University at Buffalo
13-6, 5-2MAC
Toledo
4-17, 1-6MAC
Bulls Rocket Past Toledo with Strong Second Half
2/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo men's basketball team won its sixth straight game by defeating Toledo, 81-58, at Alumni Arena on Thursday afternoon. The Bulls led wire to wire in a game that was rescheduled for 2:00 pm on Thursday after a winter storm forced UB to close on Wednesday.
Zach Filzen matched a career high with 23 points and Byron Mulkey added 20 to pace four UB players in double-figures. Filzen knocked down five three-pointers and also tied a career high with six rebounds. Mulkey shot 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and added five rebounds, five assists and three steals.
The Bulls rode Filzen's hot hand in the second half as the junior sharpshooter scored 14 of Buffalo's 17 points over a seven-minute stretch to extend the UB lead to 71-51 with 6:27 remaining.
Buffalo (14-6, 6-2 MAC) shot nearly 60 percent from the field and outrebounded the Rockets, 32-17. The Bulls controlled the play inside, outscoring Toledo, 42-18, in the paint. Javon McCrea scored 12 points and Mitchell Watt finished with 10. Watt added four rebounds, four blocked shots and tied a career high with five assists.
Defensively, the Bulls blocked seven shots, had eight steals and forced 18 Toledo turnovers. UB cranked up the defense in the second half as it held the Rockets to 33 percent on 7-of-21 shooting.
"I think in the second half we did a better of giving them some pressure, picking them up early and taking away the pace of the stuff they ran," head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "I think our defense was just much better in the second half."
It will be a quick turnaround for the Bulls who will play at West Division-leader Ball State on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm.
