutes for the Bulls throughout the game.
This year yielded the third 20-plus win season in school history, and the Bulls will return everyone but seniors Mulkey and Jawaan Alston next season.
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