University at Buffalo
18-12
(5) Miami (OH)
14-17
Late Second Half Rally Falls Short In MAC Quarterfinal
3/11/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CLEVELAND, OH – The University at Buffalo men's basketball
team was unable to overcome an early 18-point deficit as a furious
second half rally came up short as the Bulls fell to Miami 73-59 in
their Mid-American Conference quarterfinal game at the Quicken
Loans Arena.
The Bulls scored the first bucket of the game, but the RedHawks
responded with a 17-0 run, taking an early 14-point lead. UB
continued to struggle from the floor in the opening half as the
Bulls hit just four of their first 14 shots.
The Bulls trailed by as many as 18 in the first half with 7:05
left, but UB finished the half on a 10-3 run, cutting the Miami
lead to 11 at the half. Redshirt sophomore Zach Filzen
gave the Bulls a needed boost of the bench, hitting two of the
three three-pointers that he attempted in the opening half.
The RedHawks didn't make it easy as they hit 56.3 percent of their
shots from the floor, including 5-of-7 from behind the arc.
The Bulls began to heat up in the second half as they began to cut
into the Miami lead. A three from senior Sean Smiley
pulled the Bulls within five, which was the closest they had been
since early in the first half. Smiley would get the Bulls even
closer as another triple with 5:43 left pulled the Bulls within two
at 56-54. However, a 5-0 Miami run put the RedHawks back up by
seven points with just three minutes left to play. A three-point
play from Calvin Betts
put the Bulls within four, but that is the closest they would get.
The RedHawks went on to hit 10-of-12 from the free throw line over
the final 2:12 for the final margin.
Smiley led the way for the Bulls with 14 points as he closed out
his career with a 4-for-5 performance from behind the arc. Pierce
also finished in double figures with 12 points. John Boyer
capped off an outstanding senior season with a game-high seven
assists. Betts finished with a game-high 11 rebounds and seven
points.
The RedHawks, who advance to take on No. 9 Ohio in tomorrow's
semifinal, had four players in double figures led by 27 points from
Kenny Hayes and 16 points from Julian Mavunga. As a team the
RedHawks shot 57.9 percent from the floor and went to line 30
times, converting on 22 of them.
"Miami's two big guys were really big for them tonight and not
only did we struggle to stop them, we also struggled making shots,"
said head coach Reggie Witherspoon. "We dug ourselves into too much
of a hole and we had our chances to dig ourselves out, but Miami's
big guys really stepped up."
The Bulls finish the season at 18-12, the fifth time in the last
seven years the Bulls have had at least 17 wins.
