The men's basketball team had already taken on one dominant mid-major school this winter break. The squad didn't have enough to overcome BYU, but the Bulls got another shot in Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Buffalo took Temple to overtime, and it appeared the game would even head to double OT.
The Owls (8-3) trailed for much of the game, but thanks to a put back as time expired in overtime, they were able to steal an 87-85 win from grasp of Buffalo (6-4).
With two seconds remaining on the clock and the game tied at 85, senior forward Mitchell Watt pulled down a rebound that would give the Bulls possession – or so it appeared. Not to be denied, Temple forward Anthony Lee batted the ball out of Watt's fingertips and put it back as time expired to give the Owls victory.
It was a seesaw battle that saw neither team reach a double-digit lead, with Buffalo holding the advantage for most of the contest. In fact, the game looked as though it would be secured in regulation in the Bulls' favor. Senior forward Titus Robinson had an excellent opportunity to seal it with his trip to the free throw line in the last minute, but he missed both attempts to allow the Owls to hang around. Robinson's misses contributed to Buffalo's dismal shooting from the charity stripe going 15-for-27 on the evening.
"Free throws at the end [cost us]," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "We've been practicing these situations now for quite a while. Being up four with a minute to go, being up six with a minute to go, practicing those basic things. But it just comes down to poise. We have some really good players, but they're not seasoned in that capacity. Last year it was give the ball to Byron [Mulkey] and see what happened, but we've got to be a little bit more poised."
The missed free throws were not the only miscues that would haunt the Bulls. Buffalo had a four-point lead and the ball with just over one minute left to play. But as Temple guard Juan Fernandez reached in for the ball and fouled junior guard Tony Watson II, Watson caught Fernandez with a stray elbow resulting in an intentional foul on Buffalo. Temple then retained possession after the teams traded free throws, which Fernandez took advantage of by drilling a shot from behind the arc. A Ramone Moore 3-pointer with 23 seconds remaining capped an 8-2 Owls run in the final 1:22 to send the game into overtime.
The steal and put-back are a sour end to Watt's otherwise outstanding night. He finished with a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds. Watt wasn't the only Buffalo big man to put up stellar numbers. Sophomore forward Javon McCrea finished with 28 points to lead all scorers, and senior forward Dave Barnett finished with a double-double – the first of his career – with 15 points and 10 rebounds. This trio helped the Bulls put up 50 points in the paint, an area where Buffalo held a clear advantage.
What the Bulls were able to accomplish in the paint was held back by a weak night from the backcourt. Despite sophomore point guard Jarod Oldham's career-high 11 assists, it was a rough night to be a guard on Buffalo's roster. The team's second-leading scorer, senior guard Zach Filzen, was held to just three points on three shots. Filzen also committed five of the team's 21 turnovers. Watson was able to amass just one assist in his 16 minutes running the point for the Bulls, and added three turnovers to the Bulls' seemingly running tally.
"Having your emotions in check, and being able to control the game when it's yours is a difficult thing to do," Witherspoon said. "Especially when you've got some young floor generals making the decisions."
Even with lackluster play from some other Bulls players, Buffalo was in control for much of the contest. But the Watt turnover in the final second of overtime was the nail in the coffin for the Bulls chance at a big non-conference win.
Buffalo will get one final chance to head into conference play on a high note. This time the squad will be looking to avoid an upset, rather than pull one as the Division-III Buffalo State Bengals (8-1) will make the cross-town trip to Alumni Arena. It'll be the final game before Mid-American Conference play gets underway. The game will be Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.
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Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
