The men's basketball team faced an uncomfortable and unusual situation in its most recent Mid-American Conference tilt: down 13, on the road, midway through the second half, with its chances of winning a sixth straight game looking very bleak.
Fortunately for the road team, the bench sparked an incredible second half turnaround as the Bulls (14-6, 7-2 MAC) paralyzed the Rockets' (10-13, 2-7 MAC) offense, winning 72-65 on Saturday night at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio. The victory kept the Bulls' win streak alive, as they continue to try and erase the deficit caused by a 1-2 start to conference play.
The Bulls overcame their largest halftime deficit of the season (nine) by out-scoring Toledo 41-25 in the second half. Buffalo's success down the stretch came from strong defense as Toledo shot under 26 percent.
"I think determination, instead of strategy, helped us defensively in the second half," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "We got a couple stops and it just started to build. Our effort was so much higher in the second half, and you can see it get better as the game wore on."
Despite being in foul trouble, senior forward Titus Robinson played tremendous minutes off the bench, as he scored 12 of his team-leading 14 points in the second half. His play on offense, and defense – which consisted of two blocks and five rebounds – was the spark that the Bulls needed to slowly chip away at Toledo's lead.
"He was on the offensive glass, the defensive glass, on the floor for loose balls, he blocked two shots, he was so active," Witherspoon said. "I think his energy level was so high, his determination was so high and he was just huge for us."
Junior guard Tony Watson and senior forward Dave Barnett were also key factors coming off the bench.
Watson finished with nine points and two assists going 2-of-4 from the field and sinking all four free-throw attempts.
Although he only scored five points, Barnett came through again for the Bulls, as his late 3-pointer with 1:42 left gave the Bulls the lead for good. He also finished with three assists on the night.
"[Barnett] was ‘Big Shot Dave' again," Witherspoon said. "He did a terrific job against [Toledo sophomore guard Rian] Pierson, making him catch the ball further from the basket. We gave him specific instructions, and he followed it to a ‘T.' We wanted him to make his catches harder and when he did it, he did it with determination, and that's the key."
Much of the bench minutes came out of necessity because of foul trouble. However, sophomore forward Javon McCrea was able to shake off a foul-ridden first half. He was the only other Bull in double figures, finishing with 12 points.
Senior forward Mitchell Watt finished with less than 10 points for the first time in the team's winning streak, ending the night with nine. But Watt was dominant on the boards, grabbing 13 rebounds.
Sophomore guard Jarod Oldham also chipped in on the rebounding front for the Bulls, securing nine boards to go along with his six assists. Buffalo out-rebounded the smaller Rockets by an astounding 50-32 margin, and was able to grab 18 offensive rebounds off of missed shots.
Pierson, who finished with a game-high 26 points and added eight rebounds, led Toledo. His tremendous scoring night wasn't enough to keep the Bulls at bay, as he was forced to take tough shots late due to the defensive effort of Barnett.
This victory marked the first time that Buffalo was able to win three consecutive road MAC games since their inception into the conference. The Bulls look to extend that streak to four, as they continue their MAC West road tour in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, to take on the reeling Central Michigan Chippewas (7-15, 2-7 MAC). Tipoff for the game is Wednesday at 7 p.m.
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