Last week, the Syracuse basketball team – ranked No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll – lost an exhibition contest to Le Moyne – a Division II team – 82-79.
Buffalo may not be nationally ranked, but it certainly didn't want to start off their season with a loss to a team on the outskirts of Division I play.
The men's basketball team arrived at Alumni Arena on Saturday night expecting to play an exhibition game and to leave with an easy win. The friendly contest, however, quickly turned into a heated battle.
The Bulls pulled out the victory against the NAIA Daemen Wildcats going away 82-67, but the final score didn't reflect the closely contested battle.
Bulls head coach Reggie Witherspoon thinks the game will serve to help the team in the long run.
'[Daemen] played well,' Witherspoon said. 'They played really hard and they tested us. It's a good start for us. We needed to get some things out of our system.'
After a back-and-forth start to the game, sophomore transfer Zach Filzen erupted, hitting 6-of-7 3-pointers in the first half to help give the Bulls a 47-29 halftime lead.
Filzen sat out last season after transferring to Buffalo from Northern Arizona and is excited to be back on the court.
'People don't have any idea,' Filzen said. 'Sitting out a year is real hard but it makes things that much better when you can finally play.'
With the game seemingly in hand, the Bulls let up and allowed the Wildcats to make a run and get within striking distance late in the second half. Daemen guard D.J. Johnson started the run with back-to-back 3-point shots that garnered a reaction from the large Daeman following in attendance.
The Wildcats closed the gap to nine, 58-49, on the heels of two quick baskets by junior forward Devon Dawson with just over 12 minutes remaining. With the Daemen contingent in full force, Filzen hit his seventh 3-pointer of the game to quiet the crowd and give the Bulls a double-digit advantage.
For Filzen, the outstanding shooting display wasn't a surprise.
'I spent a lot of time shooting the basketball [in the offseason],' Filzen said. 'I'm just trying to work as hard as I can to get better. It wasn't a real shock to me. I got into a rhythm, it was alright.'
The Bulls saw their lead shrink to eight with four minutes left, but it was as close as the Wildcats got.
Senior guard Rodney Pierce came off a screen with three and a half minutes left and sank a jumper from about 15-feet to end the threat. The Bulls dominated the last three minutes, outscoring Daemen 11-6 to close out the win.
Pierce felt the team lacked patience in the game, and realized this type of game was unavoidable with so many younger guys playing significant minutes.
'I think [we played] a little bit rushed,' Pierce said. 'I think we were excited and I know that's going to happen as far as the young guys are concerned.'
Filzen ended the game with 21 points, shooting 7-for-12 from 3-point range. Pierce added 10 points for the Bulls and senior forward Max Boudreau chipped in with 15 points off the bench.
Senior guard Ajay Rutledge led the Wildcats with 17 points and eight. Dawson and Johnson also scored in double-digits with 14 points each.
According to Filzen, Daemen didn't sneak up on the Bulls.
'We knew they were going to be tough,' Filzen said. 'We don't look down on anyone. We know everyone can play but I feel we didn't play real well.'
The Bulls ended last season in disappointing fashion after losing in the Mid-American Conference Championship game and then in the opening round of the 2009 College Basketball Invitational. Pierce and company were glad to get back on the court and try and erase the memory of last season.
'It was kind of exciting to get back out there and play seeing how we ended last year on a loss,' Pierce said. 'We just wanted to get out here and try to do the things we did in practice.'
The Bulls will take the next week to prepare for the start of their season when the Vermont Catamounts visit Alumni Arena on Nov. 15. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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