There is nothing fun about a loss, but learning from it can later prove to be invaluable.
The men's basketball team hopes to do just that after the Canisius Golden Griffins (3-2) came into Alumni Arena and upset the Bulls (2-2), 73-71, just before the Thanksgiving break.
'I hope it galvanizes us in a way that gets us more determined,' said head coach Reggie Witherspoon.
The game was not without controversy. Late in the highly emotional contest, the Bulls held a 71-68 lead with 1:27 left on the clock. Senior point guard John Boyer, facing full-court pressure, made his push up-court but was stopped by a whistle at the half court line.
After the initial blocking foul called on Canisius guard Robert Goldsberry, the decision was made to charge both players with a foul, and because of the possession arrow, Canisius got the ball.
It was determined after the game that possession should have been awarded to the Bulls because they had the ball before the foul was called. The questionable call helped swing momentum in Canisius's favor, en route to the win.
Witherspoon knows how important it is to rebound quickly and use this unfortunate occurrence as a tool for his team to come together.
'You are going to go through bouts like that,' Witherspoon said. '[It's] usually not at home, but it isn't the first time. We'd like for it to be the last time, but we have to come together and be more determined.'
After the double-foul call, Canisius forward Greg Logins hit a 3-pointer to tie the game and put the pressure back on the Bulls. With the game still tied, senior forward Calvin Betts rebounded the ball off a Canisius miss with 15 seconds left and drove the length of the floor only to miss a wide-open layup.
Canisius guard Frank Turner then took over and hit the game-winning runner over senior guard Rodney Pierce to give Canisius the win.
The Bulls' inconsistent play against the Griffs proved to be too much to overcome. Witherspoon thinks his team must start to gel as a group.
'It's early in the season,' Witherspoon said. 'But I think it's a chemistry issue. We have to learn to play together and do it consistently.'
There have been positives for the Bulls this season. They have played very well on the road and they have received great point guard play from Boyer so far this year.
Presented with the challenge of replacing former Bulls leader Greg Gamble, Witherspoon believes Boyer has the talent and tools to succeed on the court.
'We knew that John [Boyer] had a lot of ability,' Witherspoon said. 'So on our end, we always thought he'd do very well, and he has. The biggest challenge for him is the leadership role and how to play it. But in terms of knowing how to play the position, he has always been fantastic. He has done very well for us and I think he will continue to get better.'
Both of Buffalo's losses have come at home for the Bulls this season and both have been in devastating fashion. Witherspoon isn't surprised by the early season struggles because the team is still getting to know each other out on the floor.
'People look at [our team] and say ‘Hey, you have a lot of guys back,' Witherspoon said. 'But we have a lot of different guys playing different spots right now. So we have to get accustomed to that.'
The team has been practicing hard since the loss and Witherspoon has been focusing on building the chemistry and preparing his team mentally to compete.
'[Our focus has been] on playing hard and mental toughness [and] playing together so that we can establish some consistency,' Witherspoon said. 'I think we're still learning each other and the roles we play.'
Things do not get any easier for the Bulls as they prepare to play the Army Black Knights (5-1).
Army heads into this game on a five game winning streak and will try to take advantage of the Bulls' inability to play well on the Alumni Arena floor.
'It will be a big test,' Witherspoon said. 'They're playing very well right now and they feel as though they can't lose. So when that happens, you're not going to outplay them and then they get discouraged. They're going to play and play like they have nothing to lose because they don't think they can lose.'
Leading the Black Knights is senior guard Cleveland Richard, who is having an excellent season. He is averaging 14.8 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and three steals per game. His tenacity will pose problems for the Bulls.
'From a team standpoint, they present a huge challenge,' Witherspoon said. 'They play four guards and sometimes five, so it puts [Richard] in a position where he gets free a lot on guys that aren't typically used to being in those positions defensively. We have to do our best to cut down on the space he has to operate.'
Witherspoon knows that the key to the game will be how well the Bulls can respond to adversity.
'[The game] will test our determination,' Witherspoon said. 'What if they go on a spurt where they play well for a couple of minutes – how are we going to respond? That will be the biggest issue, [our] response.'
The game against the Black Knights will tip off on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Alumni Arena.
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