March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01



2012-13 MAC PREVIEW

BEST OVERALL PLAYER: Odartey Thibodeaux SG (Senior, Ohio)
BEST FRESHMAN: Tyrone Stephens PF (Northern Illinois)
BEST SHOOTER: Lou Watkins SG (Freshman, Buffalo)
BEST PLAYMAKER: Mathew Messy PG (Senior, Kent State)
BEST PRO PROSPECT: Odartey Thibodeaux SG (Senior, Ohio)
BEST DEFENDER: Odartey Thibodeaux SG (Senior, Ohio)

The conference coach's got together at the annual pre-season luncheon in Cleveland and here is the coach's poll for the MAC in 2012-13:

1. Kent State (OVR: 83)
2. Ohio (82)
3. Ball State (80)
4. Miami (80)
5. Akron (79)
6. Buffalo (79)
7. Northern Illinois (79)
8. Bowling Green (77)
9. Western Michigan (76)
10. Toledo (74)
11. Eastern Michigan (73)
12. Central Michigan (71)

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01



11/9/12
Amherst, NY (AP) – The Buffalo Bulls opened up the 2012-13 season with high expectations and they did not disappoint on Friday evening as they upset the Cleveland State Vikings 75-58 at Alumni Arena in the season opener for both schools. The Bulls got balanced scoring and key contributions from their newcomers in the big victory.

Cleveland State (0-1), from the Horizon League, came in as a prohibitive favorite and quickly jumped out to a 19-12 lead on the baby Bulls. But Buffalo began to heat up from the outside. True freshman Dale Larranaga knocked down a couple of three pointers and the Bulls offense came to life.

Buffalo (1-0) would make their final eight shots of the first half to take a 41-37 lead into the break despite a buzzer beating three pointer from Greg Emmett. Buffalo shot 64% (16 of 26) from the field in the first half and made 6 of 12 from beyond the arc.

The Bulls came out of the half and continued to shoot the ball well, slowly pulling away from the Vikings. The Bulls were led by freshman Lou Watkins 13 points. Wes Taybron scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Freshman Terry Pittman scored 11 (all in the second half) and grabbed four rebounds and had three assists. Sophomore Jim Nardi had a great game, scoring 11, grabbing six boards, three assists and three steals.

Cleveland State leaned on senior center Shagari Emerson, who scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds. The Vikings lost the rebounding battle 30-27, but held a 12-3 advantage on the offensive glass.

"We need to work on our rebounding," said Coach Walberg. "We may need to get creative since we do not have the size that we have had in the past."

Up next for the Bulls is a meeting with crosstown rival Canisius (1-0) on Tuesday evening.





11/13/12
Amherst, NY (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls won their second straight to open the 2012-13 season as they blew out crosstown rival Canisius 85-64 on Tuesday evening at Alumni Arena. Buffalo true freshman Lou Watkins led all scorers with 23 points making five of nine from beyond the arc.

The Bulls jumped out to a quick start against their rivals, building a 30-18 lead with 6:03 left in the opening half. Watkins made his first three shots from three-point range to help move the Bulls to the early lead. The Bulls would lead by as many as 13 in the opening half before the Griffs managed to cut the lead to 38-29 at the break.

Canisius came out firing after the halftime break, going on a 16-7 run to open the half and tying the game at 45-45 with 11:25 left on an Olu Ubaka three pointer. Ubaka led the Golden Griffins with 21 points and he pulled down eight rebounds.

After a Bulls timeout, Buffalo went on a 12-2 run and the Griffs would never get it closer than 10 the rest of the way. Jave Dahi had back-to-back steals that led to easy dunks and Geoff Hedges knocked down two three pointers as the Bulls finished the game on a 40-19 run to improve to (2-0). Hedges finished with 16 points and Dahi scored 13.

The Bulls held Canisius' leading scorer Jerrold Diallo to just eight points on 2 of 10 shooting from the floor. He scored 15 in last year's loss to the Bulls at Canisius.

Buffalo will travel to Saint Bonaventure on Monday evening to take on the winless Bonnies (0-4) before hosting 13th-ranked West Virginia (2-0) at Alumni Arena next Wednesday evening.





11/19/12
Olean, NY (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls ran into an early season roadblock on Monday evening at the Reilly Center as the Bulls were handled rather easily by their rival, the St. Bonaventure Bonnies 70-60. Lorenzo Fontenet was a dominant force inside against the smaller Bulls, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 boards to lead the Bonnies to their first win.

Saint Bonaventure (1-4) never trailed in the first half in building a shocking 18 point lead, 44-26. The Bonnies shot 51% in the opening 20 minutes and were led by their sophomore guard Laron Odia who led all scorers in the first half with 10. The Bulls were pretty cold from the outside, making just 1 of 12 from beyond the arc.

The Bonnies kept the Bulls at arm's length for the first half of the second half, leading 55-39 with 11:10 left. But the Bulls finally found their shooting touch from the outside and locked down the Bonnies on the defensive end. Back to back three pointers from Geoff Hedges closed a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 55-49. UB freshman Terry Pittman then picked Odia's pocket, dunked and was fouled to cut the Bonnie lead to 55-52.

Saint Bonaventure was able to reel off six straight points to open up the lead back to nine at 61-52 with 3:30 left. But a nice up and under score from Jim Nardi and a three from Geoff Hedges got the Bulls back to within 61-57. They would get no closer as St. Bonaventure was solid from the line down the stretch and they would go on to their first victory on the season.

Geoff Hedges led all scorers with 23 points for the Bulls. Freshman Lou Watkins chipped in 11 and Jim Nardi added nine to go along with seven rebounds.

Buffalo will return to Alumni Arena on Wednesday evening as they host 11th-ranked West Virginia (3-0).





11/21/12
Amherst, NY (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls lost their second straight game on Wednesday evening as they dropped a hard fought game to 11th-ranked West Virginia 90-76 at Alumni Arena. The Mountaineers used a balanced attack with five players scoring in double figures as they improved to (4-0).

The Bulls coming off a ten point loss to rival St. Bonaventure, appeared ready to give the Mountaineers all that they could handle right from the start. The game went back and forth throughout the first half and the Bulls took a 45-44 advantage into the break. Freshman Lou Watkins scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half as Buffalo shot 60% from the field in the first half. The Mountaineers made 6 of 7 from beyond the arc.

West Virginia proved to be just too much for the upstart Bulls in the second half. They slowly pulled away for the 14 point victory. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Bulls 32-28 and held a 10-3 advantage on the offensive glass. They held a 14-2 advantage in second chance points.

Rubin Cannon led West Virginia with 16 points to go along with six assists. Derrick Newson and Francis Ervin chipped in with 15 apiece. The Bulls were led by Jim Nardi who scored a game high 23. Wes Taybron scored nine points and grabbed 12 points.

Buffalo will now hit the road for five games and will not play at home again for a month. The open the road trip on Tuesday evening at St. Louis (2-1) out of the Atlantic-10.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01



11/27/12
St. Louis, MO (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls ended their two-game skid on Tuesday evening with a hard fought 74-68 victory over the St. Louis Billikens at the Scottrade Center. Freshman Terry Pittman took advantage of an injury to George Bryant and scored a career high 17 points and grabbed four rebounds in the victory.

This was another back and fourth affair in the opening half with neither team leading by more than seven. Buffalo led 20-13 at the midway point, but a 6-0 St. Louis run cut the lead to one and the teams exchanged the lead the rest of the way and went to halftime tied at 32-32. Greg McElroy of the Billikens scored 16 of his game high 27 in the first half.

The big news in the opening half was the loss of sophomore forward George Bryant. Bryant suffered a broken ankle after coming down awkwardly on teammate Jim Nardi's foot. He will likely miss up to six weeks.

The loss of Bryant opened the door for freshman Terry Pittman. He stepped up in the second half and led the Bulls to victory. His back-to-back dunks with 7:15 left opened up the Bulls biggest lead of the night at 55-44. He also connected on three of seven from beyond the arc, all in the second half.

St. Louis made a late run, but Buffalo connected on their final 17 free throws to seal it and move to (3-2).

Buffalo will travel to Chicago for an afternoon match up with Illinois-Chicago (2-3) as their five game road trip continues.





12/1/12
Chicago, IL (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls continued their road trip across the midwest on Saturday afternoon with a 77-59 victory over Illinois-Chicago at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. Geoff Hedges led the way for the Bulls, scoring 20 points off of the bench as he made 6 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Terry Pittman and Lou Watkins made their first starts if the season for Buffalo. Pittman scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds. Watkins scored eight points and added two assists.

The Bulls (4-2) jumped out to a 23-14 lead near the midway point of the opening half on back two back dunks by Dale Larranaga. They would take a nine point advantage into halftime at 39-30.

Buffalo opened it up quickly after halftime, leading by as many as 30 at 68-38 just past the halfway point of the second half. The 29-8 run was capped off by Geoff Hedges knocking down three pointers on four consecutive possessions.

The Buffalo bench outscored Illinois-Chicago 40-9.

The Flames (2-4), out of the Horizon League, were led by Jarrad Kinningsworth. The senior center scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Buffalo will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana to take on Purdue (4-1) on Wednesday evening.





12/5/12
West Lafayette, IN (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls ran into a stiff test on Wednesday evening at Mackey Arena, but the homestanding Purdue Boilermakers proved to be too much in the end as the Bulls fell 69-55. Edwin Blalock led a balanced Purdue attack with 14 points and six assists.

Buffalo (4-3) played a great first half and appeared to be on par with a pretty solid Purdue team. They took a 33-30 lead into halftime to a chorus of boos reigned down by the hometown Boilermaker faithful.

But in the second half, Purdue's size just wore down the smallish Bulls and the Boilermakers were able to pull away for the 14 point victory.

Jim Nardi led UB with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Terri Pittman added 12 points and three boards. Junior Wes Taybron had a solid six points and eight rebounds in the loss.

The Boilermakers got 14 points from Stalin Collison and 12 from Lonny Jorgusen. Senior forward Red Kilgore scored six and added 10 rebounds for the Boilermakers (5-1).

Buffalo will continue their road trip on Saturday evening in Omaha as the Bulls will face Creighton (1-5) out of the Missouri Valley Conference.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01



RECRUITING UPDATE

The early recruiting period has ended and the Bulls did not land any of their targets. In fact, their top five targets all signed elsewhere. The biggest loss was three-star center Wilson Barrett. The 6-10 center from Detroit signed with Mid American Conference rival Bowling Green.

Coach Walberg also lost out on five star recruit Darrin Carroto from Poughkeepsie, NY who signed with Duke. Four-star center Joe Burnett signed with Wright State, three-star small forward Milton Hubbard signed with Illinois-Chicago, and four-star power forward Dillon Davidson signed with Boston College.

Here is a list of the Mid-American Conference in-season recruits that have signed:

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01



12/8/12
Omaha, NE (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls rebounded from a mid-week loss to Purdue with an impressive 80-55 romp over the Creighton Blue Jays on Saturday evening at the Quest Center in Omaha. Freshman Terry Pittman led a very balanced Buffalo attack with 15 points, going 7 of 8 from the field as Buffalo improved to (5-3).

The Blue Jays (1-6) played some tenacious defense to open the game and both teams struggled from the floor early. Creighton led 14-12 just past the halfway point of the first half and trailed by just four at the break, 30-26. Buffalo went 0 for 8 from beyond the arc in the first half.

The second half was a different story though as UB found their shooting touch and were able to pull away from Creighton. Jave Dahi hit a three pointer and was fouled with 6:42 left to stretch Buffalo's lead to 63-46 and the Bulls would cruise home from there.

Creighton was led by senior forward Daron Dumbliauskus who scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds. Steward Pandov, a freshman center, pulled down 12 rebounds for the Jays.

Buffalo had four scorers in double figures. Jim Nardi added 14 points while Lou Watkins and Wes Taybron each scored 11. Taybron also grabbed a season high 14 rebounds.

The Bulls will wrap up their five game road trip next Sunday in Denver as they take on the Pioneers (6-1) out of the Sun Belt Conference.





12/16/12
Denver, CO (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls finished off their five game month long road trip in style on Sunday afternoon with a come from behind 66-57 victory over the Denver Pioneers out of the Sun Belt Conference at Magness Arena in Denver. True freshman Lou Watkins led all scorers with 20 points as Buffalo finished their road trip with four wins.

The Bulls rallied from an eight point halftime deficit as they outscored Denver 41-24 in the second half. The game was tight throughout the opening half until Denver scored the final ten points of the first half to go up 33-25. The Bulls shot just 29% in the first half and could not seem to get open shots against the taller Pioneers.

But Lou Watkins got hot after halftime, knocking down back to back threes to open the half as the Bulls climbed back into it. Watkins made just 5 of 16 shots from the field including just 4 of 13 from beyond the arc.

The key to the victory may have come at the 10:20 mark. Coach Walberg called a timeout with Denver up 45-38 after Carson Wellington blocked a Lou Watkins shot at one end and had a monster dunk on the other. Buffalo would then go on a 17-0 run over the next five minutes to open up a 55-45 lead that was capped off by a couple of Lou Watkins three balls. Watkins scored 18 of his 20 after the halftime break.

Denver (6-2) would never get closer that eight the rest of the way as Buffalo scored their final 11 points from the free throw line.

Terry Pittman scored 10 points and grabbed a career high eight rebounds for the Bulls. Jim Nardi scored 10 and grabbed seven boards. Wes Taybron continued his hot play with seven points and 12 boards.

Carson Wellington led Denver with 13 points, five boards and a block but was held eight points under his season average. Tommie Sachet scored 13 and added six boards. Shannon Battle added six points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

The Bulls (6-3) will finally return home on Thursday evening as they take on Northeastern (6-3) in a non-conference tilt. It will be the Bulls first home game since losing to 11th-ranked West Virginia on November 21st.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01



12/20/12
Amherst, NY (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls returned home from a month long road only to get walloped by the Northeastern Huskies 72-54 on Thursday evening at Alumni Arena. Junior point guard Norman Graham was dominant, scoring a game high, and career high, 25 points and dishing out eight assists for the Huskies.

Buffalo came out strong and controlled play for the opening 10 minutes, but a 17-4 Husky run late in the first half game Northeastern a lead that they would not relinquish. Northeastern took an eight point advantage into the half, 37-29.

The Huskies (7-3) kept UB at arm's length for much of the second half until a 11-1 run put the game away. Mitch Goff hit back to back three pointers and Buffalo committed turnovers on three straight possessions to pretty much seal their fate.

Jeremy Coppenrath, the senior power forward, was a dominant defensive force in this one. He blocked three shots and affected numerous other ones as Buffalo shot a season low 29% from the field. Coppenwrath scored just eight points, seven below his season average, but he pulled down 15 rebounds. In all, the Huskies blocked six UB shots, and their tenacious defense had UB out of sorts all night long.

Lou Watkins led the Bulls with 18 points, but he was just 7 of 19 from the field and 4 of 15 from beyond the arc. Geoff Hedges scored 15 points off of the bench and made 5 of 7 three pointers. Wes Taybron scored just one point, but pulled down a career high 16 boards.

Terry Pittman, the vibrant freshman forward, had a forgettable evening. He did not score and went 0 for 14 from the floor (0 for 6 from beyond the arc). He did grab seven rebounds and added two assists.

Buffalo (6-4) will be back at it next Thursday night as they travel to Lewiston to take on rival Niagara (4-5) in the Gallagher Center.





12/27/12
Lewiston, NY (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls traveled to the always hostile Gallagher Center on Thursday evening as came away with a disappointing 88-76 loss to their rivals, the Niagara Purple Eagles. Junior guard Ibrahim Danelius scored a career high 17 points and added seven assists as Niagara improved to (5-5).

The Bulls looked to be a bit rattled by the standing room only crowd at Niagara's gym. The 2,400 fans were in full throat from the start as Niagara twice built nine point leads in the early going. But the Bulls chipped away and closed to within 35-34 with just under three minutes left in the opening half.

A 9-0 Niagara run over those final three minutes really seemed to deflate the Bulls as the Purple Eagles took a 44-34 lead into the intermission. Niagara dominated the glass in the first half, outrebounding UB 19-10.

The Purple Eagles would extend their lead to 72-50 with 8:10 left and it appeared as though this would be a laugher. But UB responded with a 13-0 run to cut the lead back to single digits and the Bulls would get as close as 83-76 late before Niagara sank some free throws to provide the final margin.

Howie Goodwin chipped in with 13 points for the Purple Eagles and Quincy Greenleaf would add 11. Center Matt Webb scored eight and grabbed 14 boards.

Niagara would hold a big edge on the glass outrebounding UB in th egame 40-30 and 13-6 on the offensive end.

Buffalo was led by Wes Taybron who scored a career high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Lou Watkins scored 16, while Jim Nardi added 14 points and five boards. Terry Pittman started out 0 for 6 from the field, following his 0 for 14 performance last time out. He finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

Buffalo will now travel to Orlando for the UCF Holiday Classic where they will take on Texas-Pan American (2-11) in the opening round on Sunday evening. Monmouth (2-9) will take on Longwood (3-11) in the other match up.





12/30/12
Orlando, FL (AP) - In the opening round of the 2012 UCF Holiday Classic, the Buffalo Bulls shook off some sluggish play and were able to cruise past an overmatched Texas-Pan American squad 77-65. Jim Nardi led the way for the Bulls, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine boards in the victory.

The Broncs (2-12) got out to a quick start, leading 8-2 early on. But big man, Armein Kone, their leading scorer and a defensive force, got into early foul trouble and spent most of the rest of the opening half on the bench. That allowed the Bulls to take control as they ran to a 42-27 halftime advantage.

Buffalo was able to outrebound UTPA 22-13 in the first half and held the Boncs to 29% shooting.

The second half was a bit of a different story. The Bulls could not seem to pull away and the Broncs could not seem to close the large deficit. The score hovered between 12 and 18 points for most of the second half as the pace of play seemed a bit sluggish. The Bulls would hang on for the 12 point win to move into the championship game tomorrow night.

Geoff Hedges pumped in 15 points off the bench for Buffalo. Terry Pittman scored 11 points and grabbed 11 boards. He also had four assists and four turnovers. Wes Taybron scored seven and grabbed a game high 13 rebounds.

The Broncs were led by senior Jamal Ali who scored a career high 22 points and grabbed six rebounds. Freshman Dawan Christopher also scored a career high 19 points.

The Bulls (7-5) will take on Longwood (3-12) in the championship game tomorrow evening. The Lancers defeated Monmouth 67-64 in the opening game of the tournament.





12/31/12
Orlando, FL (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls defeated the Longwood Lancers 75-49 on New Year's Eve in the championship game of the 2012 UCF Holiday Classic. Louis Watkins led a balanced attack by scoring 14 points and also grabbing three steals.

The Bulls played great team defense in the opening half as they built a 28-18 advantage. They held the Lancers to just 25% shooting from the field. Buffalo led by ten, but shot just 37% themselves and went 0 for 8 from beyond the arc.

The Bulls (8-5) would stretch the lead throughout the second half, grabbing a 20 point lead at 58-38 with 6:23 left. Longwood would go on an 8-0 run to cut it to 59-46 before the Bulls outscored the Lancers 16-3 the rest of the way.

Jim Nardi scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for Buffalo. Wes Taybron scored 10 and grabbed 16 boards. Terry Pittman scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds before leaving after spraining his knee.

Leonard Houston led all scorers with 18 points for Longwood (3-13). Louis McNurlin scored 10 points and dished out six assists.

Terry Pittman was expected to be evaluated tomorrow once the team returns to Buffalo. It is expected that he may miss UB's conference opener next Sunday at Kent State.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01







BUFFALO TEAM STATS:



Record: (8-5, 0-0)
Average Attendance: 2,119 (+442) (34.7%)

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01



1/6/13
Kent, OH (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls opened up Mid American Conference play on Sunday afternoon at the MAC Center and they got walloped 93-71 by the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Golden Flashes opened the game by scoring the first 15 points and led 21-3 seven minutes in. Gordon Babcock led Kent State with 20 points in the blowout victory.

The Bulls came out ice cold, missing their first eight shots. The Golden Flashes (6-7, 1-0) showed no mercy as they hit 8 of their first 9 shots and quickly turned this one into a rout. They cruised to a 42-30 halftime advantage, shooting 54% from the floor.

After UB closed to within 42-32 in the opening moments of the second half, the Flashes put the Bulls away with another big run, outscoring UB 21-8 to open up a 63-40 lead.

Chris Wysocki scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Mike Messy scored 13 points and dished out 12 assists. Hyman Mills scored nine points and grabbed 10 boards as Kent state had five players score in double figures.

Buffalo (8-6, 0-1) was led by Jim Nardi who scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Dale Larranaga added 17 points as UB shot 44% from the field.

Buffalo will return home next Saturday as they host Bowling Green.





1/13/13
Amherst, NY (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls returned to Alumni Arena on Sunday afternoon and evened their conference record with a hard fought 59-51 victory over the Bowling Green Falcons. Freshman Terry Pittman scored 12 straight points for the Bulls in crunch time as the Bulls were able to win the conference home opener.

This one was tight throughout with the final score being the largest margin the entire game. The game went back and forth in the opening half with the Falcons taking a 29-25 lead into halftime.

The Falcons led 47-43 with 4:17 left before true freshman Terry Pittman took the game over. He knocked down a three to pull UB to within one. He then scored a traditional three point play to give UB their first lead since 18-17. He would score on a runner to put the Bulls up 51-47, then hit two free throws as UB's lead grew to 53-47.

Pittman led all scorers with 22 points on 9 of 13 shooting from the field. Sophomore Jim Nardi added 13 points and seven boards. Wes Taybron scored eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

The Falcons (4-8, 1-1) were led by Bruce Granger who scored 21 points and made all three of his shots from beyond the arc. Adrrian Gardner struggled for teh Falcons, scoring just eight points on 3 of 13 shooting from the field.

The Bulls (9-6, 1-1) return action on Wednesday evening as they host Akron (7-7, 0-2), a team that has lost just two conference games the past two seasons.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01



1/16/13
Amherst, NY (AP) - The Akron Zips lost just two conference games the past two seasons. They came into Alumni Arena at (0-2) in Mid-American Conference play with two blowout losses to Miami and Northern Illinois. On Wednesday evening they turned the tables on the Buffalo Bulls in a stunning 84-55 win.

The Zips blew open a close game at halftime by opening the second half on a 17-2 run in the first three and a half minutes. Akron led 35-29 at halftime, but stretched it to 52-31 with 12:34 to play. Rick Dickey knocked down three straight shots from beyond the arc as Akron made their first seven shots of the second half.

To make matters worse for Buffalo, freshman Lou Watkins left the game after injuring his knee on a drive to the bucket. Watkins finished with 10 points on just 3 of 17 shooting.

Akron would stretch their lead to as many as 32 in the second half as they won their first conference game. The Zips were led by Hal Perkins who scored a career high 19 points. Lowell Dye added 12 points on just 5 of 20 shooting. Lyle Wheless scored five points and grabbed 10 boards.

Buffalo (9-7, 1-2) was led by Terry Pittman who scored 18 points. The Bulls shot a dismal 29% from the field and just 22% (8 for 36) from beyond the arc.

They return to action on Saturday evening as they host Northern Illinois (10-5, 1-2).





1/19/13
Amherst, NY (AP) - The woes continued for the 2012-13 Buffalo Bulls on Saturday evening as Northern Illinois came into Alumni Arena and handed the Bulls a resounding 83-67 thumping. Freshman guard Haminn Schiffner led the Huskies offensive attack with 21 points on five of 10 shooting from beyond the arc.

Northern Illinois (11-5, 2-2) grabbed the lead from the start and was never really threatened in this one. They led 22-11 at the 9:45 mark of the opening half and maintained that lead into the half, leading 41-30 at the break. The Huskies shot 54% from the field in th eopening half, while UB shot a dismal one for 10 from beyond the arc.

Buffalo (9-8, 1-3) would never close the gap under double digits in the second half as they continue to struggle in conference play. The Bulls went 5 for 28 (18%) from beyond teh arc in this one, including just 1 of 10 for freshman sharpshooter Lou Watkins. Watkins, playing with an injured knee, scored just seven points in 24 minutes. Both Wes Taybron and Jim Nardi did have double-doubles. Taybron scored 14 points and grabbed 13 boards, while Nardi scored 11 and grabbed 14 boards.

Jave Dahi led the Bulls with 18 points in the losing effort.

Buffalo will head to Oxford to take on first place Miami (10-6, 4-0) on Tuesday evening.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01



1/22/13
Oxford, OH (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls rallied from a 15 point second half deficit on Tuesday Evening at Millet Hall, only to fall 82-80 in overtime as senior Jon Paul Harrison nailed a long three pointer at the buzzer to keep Miami perfect in MAC play. Jim Nardi led all scorers with 28 points, including a buzzer beating 10 footer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.

Miami (OH) (11-6, 5-0) took control of this one late in the first half, building a 12 point lead and taking a 31-24 advantage into the halftime break. They would extend their lead to 47-32 with just 10:45 left and it appeared as though they would cruise to the victory, but Jim Nardi and Buffalo rallied.

The Bulls (9-9, 1-4) abandoned the outside game and started pounding the Redhawks down low with Nardi. Nardi would score 24 of his game high 28 points after halftime and scored the game tying basket on a beautiful feed from Jave Dahi in the closing seconds of regulation. Dahi would dish out 13 assists in the loss.

In overtime, Miami jumped out to a 76-69 advantage amd appeared ready to close the Bulls out, but Buffalo kept coming back. Wes Taybron made a couple of free throws and Lou Watkins hit a big three to cut the lead to two. Jim Nardi then hit a layup to give UB an 80-79 lead with just 34 seconds left.

Miami would hold the ball for the last shot. The Bulls played great defense and Lou Watkins was right in Harrison's face on his three point attempt, but he got nothing but net at time expired to send the Redhawks onto victory, leaving UB with a bitter pill to swallow.

"This was a tough one," said Coach Walberg after. "We showed alot of character tonight to rally in a very tough building. I think that this young team can build on this and we can only get better."

Buffalo will travel to Kalamazoo on Saturday to take on Western Michigan (13-5, 4-1).





1/26/13
Kalamazoo, MI (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls suffered another gut wrenching loss of Saturday afternoon as they dropped an 83-77 double overtime thriller to Western Michigan at University Arena in Kalamazoo. Kinley Devonish keyed the victory for Western, hitting a jumper at the buzzer to send the game to overtime and then hitting two three pointers in the second extra session to help the Broncos pull away late.

Western Michigan (14-5, 5-1) grabbed the lead early on and kept Buffalo at arm's length for the entire first half, taking a 36-27 lead into halftime. The Broncos shot 50% from the field and hit 4 of 13 from beyond the arc in the opening half.

The Bulls would rally once again in the second half. Lou Watkins hit eight three pointers in the contest and his threes help UB move out to a 54-45 lead with just 6:00 left in regulation. Western would rally to tie it up at 56-56 with just under two minutes left.

Jim Nardi would sink a pair of free throws with 32 second left in regulation as UB took the lead back at 58-56. That set up Kinley Devonish for his game tying basket, a baseline jumper for 12 feet as time expired.

In the first overtime, the teams traded the lead and Buffalo had the ball last, trailing 68-66 with 30 seconds left. Jim Nardi would work a beautiful pick and roll with Jave Dahi to score a layup to tie the game with 3.3 seconds left and send the game to double OT.

The the second extra period, the teams traded the lead until Western scored the final seven points to pull away and earn the 83-77 victory. Kinley Devonish hit two three pointers in the final minute, his only two on the day. Devonish ended up with 17 points and five boards. Austen Allen led the Broncos with 18 points.

The Bulls (9-10, 1-5) were led by freshman Lou Watkins 24 points. Jim Nardi chipped in 16 points and 8 boards while Wes Taybron scored 16 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.

Buffalo will return to Alumni Arena on Wednesday evening as they take on Central Michigan (7-11, 2-4).





1/30/13
Amherst, NY (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls snapped a four game losing streak on Wednesday evening at Alumni Arena with a 61-52 victory over the Central Michigan Chippewas. Jim Nardi led the Bulls with 18 points and eight rebounds.

The Bulls got off to a slow start with the Chippewas holding a lead for much of the first half. Back to back three pointers from Lou Watkins and Geoff Hedges gave Buffalo their first lead a 20-16 with 5:25 left in the half. The Bulls would take a 28-23 lead into halftime.

The defensive battle would continue into the second half with UB leading by only 30-27 at the under 12 minute media timeout. A Terry Pittman three pointer extended Buffalo's lead to the largest of the night at 46-35 with just under seven minutes left.

Central Michigan (7-12, 2-5) would go on a 7-0 run to cut the Bulls lead to four and put the sparse crowd on the edge of their seats. But the Bulls would make their free throws down the stretch to hold on to the victory.

UB (10-10, 2-5) outrebounded Central Michigan 38-29. Besides Jim Nardi's team high 18 points, Wes Taybron had another big game, scoring 13 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Jave Dahi scored 8 points and grabbed 10 boards. Freshman Lou Watkins struggled, scoring 8 points on just 2 of 13 shooting from the field.

The Chips were led by junior guard Dave Assel who scored a game high 21 points. CMU's leading scorer Timir Abram, a transfer from Stanford, was held to just four points.

The Bulls will return to action on Saturday evening as they host Toledo (2-16, 0-7), the last place team in the Mid-American Conference.





2/2/13
Amherst, NY (AP) - The Buffalo Bulls took care of business on Saturday evening as they dismissed the woeful Toledo Rockets 75-60 at Alumni Arena. Freshman Lou Watkins and sophomore Jim Nardi each scored 22 as the Bulls won their second straight Mid-American Conference game.

The first half was a tightly contested one with the lead exchanging hands four times. Buffalo took a four point advantage, 38-34 into halftime thanks to 55% shooting from the field.

The Bulls (11-10, 3-5) would open it up to a ten point lead in the second half thanks to back to back treys from Lou Watkins with 6:04 remaining. They would cruise from there to the 15 point victory.

The Rockets (2-17, 0-8) were led by a pair of freshman forwards, Domonic Graves who scored 15 points, and Branden Hammond who also added 15. Center Ike Kou, the Rockets leading scorer, averaging over 14 points per game, was held to just two points on 1 of 7 shooting. He did grab six rebounds in the losing effort.

The Bulls will travel to Athens for a key match up on Wednesday evening with the Ohio Bobcats (16-6, 6-2).





2/6/13
Athens, OH (AP) – The Ohio Bobcats put an end to the Buffalo Bulls modest two game winning streak on Wednesday evening with a resounding 71-37 victory at the Convocation Center in Athens. Senior Sidney Zacharias led the way for the Bobcats with 16 points.

Ohio (17-6, 7-2) were never threatened in this one, jumping out to a commanding 34-11 lead at the intermission. Buffalo shot an abysmal 0 for 13 from beyond the arc in the opening half and was just 1 of 5 from the free throw line.

The Bulls (11-11, 3-6) would never cut the lead to under 20 points in the second half as their rough season continues. Jim Nardi led Buffalo with 16 points and nine rebounds. No other Bull made it into double figures. UB shot just 27.8% from the floor, 18% from beyond the arc and only 37.5% from the line in suffering their worst loss of the season.





2/9/13
Amherst, NY (AP) – The Buffalo Bulls bounced back from their worse loss of the season with possibly their best win, a 67-58 victory over the Ball State Cardinals at Alumni Arena on Saturday evening. Jim Nardi led the way, scoring a career high 33 points as the Bulls knocked off the second place team in the Mid-American Conference.

Buffalo (12-11, 4-6) ran out to a 19-5 lead midway through the opening half, thanks to some strong defense. The Cardinals would get back into it with a late run to close the half and they trailed by just five at the break, 34-29. Jim Nardi had 13 in the opening half and Wes Taybron chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds.

The Bulls would open the lead back to nine early in the second half thanks to some hot shooting out of the locker room. Lou Watkins and Jave Dahi hit threes to put the Bulls up 51-42 with just under nine minutes to play. But the Cardinals went on a run, thanks to the sharpshooting of senior P.J. Gates. Gates knocked down back to back threes to give the Cardinals their first lead of the night 55-54 with 3:57 remaining in regulation.

But Buffalo answered with a 7-0 run and never looked back as they picked up their fourth conference win. Wes Taybron finished with 17 rebounds for the Bulls. The Bulls outrebounded the Cardinals 42-26 and held a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint.

P.J. Gates scored a career best 23 in the losing effort for Ball State (14-8, 8-2). Leading scorer LaKeith Ma, averaging almost 19 points per game was held to just four points on 2 of 5 shooting.

The Bulls will travel to Ypsilanti, Michigan for a Wednesday evening game at Eastern Michigan (5-17, 1-9).

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: March Madness or Bust.....A CH2K8 Legacy by Bigjdotcom01