Shooting 31 percent in the second half is not going to help a team win many games. The men's basketball team suffered this fate on Saturday night, as they lost to Mid-American Conference rival Miami (Ohio), 64-55.
The RedHawks (13-11, 7-5 MAC) shot 52 percent for the game, draining 61 percent of their shots in the first half. Buffalo (8-16, 2-10 MAC) shot 39 percent for the game, hitting 22 of their 57 attempts.
"Miami played well and we didn't," said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "We didn't defend well enough. We missed some easy opportunities with shots in the paint, which drained us energy wise. Miami did a good job."
The first half was relatively close as the Bulls took a 15-11 lead at the 12-minute mark with a three pointer from sophomore guard Sean Smiley. A lay-up by junior guard Andy Robinson put Buffalo up 23-19. This was the last time the Bulls were out in front for the rest of the game.
Miami closed out the first half on a 15-5 scoring run. A three pointer by Kenny Hayes put the RedHawks ahead at halftime, 34-28.
Buffalo's poor shooting would continue early in the second half, only hitting one field goal in the first 10 minutes of the half. Miami out-scored Buffalo 17-5 in that span.
"I thought we got great looks at the basket for the most part and we just didn't convert those. We missed some lay-ups, open shots, and had dropped passes," Witherspoon said.
The Bulls attempted to make a comeback by scoring the next six points. They trailed by 12 after a lay-up from sophomore guard Calvin Betts with 7:52 left in the second half. But the RedHawks would respond with an 8-0 run, which was capped off by a Michael Bramos three-pointer to extend the lead to 20 points with 3:31 to go in the game.
Buffalo closed out the game on a 14-5 run, but it was too late. The final basket of the game by junior guard Greg Gamble with two seconds left was no help for the Bulls.
The 55 points scored by Buffalo was the second fewest this season; the Bulls tallied only 45 points when they lost to Pittsburgh on Nov. 23.
"There are times when you don't score a lot and you have to be prepared to win a low scoring game," Witherspoon said. "Right now, mentally, we are not mature enough to do that."
The Bulls were led by sophomore guard Byron Mulkey, who finished with a season-high 15 points, making six of his 10 shots. He also distributed the ball with two assists and pulled down two rebounds.
"I was trying to be as aggressive as I can be and just taking what they gave me," Mulkey said. "I was able to attack them inside the paint and was able to pull up. Sometimes I was able to create and dish off, but unfortunately, most shots weren't going in tonight."
Robinson contributed with 13 points on five of 10 shooting. Betts was the only other Bull to score in double-digits as he finished the game with 10 points and five rebounds.
Hayes recorded 16 points for the RedHawks, while Tim Pollitz finished with 12 points. Tyler Dierkers grabbed a career-high with 13 rebounds, five of them coming on the offensive end of the court.
The Bulls were two of seven from behind the arc, and had trouble converting lay-ups in the second half, missing nine of 13 attempts from close distance.
"We were looking to get to the basket, not necessarily to not take threes," Witherspoon said. "I think our three-point shooters weren't really ready to shoot the ball when it came to them. But I do think we got shots around the basket...it looked like there was a lid in the basket. We got a number of shots in the paint, right point blank. If you miss those shots, you have to defend harder and you have to be tougher and nastier. You can't hang your head and be a child about it."
Witherspoon knows that it is up to his players if they want to turn things around.
"We just have to go to practice on Monday and go at it again and then come out and battle on Tuesday," Witherspoon said.
Buffalo will be back in action on Tuesday night, when they face the Kent State Golden Flashes, who are in first place in the MAC East division. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
