Men’s Basketball (0-2) dropped to South Alabama (USA) (1-1) 56-70 during their Saturday afternoon game at Alumni Arena. The team is now 0-2 for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
The Bulls’ fifth-year forward Sy Chatman led all scorers with 16 points and racked up eight rebounds for good measure. But Buffalo’s offsensive wasn’t enough to overcome the Jaguars’ defense, led by guard Maxwell Land.
After Monday’s game, first-year head coach George Halcovage III commented on the team’s lack of transition defense, but it was their offense that struggled today, failing to even eclipse the 60 point mark. The Bulls top scorer from last game, forward Isiah Adams, only put together 5 points while giving up 4 turnovers. Adams had 28 points last game in the Bulls’ loss to Fairleigh Dickenson.
The game got out slow, as both teams struggled offensively early on. Guard Ryan Sabol had a pair of 3 pointers in the first along with Chatman who had 9 points after the first 20 minutes. The Bulls trailed 29-33 at halftime giving up four more turnovers than the Jaguars.
Buffalo never once held a lead over South Alabama.
The second half saw more of the same, as USA came out of halftime with a 21-6 run over the first seven minutes. This lead would become insurmountable for Buffalo, as South Alabama guard Marcus Millender scored 15 points off the bench.
The Bulls implemented a full-court press defense late game that started a small comeback, but UB ran out of time. The Bulls finished shooting 4-21 from 3-point range and committing 15 turnovers.
Halcovage did not hold a post-game press conference.
The Bulls will look to get their first win on the season as they face Roberts Wesleyan (0-0) Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
Evan Hilbert is an assistant sports editor at The Spectrum. He also is a three-season student-athlete with UB’s DI cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track team. He’s a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, Newcastle United F.C., and the Buffalo Bills.
