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Roderick Middleton

MT. PLEASANT, MI ­ Buffalo dropped a foul-riddled contest to Central Michigan, 97-73, at the Rose Arena on Saturday afternoon.

Buffalo, playing without starters Clement Smith (Brooklyn, NY/Westinghouse) (back) and Daniel Gilbert (Detroit, MI/Cass Technical) (ankle), had a difficult time containing Central Michigan's center Chris Kaman. The Chippewas' seven-footer scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Fifteen of Kaman's points came from the free throw line. "Chris Kaman did a great job," Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "He caught the ball in traffic and was really strong with the basketball."

The game was close throughout the first half. Turner Battle's (Kernersville, NC/East Forsyth) lay-up, with 3:29 left in the opening stanza, gave the Bulls a one-point lead. However, it was the last advantage the Bulls would hold, as Central Michigan closed out the half on an 11-3 scoring run to earn a 42-35 halftime lead.

The Bulls opened the second half with a Mark Bortz (Commerce Township, MI/Walled Lake Central) dunk and a Calvin Cage (Bowie, MD/Bladensburg) three-ball to cut the Chippewa lead to two points. However, foul trouble plagued the Bulls early in the second half as seven fouls were called on the Bulls in the first five minutes, putting Central Michigan in the bonus situation and preventing UB from getting into any kind of rhythm. Central Michigan (11-3, 4-1) took advantage of the free throw opportunities, as it knocked down 16-of-20 chances from the charity stripe in the second half. The Bulls trailed 58-52, with 13:35 remaining, before Central Michigan went on a 23-6 scoring run to put away the game.

Buffalo (3-11, 0-5) had four players finish in double-figures, led by Roderick Middleton (University Park, IL/Marian Catholic) with a career-high 18 points. Battle and Cage added 16 and 15 points, respectively. Joe Veal (Chicago, IL/Osborn) tied a career-high with 11 points.

Along with Kaman, the Chippewas were led by J.R. Wallace who scored 21 points and Mike Manciel with 15 points. Central Michigan shot 50 percent (31-62) from the field, compared to Buffalo's 41.5 percent (27-65). In a game that saw 46 fouls called, Central Michigan won the free throw battle. The Chippewas shot 29-of-36 (80.6 percent) from the charity stripe, while Buffalo was 15-of-20 (75.0 percent).

It was the seventh straight loss for the Bulls, who remain winless on the road this season.