"This is our house!"
No, it wasn't Alumni Arena, but for one night, Niagara's Gallagher Center might as well have been on UB's North Campus.
Hundreds of UB fans raucously made that chant their trademark Saturday night, as the men's basketball team made themselves at home 20 minutes down the highway and pulled out an impressive 68-59 road win over the Niagara Purple Eagles.
UB got off to a fast start, going on a 12-2 run early to break open a lead from which Niagara was never able to recover.
The run was highlighted by a magnificent play by freshman Andy Robinson, who stole the ball on the defensive end, pushed it coast to coast and capped the breakaway off with a spectacular dunk that ignited not only the team but the fans from UB in attendance.
Head coach Reggie Witherspoon seemed quite happy with the way his team performed, especially the freshmen.
"It was a learning experience for the younger guys," Witherspoon said. "The veterans also helped the younger guys make better decisions on the offensive end."
Grabbing an early lead was an important part of the Bulls' victory as it helped them control the momentum throughout the game.
"What we did best was we controlled the tempo of the game," Witherspoon said. "We said 'When we have the ball, you would have to defend us for the full 24 seconds.' "
Witherspoon stressed the importance of ball control, highlighting a play by junior Yassin Idhibi.
The Bulls pushed the ball up the court and took a shot with a lot of time remaining in the shot clock. The shot was missed and they were forced to hurry back on defense where Idhibi committed an unnecessary foul due to fatigue. Witherspoon believed holding the ball offensively would have allowed his players to get rest while making the defense more tired.
"When you are able to hold the ball and take time off the clock offensively, you don't have to exert yourself that much, causing the defense to wear out because they are the ones that have to run around," Witherspoon said.
Senior Calvin Cage came up big once again for the Bulls, snapping the net from three-point land. He went 6-of-7 from beyond the arc on his way to a game-high 22 points. He also led the Bulls in playing time as he was on the court for all 40 minutes of the game. Witherspoon said he was not hesitant to play him that much because he felt Cage could handle the minutes.
"He's a kid that's able to withstand the rigorous strength and conditioning that we put forth so I had no doubt he was capable of playing the entire game," Witherspoon said.
Also scoring in double figures were Idhibi and junior Parnell Smith who had 15 and 12 points, respectively.
The game wasn't all Bulls, though, as the Purple Eagles made a late run that cut the lead to 54-51 with five minutes left in the second half. However, they were never able to gain control of the lead as Cage hit a three-pointer that killed Niagara's momentum and helped the Bulls go on a 14-8 run to close out the game.
Niagara's Lorenzo Miles was able to keep the Eagles from falling behind by a large margin, as he led the team with 18 points and 7 assists, including a near half-court shot as time expired in the first half that cut the Bulls lead to five. Niagara was able to pull to within two points.
Witherspoon was amazed at the support the team received at an away game.
"The Mighty Maniacs are unbelievable," said Witherspoon, who headed toward the UB student section following the win, offering high fives and thanking the fans that made the trip out to Niagara on a cold winter day. "They came to the game even though there was bad weather throughout Buffalo. It was unbelievable."
With the win, the Bulls find themselves with one of the best records in the MAC, 6-1 and in the midst of a four game winning streak. UB's current record is the best start since the 1958-59 season.
Buffalo looks to keep its streak alive as the Bulls head to Virginia to face Liberty. Tuesday night's game is set for a 7 p.m. tip off. UB fans unable to make the trek to the Vines Center can listen to the radio broadcast on WWKB 1520-AM.
