By Budd Bailey
Just a game between the two bottom-feeders in the Mid-American Conference?
Pffft.
The matchup between the University at Buffalo and Eastern Michigan became a cause for celebration.
The Bulls defeated the Eagles, 78-69 in Alumni Arena on Tuesday night. It was Buffalo’s first conference win of the season at home, improving its record to 4-22 (2-12 MAC). Come to think of it, it was the Bulls’ first home win of the season against a Division I opponent. The only other victory was against Roberts Wesley, a D-3 team … and that game back on November 11 was far too close for comfort (89-83).
Even better, it was the first conference win at home for the Bulls’ first-year head coach, George Halcovage. His postgame interviews haven’t been happy occasions this season, but this time he threw out praise like confetti.
“I’m really proud of our team's effort,” he said. “We've been getting better. I sat here after the last game against a great team in Akron, and I knew we were really close. I thought today was a big growth day for us. We executed at the end. We were able to withstand their runs. We got stops when we needed them, and we played tough. ... That’s how you get it done in these games.”
“It’s not relief – I’m happy for the team,” forward Sy Chatman said. “It's something we've been working for, and we finally got it done. It was a game where everyone contributed tonight, everyone played together. It was the perfect night.”
UB was particularly strong around the basket. The Bulls had a 40-38 edge in rebounds, and a big 48-26 advantage in the paint. That was crucial.
“We talked about in our last game I think we gave up like seven offensive rebounds in one possession," Halcovage said. “We put it in red as one of the keys before we took the court. We've got to rebound, we've got to be relentless at it. These guys did that tonight."
A pair of Buffalo players proved that point with double-doubles. Chatman had13 rebounds to go with 23 points, while Zaakir Williamson came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds to add to 12 points.
The Bulls were coming off a good effort on Saturday during a loss to MAC leader Akron, so playing EMU - No. 11 out of 12 in the conference, only ahead of the Bulls – seemed like a winnable matchup. There wasn’t much difference between the teams in the opening 20 minutes, as neither team had more than a five-point lead. What’s more, the score was tied at 37-37 with 16 minutes left.
Then UB unexpectedly exploded. The Bulls scored the next 11 points of the game. Williamson, a freshman from Philadelphia, led the way by scoring the first six points of that burst.
“We had good communication on the court,” he said. “Everyone knew their assignments. Just play hard, and not stop. That was big for us. We got some stops and then we were running."
Even better, the Bulls then finished the game like they had a lot of experience closing out games …. which they obviously don’t. The Eagles (10-16, 3-10 MAC) never scored two baskets in a row at any point in the second half – including the final 13:30 after UB’s run.
"I'm pretty proud of us, staying on top of them on defense," Williamson said.
It hasn’t been an easy season for anyone involved in UB basketball. The Bulls’ coaching change was followed by an exodus to the transfer portal by the veterans, leaving the cupboard bare for Halcovage. That almost guaranteed a long season. You don’t get those years at Villanova, where he was an assistant coach. Adversity can be a good teacher, but this has been overdoing it.
“I told my wife that I'm going through in my first year what some coaches go through in about six years - the difference situations we've been in," Halcovage said. “Injuries, trying to put together a team that's trying to figure things out, playing a tough schedule, going on the road and going down 20. When things seemed worse than they are, we've had to stay positive and keep things together. That's been the greatest challenge - sticking true to what we believe in."
It took a while for the Bulls to show signs of any progress. But they are 2-2 in their last four games. There are five games left on the schedule. It would be almost impossible to climb to a playoff spot in the MAC Tournament next month.
But that really didn’t matter much at about 9 p.m. on Tuesday night. A single win at home provided some joy in a season that has been something close to an endless struggle.
“It was a beautiful thing to see,” Williamson said. "We had our troubles earlier in the season, and now things are starting to fall into place. The last three games have been a lot better for us."
(Follow Budd on X.com via @WDX2BB)
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