In increasing their 64-point per game output from last year to 73 a game this year, the UB men's basketball team's improved offensive play generally receives much credit for the dramatic overall turnaround on the court and in the standings.
But in Saturday's ESPN Bracket Buster matchup with the Indiana State Sycamores, the Bulls relied on a bevy of tough defense.
Specifically, it was the 12 steals, 20 forced turnovers and 11 Sycamore first half points that allowed Buffalo to cruise to a 64-51 win in the non-conference matchup.
That 11-point first half for the ISU was Buffalo's (12-11, 7-7 Mid-American Conference) finest defensive effort of the season, as they thrashed Indiana State (8-16) by robbing them with eight steals and forcing 13 turnovers in the process.
With the win, it's the first time that UB has been over .500 this late in the season since joining the MAC in 1998.
"We wanted to make it as difficult as we could for them to catch the ball in positions where they could score," said Bulls head coach Reggie Witherspoon.
ESPN Bracket Buster games are a chance for the mid-major Division I basketball teams, like those in the MAC, to gain more exposure for the NCAA Tournament selection process.
Although not winning March's MAC Tournament and still earning a bid to the big dance is a long shot, the Bulls rose to the occasion.
During the first half Mario Jordan and Danny Gilbert combined for 12 points, outscoring the entire Indiana squad. Gilbert also served up five steals for the game while Yassin Idbihi had a team-high eight rebounds. Jordan scored a game-high 19 points.
Buffalo was actually trailing this game at 3-2 but then put together an incredible 30-8 run. The lead never dropped back into single digits after UB guard Turner Battle nailed a 3-pointer at the 13:43 mark of the first half.
Indiana tried to mount a comeback in the second half, trimming the lead to 12 with 6:53 to play, but not to be outdone by Battle, Jason Bird offered up an off-balanced shot in the paint that dropped and pushed Buffalo's lead to 14 while erasing Indiana State's hope of victory.
Rebounding was the only glaring weakness for Buffalo, as they lost the battle of the boards, 38-35. It was the first time in three games that happened to Buffalo.
Indiana's David Moss led ISU with eight rebounds and chipped in 12 points.
UB had a wealth of great offensive numbers, but nothing so closely approaches the defensive stat line that crystallized this afternoon.
On top of the 20 turnovers and eight steals, the Bulls forced the Sycamores to shoot just 34 percent (22.7 percent in the first half) from the field. They also held ISU scoreless for a stretch of nearly eight minutes in the first half.
"We came out and really established what we were going to do defensively," said Witherspoon. "I think it threw them off their rhythm a little bit."
Having won seven of their last nine games, the Bulls have tied their highest win total ever in a season since joining the MAC.
UB continues the season Wednesday when the MAC-leading Kent State Golden Flashes (20-3, 13-1 MAC) come to town. The last time these two faced off was on Feb. 11 with Kent State barely pulled out a four-point win on their home court.
Buffalo will have to contend with the Golden Flashes seven-foot center, John Edward, who blazed Buffalo for 24 points and six blocks in the last encounter.
Game time is set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Alumni Arena.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
