8-4, 2-0MAC
Eastern Michigan
9-6, 1-1MAC
Bulls Soar Over Eagles, 76-66
1/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo men's basketball team outscored the visiting Eastern Michigan Eagles, 46-36, in the second half, winning 76-66, Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena. The victory is UB's fourth straight and it put the Bulls at 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
UB was able to overcome an 8-point second half deficit thanks to clutch shooting from sophomore Jarryn Skeete and unselfish ball movement that saw the Bulls record 12 assists to just two turnovers over the final 20 minutes.
The Eagles began the second half on a 13-5 run to open up a 43-35 lead just four minutes into the half. EMU continued to lead 45-38 when UB went on a 12-3 run to take a 50-48 advantage. The Bulls shared the basketball as five different players scored during the run.
Eastern Michigan regained the lead at 55-53, but on the next possession Skeete was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit all three free throws, giving the Bulls a 56-55 lead. The Eagles quickly tied it up, but Skeete was able to knock down a long three and the Bulls led for the final 4:51.
EMU made one final push as it pulled within 66-62 with 2:40 left, but UB than scored six straight, first coming on another triple from Skeete and than the exclamation point came on a steal and fast break layup from Jarod Oldham, who completed a three-point play following a foul. Oldham hit another two free throws late to give the Bulls their largest lead of the game at 12. UB went on to win 76-66.
It was an extremely even first half that saw the two teams go into the locker room tied at 30-30. Eastern Michigan opened the game scoring six of the first eight points, but the Bulls stayed close despite trailing by as many as five early. UB responded with a 17-6 run, which gave the Bulls their largest lead of the opening half, 24-18. That run was capped off on a three-point play from junior Xavier Ford, who picked up his second start of the season. Eastern Michigan tied the game back up at 30-30 with 2:05 left and neither team was able find the scoring column for the remainder of the half.
"I thought it was a heck of a game and Eastern [Michigan] is a very talented team and their record is reflective of it," said head coach Bobby Hurley. "It was a great test for our team today and we did an outstanding job defensively creating turnovers and on the flip side I was proud of how unselfish our guys played and shared the basketball and 22 assists and eight turnovers is a great stat. Overall, I couldn't be any prouder of these guys and their effort today."
Skeete tied his career-high with 19 points as the Bulls put four players in double figures for the second straight game. Skeete went 4-for-7 from behind the arc, while also adding four rebounds. Oldham added 11 points and a game-high seven assists, while junior Will Regan also finished with 11 points.
Despite not scoring in the first half, leading scorer Javon McCrea still finished with his sixth double-double, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals. Ford added eight points and six rebounds, while senior Joshua Freelove had seven points and a pair of assists.
The UB bench outscored the EMU bench, 29-4. In addition to Skeete's 19 off the pine, freshman Shannon Evans had five points and five assists, including some nifty passing late in the second half. Fellow freshman Deyshonne Much also added five points, including a long three pointer in the first half.
As a team, the Bulls finished with a season-high 22 assists, while turning it over just eight times. The UB defense was stingy again, especially from three-point range as Eastern Michigan shot just 3-of-17 from behind the arc.
The Eagles (9-6, 1-1 MAC) also had four players in double figures led by 10 points and 10 rebounds from Glenn Bryant.
The Bulls will now hit the road for the first time in Mid-American Conference play as they head to Toledo on Wednesday night. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
