When the Eastern Michigan Eagles (10-10, 4-7 MAC) entered Alumni Arena last night, they didn't expect to walk into an ambush. Few other phrases apply to shooting 76 percent in the second half en route to a school record 67 percent shooting for the game. With that kind of accuracy, the Bulls (4-16, 1-10 MAC) took an early lead and never looked back, soundly beating EMU 90-66.
This win was the first for UB against a MAC opponent, and it broke the streak of 12 straight losses dating back to the Dec. 11 game against Niagara.
EMU ran out to a 10-7 lead before a 7-0 run by the Bulls captured the lead. UB then went on a 19-5 tear to end the first half. With 35 seconds left in the half, sophomore guard Turner Battle let the shot clock run down to 10 before calling his own number and burying a three to give the Bulls a 37-21 half time advantage.
"Before the game we all felt pretty good," said Battle. "We were excited, we thought this could be the one."
Battle was a spark for the UB offense all night, scoring 19 with five assists and four steals. Battle abused overmatched EMU guard Michael Ross, who wasn't able to handle Battle's quickness off the dribble.
To begin the second half, EMU was trading scores with the Bulls. This was not to last as UB shot the lights out in the second half. Too much scoring by UB denied the Eagles the chance to take advantage of the 14 fouls committed by the Bulls in the second half. EMU also won the rebound battle 31 to 28. Now with seven road losses, Eastern Michigan remains winless on the road this season.
Going into the game there were questions about UB's ability to win the battle inside the paint. The Bulls answered those questions by scoring 58 points down low.
"(Buffalo) scored at will inside," said EMU head coach Jim Boone. "When you can do that, you're going to have a good opportunity to win."
UB's success inside was due to strong play from sophomore center Mark Bortz and freshman forward B.J. Walker. Bortz was a perfect 100 percent shooting on the night, hitting 7-7 from the field and 4-4 from the line ending with 18 points and 7 rebounds. B.J. Walker had a standout game, scoring a team-high 21 points and grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds to record his second double-double on the season.
"I think (Bortz and Walker) complement each other on the court well," said Battle. "They are both versatile; they can shoot the outside shot, and they play inside."
This victory was a breath of life into a team that needed a reason to get excited, but as UB Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon warned, they need work to improve.
"I'm interested to see if we're going to hunger to get better," said Witherspoon. "If we can improve from here, then we'll see where it goes. ... We have some tough games coming up, and Saturday the leading scorer in the league comes to town."
UB hosts Ball State and the MAC's leading scorer Chris Williams on Saturday at Alumni Arena. Tip off is at 7 p.m.
