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University at Buffalo
2-7
St. Bonaventure
4-2
Late Turnovers Cost Bulls in Loss at St. Bonaventure
12/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
ST. BONAVENTURE, NY – The University at Buffalo men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 82-79 loss at St. Bonaventure on Saturday night. The Bulls turned the ball over on their final three possessions to help the Bonnies escape with the three-point victory.
Struggling to get perimeter scoring all season, the Bulls erupted to hit a season-high 13 three-pointers – the most in a game since 2010. Jarod Oldham netted 20 points, including five three-pointers – both career highs. Tony Watson drained four three-pointers and finished with 15 points and a career-high six assists.
The game featured eight ties and 16 lead changes. Watson hit a three-pointer at the buzzer of the first half to cap a 10-1 UB scoring run and knot the contest at 39 at the half.
St. Bonaventure (4-2) led 53-48 with 14:04 left. A 7-1 UB scoring run, including five points by Oldham, put the Bulls ahead, 55-54, with 11:17 left. Another Oldham three, followed by a Javon McCrea layup gave the Bulls a 63-58 lead – their largest of the game.
After the lead see-sawed back and forth, the Bulls gained a 79-76 advantage on an Oldham free throw with 1:33 left. The Bulls regained possession of the ball with just over a minute remaining clinging to the three-point lead. However, St. Bonaventure forced turnovers on the Bulls' final three possessions and finished the game on a 6-0 scoring run to pull out the victory.
McCrea notched his first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The junior forward scored his 1,000th career point in the game to become the fourth fastest player in school history to accomplish the feat.
Turnovers again plagued the Bulls as their 19 turnovers were turned into 21 points by the Bonnies. Neither team shot the ball very well from the free throw line. Buffalo went 12-of-23 from the charity stripe, while St. Bonaventure finished 22-of-38. The Bulls were whistled for nine more fouls in the game, including a 17-9 foul discrepancy in the second half.
Buffalo falls to 2-7 on the season and will next play at Milwaukee on Wednesday night.
