By Budd Bailey
Tuesday night’s basketball game at Alumni Arena was something like three games in one.
In the first nine minutes, the University at Buffalo jumped out to a solid 12-5 lead over Ohio University. Then in the second half, the Bulls had a 59-51 edge on the Bobcats.
But as for those 11 minutes in the middle … oh dear. They were more than enough to determine the outcome. Ohio had a 32-8 spurt that included a 16-0 run. Buffalo dropped an 88-79 decision that left the team 5-9 on the season, 0-2 in the Mid-American Conference.
The Bulls figured to have their hands full with the Bobcats, who most experts thought would be the class of the MAC in the current season. That’s why the start of the game was so encouraging. UB played as if it was happy to be in Amherst after not playing on its home court in more than a month (Dec. 3 against Pitt-Bradford).
In fact, the score could have been even more one-sided. Fewer mistakes and more baskets might have put Ohio in a double-digit hole that would have been food for thought.
“I thought we had a great start to the game, especially at the defensive end,” UB coach George Halcovage said. “We’ve been harping and talking with our guys about setting a tone defensively. We did a good job of that at Miami of Ohio, and we built on that. We had a tough time scoring. We had some good shots, and maybe we might have been able to extend the lead.”
Then, for whatever reason, everything changed. UB only had one field goal in the course of seven minutes, a 10-footer by Noah Batchelor. The Bulls found themselves down 13 before ending the drought. Along the way, Batchelor recorded the unusual double of committing a foul and hurting his leg in the process. He missed most of the rest of the game, which didn’t help. By halftime, Ohio had a 37-20 lead, and it seemed rather obvious that UB’s four-game losing streak was going to be extended rather than ended.
“They had a great run on us, and after that we had to play catch-up,” Halcovage said. “We have to learn how to finish a half.”
“They (Ohio) are a loaded offense,” Tyson Dunn of the UB said. “Their offense dictated the play to our defense, and they play as a team. They are a veteran squad, and they know how to play with each other.”
The Bulls tried to pick up the tempo in the second half. In an oddity, neither team was able to score more than one time in a row for the first six minutes. The furious trading of baskets continued for most of the second half. UB did finish with a 13-3 run in the final two-plus minutes, but moral victories don’t help in the standings – at least immediately.
“We talked about having an inspired effort before the game,” Halcovage said. “Being inspired doesn’t mean you’re inspired only when things are going great. … These guys are growing every day in that capacity. Sometimes you have to go through that to get where you want to go.”
Those 59 second-half points did wonders for UB’s individual statistics. Tyson Dunn led the Bulls with 21 points; he was five for nine from three-point land. Ben Michaels and Ryan Sabol added 15 each.
“No matter what the score is, every possession matters,” Sabol said. “It’s all about how you respond.”
Meanwhile. AJ Clayton showed why he’s going to be a contender for MAC Player of the Year. The 6-foot-8 forward had 27 points to come within three of reaching 1,000 for his career. Clayton showed a nice touch from downtown (4 for 8 on threes) and did some damage around the rim as well.
“He can play at any level,” Halcovage said about Clayton. “He’s got size. He’s mobile enough. He can block shots. He’s not a negative defensively. He can move his feet. To be that size and be able to shoot the ball – he’s a heck of a player. In the second half we were kind of taking chances, and he was open. He hit some big shots to put us away. It’s a credit to him – a lot of respect to him as a player.”
The Bulls, at least, enjoyed the chance to shoot at familiar baskets for a change. They have played some good teams on the road in the past month and paid the price in the record book. Throw in exams and the holidays, and the word “grind” describes what it’s been like to be a UB Bull lately.
“I think grind is the perfect word,” Sabol said. “Being in different spots multiple times a week is really a grind. … The schedule now is a bit more consistent (with conference play), and you can fall into a flow that you’re not in with the nonconference schedule. So that’s a relief.”
At least Buffalo isn’t going anywhere for a while. The next game (or games, depending on how it’s played) is also at home, as Kent State visits Alumni Arena at 6 p.m. on Friday.
(Follow Budd on X.com via @WDX2BB)
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