Kent State was throttled last year at Alumni Arena, 79-54. Come Mid-American Conference Tournament time, the Golden Flashes enacted revenge and ended Buffalo's season. There is no love lost between these two teams, and the emerging rivalry unfolded a new chapter – perhaps the most brilliant one to date – in Buffalo on Saturday night.
Two MAC heavyweights partook in one high-intensity slugfest, exchanging commanding blows in front of a fervent crowd. The lead changed 11 times and the passion was unmatched. Kent State (10-4, 0-1 MAC) may have shattered the Bulls' hopes last year and eventually won the MAC, but on this night, it was the Buffalo Bulls (8-4, 1-0 MAC) who came out on top. The edge-of-your-seat, don't-miss-a-moment-of-the-action 66-65 victory came as a complete team effort, spearheaded by young superstar Javon McCrea.
With the Bulls down 58-56 – they were playing catch-up the whole game – and the shot clock winding down, sophomore guard Jarod Oldham stepped up and hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Instantly momentum was on Buffalo's side, and Alumni Arena shook with indescribable electricity.
"Javon kicked it out and I just let it go," Oldham said.
Head coach Reggie Witherspoon said Oldham was completely in rhythm, and that possession was Buffalo's best of the night. He said his team was building to that possession all night.
Kent State wouldn't surrender, coming right back and scoring twice while Buffalo could only muster one free throw. That's when McCrea decided to take over. The sophomore forward finished with 25 points, but none were bigger than his four in the final two minutes. He hit two consecutive left-handed lay-ups to give Buffalo a 64-62 lead, a lead his team would not relinquish.
The first half was just like the second – a drag-it-out, back-and-forth fight. At the end of 20 minutes, Kent State was in front, 38-36. Buffalo was paced by balanced scoring; Kent's veteran corps of Justin Greene and Michael Porrini (whose baseline jam bested the Bulls in Kent last year) led their scoring. As it turned out, neither Greene nor Porrini would finish the game.
Greene – a big man who was the 2011 MAC Player of the Year – fouled out with 16 points and 4:52 remaining. He was outplayed by McCrea for the second straight game. Last year in the conference tournament, Greene had 16 points and 10 boards to the then-freshman McCrea's 28 and 13. Greene's loss proved vital to the Flashes, as they couldn't find anyone to slow McCrea. McCrea said he enjoys going up against Greene.
"He's a really good player and he made a lot of tough buckets tonight," McCrea said. "So I was really excited to play against him."
Porrini left the game for a different reason. With Buffalo up 66-65, Oldham caught a full-court pass and threw it over to senior forward Titus Robinson. Instead of holding the ball for the final second, Robinson went up for an emphatic final dunk, but he was met mid-air by Porrini. The 6-foot-2-inch Porrini clobbered Robinson, but he came out on the wrong side of the collision and lied on the ground for several minutes. Porrini was called for a flagrant foul. He eventually walked off under his own power with a wrist injury.
Robinson provided major fuel off the bench. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds, but his presence was felt more in sparking his team. Witherspoon praised Robinson for embracing the role of sixth-man after being a starter his first three years.
Buffalo's three big men – Robinson, McCrea, and senior forward Mitchell Watt – combined for 49 points.
Senior guard Zach Filzen – who is normally expected to be the team's No. 2 scoring option – only got off three shots. He connected on one, a 3-pointer in the first half. Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff said stopping Filzen was one of his team's main priorities, as the Flashes kept an eye on the sharpshooter at all times. But Filzen stayed in the game and played lock-down defense, coming away with a mammoth steal on one of Kent State' final possessions.
"He stuck his neck in there and got a stop at the end even though he's not getting the exuberance from hitting a lot of threes," Witherspoon said. "He was able to understand we needed him in other areas. I just think our guys kept on fighting."
While the Robinson-Porrini collision was the most controversial moment of the game, the highlight of the night came at the expense of Watt, who was buried on an alley-oop slam by Kent State forward Justin Manns. The dunk had "Sportscenter" written all over it.
This game was largely dictated by the referees, who called a total of 41 fouls – 24 on Kent State and 17 on Buffalo. A Buffalo win in this matchup is a rarity; with the loss, Kent State now leads the all-time series, 25-8.
In last year's Buffalo victory, then-senior guard Byron Mulkey had 27 points. While Oldham and junior guard Tony Watson combined for 10 turnovers in this one, the two point guards kept things calm for the most part. Watson left the game for a few minutes with a bruised knee, but he returned and is expected to be back in action for Buffalo's next game – another huge one.
The Bulls will visit D.J. Cooper and Ohio (12-3, 0-1 MAC) on Wednesday, Jan. 11 on 7 p.m.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
