Experiencing the expected growing pains of being a young team, the men's basketball team struggled in its first two Mid-American Conference games against Bowling Green and Kent State but were able to rebound on Sunday against Miami (Ohio).
The Bulls (9-7 overall, 1-2 MAC) started the New Year and their MAC schedule on Jan. 7 by losing to the Falcons of Bowling Green, 74-73. The game was a showcase for sophomore guard Eric Moore who scored 35 points for the Bulls logging 36 minutes of court time.
Moore hit 11 three-pointers on 16 attempts and shot 50 percent from the field going 10-20, leading the Bulls back into the game after trailing by as many as 16 in the first half. Moore hit his last three with 38 seconds left, putting the Bulls back in the lead, 73-71.
The game ended after Falcons' Martin Samarco hit an off balanced three with 2.8 seconds remaining. Samarco beat out Moore for the most points scored in the game, as Bowling Green's guard was able to knock down 43 points.
The Bulls hit 43 percent of their shots from the floor and hit 50 percent of their three-point attempts. The game marked the return of senior forward Yassin Idbihi, who had missed the three previous games because of an elbow injury. Idbihi poured in 16 points on 13 attempts.
The loss spoiled a record day for Moore, as his 35-point day was the third-highest scoring total for a road game in school history. His 11 treys broke the school record of 10 set by Mike Martinho in 1996.
Buffalo suffered its second loss in MAC play on Wednesday at Alumni Arena against Kent State, 69-56. The Bulls gave the ball over a season-high 26 times and the Golden Flashes were able to convert those turnovers into 26 points.
The Bulls led early in the first half against Kent State but were never able to regain the lead. The Bulls committed 17 of their turnovers in the first half and went 1-3 from behind the arc.
"We've got to learn how to play harder when we're not playing well," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon in a press release.
The Bulls continued to struggle in the second half as they shot 39 percent from the field and finished the game converting on 43 percent from the field. The Bulls were out rebounded 33 to 39 and went a horrific 3-15 from outside the arc.
Idbihi led the Bulls in scoring with 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, one shy of a double-double. Sophomore guard Andy Robinson scored nine points and shot 50 percent from the field leading the Bulls in that category. Freshmen guards Calvin Betts and Moore both finished the game with seven points.
"In a conference like this there are going to be some ugly nights and if we can't get down and dirty on those nights, then it's going to be a long night," Witherspoon said.
Buffalo was able to pull out its first conference win against Miami (Ohio) on Sunday, trouncing the RedHawks, 68-51, at Alumni Arena. Idbihi led the Bulls, scoring 23 points and bringing down seven rebounds.
The game was a battle for the Bulls most of the first half but Buffalo went on a 10-3 run late and headed to the locker rooms with a 29-23 lead. The Bulls continued the run into the second half out scoring the RedHawks and stretching their lead to 10 with 10:42 remaining.
The Bulls then grabbed five straight points from senior guard Darwin Young who knocked down his first three-pointer of the season during the stretch.
"I think we put some things together in the second half that we hadn't in quite a while," Witherspoon said.
The Bulls' guards had a strong day as Moore and Robinson each had 11 points and two three-pointers. The Bulls out rebounded the RedHawks, 36-25 and senior forward Parnell Smith finished with a game-high 10 rebounds. Buffalo held Miami to 39.1 percent shooting for the game, the lowest by a Buffalo opponent this season.
"The thing is that when the initial stuff wasn't there, we had enough poise and savvy to keep rolling," Witherspoon said.
The Bulls now hit the road for two games, facing Ohio on Thursday and Akron on Sunday.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
