Rattling off nine wins in their last 11 games, including five straight, the UB Bulls (14-11, 9-7 Mid-American Conference) have picked the right time of the year to elevate their game.
On the heels of the most emotional win in their five-year tenure in the MAC, head coach Reggie Witherspoon led his players into Miami of Ohio (15-10, 10-6 MAC) on Saturday, where they had never won, and soundly defeated the number four seed in the MAC, 87-73.
For the second straight game UB surmounted the 80-point plateau thanks to another red-hot shooting performance with Calvin Cage leading the way in a stirring encore of Wednesday's performance.
Cage came off the bench to lead UB with 22 points, hitting 7-11 from the field, including 4-6 from beyond the arc.
"I think he's starting to understand that he doesn't have to force shots," said Witherspoon. "He can take his time and get shots, and he's understanding where they're going to come from. He's still got a ways to go, but when he gets it he can be a very explosive scorer. He forces teams to have to honor the arc."
As a team, the Bulls finished the night shooting 56.9 percent from the floor, including 11-19 from downtown, making it also the second straight contest in which UB netted over 55 percent of its field goals.
The closest Miami came was 58-52 with 10:48 remaining following a 16-4 MU run led by guard Juby Johnson, who led the Redhawks with 27 points on 8-13 shooting. However, a Cage lay-up followed by one of his four 3-pointers extended the margin back to 11, and the Bulls never looked back.
"During the film sessions, we showed examples of what Miami does when they get behind," said Witherspoon. "And if they can back you off a little bit and get you to second guess whether you have a right to win, then they'll make a run at you. We were able to stand our ground in the end."
The Bulls stood their ground to the tune of 30 points off 15 Miami turnovers, opposed to just six MU points off of nine UB giveaways.
Junior guard Turner Battle was once again the embodiment of a team captain, as his heady play, confident demeanor and emotional leadership was evident throughout the game. Notching 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals on Saturday; Battle has emerged as the eminence of a point guard for the now hottest team in the conference.
Mark Bortz and MAC All-Freshman candidate Yassin Idbihi tallied 14 and 10 points respectively, while Roderick Middleton added nine. Sitting out the second of an unexplained two-game suspension was UB's second leading scorer Mario Jordan.
With the victory on Saturday, Buffalo has locked up a home game in the conference tournament, set to begin Monday, March 8. UB's first-round bye chances disappeared with Toledo's victory Saturday against Western Michigan.
The Bulls have never won a conference tournament game, but then again they also have never played one at home.
"I think our guys feel a little more empowered right now than they have felt in the past," said Witherspoon. "That has enabled us to play like a confident team and continue to play hard and keep scrapping and keep fighting."
Tip-off for the final home game is at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Alumni Arena against the Bobcats of Ohio U.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
