After a gut-wrenching loss to Toledo, UB came to Ypsilanti, Michigan hungry for a win. Eastern Michigan came into today as the best of the MAC West but that didn’t stop the Bulls. In one of their best efforts on the glass and drawing fouls all season, the Bulls took home a big 77-68 win over the Eagles.
UB showed off their best since conference play started in the first half of this game. Usually the Bulls struggle to score against the 2-3 zone but they were able to find their way inside anyway and score the ball. When the half ended, 20 of the Bulls’ 35 points were from within the the paint.
UB didn’t shoot the ball well but their defensive pressure was good enough to overcome that in the first half. EMU was held to a meager 34% in the first twenty minutes and to add to their struggles, they were also losing the rebounding battle. The Eagles did find themselves in a 11-5 run to end the half with a slim 38-35 lead. UB may have looked the best they’ve been in a bit, but they would need some better play from their stars in Blake Hamilton and CJ Massinburg.
UB kept up the defensive pressure as the second half began and soon began trading the lead with the Eagles. The Bulls were doing a phenomenal job at drawing fouls and it wasn’t even ten minutes left in the half before the Eagles were in the bonus. Slowly but surely, UB pulled out a lead with 8:36 left and they kept it for the remainder of the game.
With 3:11 left in the half, Blake Hamilton and Willie Conner sent in consecutive layups to all but ice the game. From there, Hamilton continued to reign supreme from the free throw line and UB had done it. Eastern Michigan came into this game as the best team in the MAC West and Buffalo was finally back on track after a rough non-conference outing.
Hamilton didn’t shoot the ball well, but he lead the team with 21 points and a perfect 12-12 from the charity stripe. CJ Massinburg had a strong double-double outing of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Willie Conner rounded out a trio of players getting 15 points or more. He also had four rebounds on the night.
UB heads home to face the favorite to win the Mid-American Conference. They’ll square off with the Ohio Bobcats on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 7:00PM and the game will air on ESPN3 and TWCS.