Canisius College is less than seven miles from UB, but after what transpired on Tuesday night, it's obvious the Golden Griffins are a long way from competing with the men's basketball team
The Bulls (3-1) entered Tuesday night having won six of their last seven matchups against cross-town rival Canisius. The 2011-12 Bulls weren't about to be the team that ended the streak of dominance.
Thanks to an offensive explosion and newfound oomph off the bench, Buffalo rocked the Golden Griffins (1-3), 94-59 in a pre-holiday matchup that left UB fans feeling thankful. The win marked the largest margin of victory against Canisius in UB history.
"We got our tails kicked tonight in every facet of the game" said Canisius head coach Tom Parrotta. "All the credit obviously goes to UB, because they put it to us pretty good."
Five players totaled double figures for Buffalo. Three of them are expected to put up big numbers: sophomore forward Javon McCrea (11 points), senior forward Mitchell Watt (16) and senior guard Zach Filzen (19). The other two players, however, stepped in off the bench and lit up the scoreboard.
Senior forward Titus Robinson and junior guard Tony Watson provided a huge spark, finishing with 13 points apiece.
"[Head coach Reggie Witherspoon] actually called it after the last game after we lost to Princeton," Watson said. "He said: ‘Stay ready. You're going to have a breakout game.' And that's what this was."
In the Bulls' last matchup, Buffalo got off to a horrific start against Princeton (1-3) and never could recover, trailing 37-16 and shooting 6-for-30 at the break. The squad made sure that wouldn't happen again against Canisius.
Watt turned in an amazing performance in the first half, scoring 14 points, grabbing five rebounds, and recording three blocks to help lead the Bulls to a 39-29 advantage at the break
The Bulls were down 15-10 before they went on an 11-0 run.
"Once we got down, it was like we were running in mud and we didn't have any answers for anything they were doing," Parrotta said.
Watt was marvelous in the first two games but struggled and fouled out against Princeton. He responded against Canisius, igniting the Bulls with a monstrous dunk, a powerful backboard-pinning rejection, and two outside jumpers in the first half.
"We really decided we were going to go in hard and attack them in the post because we felt they were a little weak," Watt said. "Zach and I play really well together. Out of all the perimeter players I've played with over the years, I've really developed an eye for Zach. We feed off each other."
Canisius was forced to "pick its poison," as Filzen put it, as the Golden Griffins could double team Watt in the post (and leave Filzen open) or let their defender go one-on-one with the 6-foot-10-inch sensation.
Filzen hit four 3-pointers in the game, tying former guard Rodney Pierce (2007-10) for third-place in school history.
While the Buffalo offense put up extravagant numbers – 94 points and 52.5 percent shooting from the floor – the defense did its part as well.
The Golden Griffins' leading scorer, point guard Harold Washington, came in averaging 21 points and five boards. He was held scoreless in the first half and only finished with 10 points. Guard Alshwan Hymes – who was averaging 18.3 points per game – also only put up 10. The Bulls forced 21 turnovers.
While Canisius' leading scorer struggled, Buffalo's star took the backseat. Sophomore forward Javon McCrea – who averaged 18.7 points through three games – finished with just 11 points, but he went 4-for-4 from the floor.
Sophomore guard Jarod Oldham – who had been solid at the point so far this year and entered the game leading the Mid-American Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio with 21 assists to only three turnovers – had difficulty at times, committing four turnovers and finishing with only five points. But he still totaled eight assists.
Canisius just couldn't compete in the post, but the Griffs were paced by guards Gaby Belardo (16 points) and Reggie Groves (11 points).
The charity stripe was kind to Buffalo, as the Bulls hit 25-of-31 free throw attempts while Canisius only made 9-of-20.
The Bulls won on Canisius' home floor last year, 81-64 at the Koessler Center.
Since the 2004-05 season, Buffalo is now 33-8 at home against non-conference opponents.
Buffalo improved to 2-0 against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference competition this year, with wins over Canisius and St. Peter's (1-3). But while everything seems to be going smoothly for the Bulls, Witherspoon believes they're far from maximizing their potential.
"We're still trying to find our way offensively," Witherspoon said. "Now it doesn't look that way because we scored 94 points, but we still have a ways to go. I think we caught [Canisius] on a rough night and we've got a lot of work to do."
The Bulls have more than a week off before they take the court again on Wednesday, Nov. 30. Buffalo travels to Ohio to square off with the potent Dayton Flyers (2-1), who will face Atlantic Coast Conference force Wake Forest (3-0) on Thanksgiving.
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Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
