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Bulls Falter At Home Against Toledo, 78-62

Max Boudreau

Both teams, determined to set the early tone, came out in the first half by applying immediate presence on both sides of the ball. The Bulls (9-10, 1-5 MAC) took the lead a minute and a half into the game and proceeded to go on a 9-0 run, as sophomore Andy Robinson (Schenectady, NY/Schenectady) put in a layup and buried a three-pointer to build a 14-4 lead. However, eight turnovers in five minutes brought the Rockets (10-8, 6-0 MAC) back into contention, as Toledo’s Tyrone Kent came away with two steals in thirty seconds that resulted in a momentum shifter. In spite of committing 19 first-half turnovers, the Bulls were able to keep pace, holding their hasty counterpart to 37% shooting while shooting 50% themselves, with Robinson scoring eight points to lead the first-half charge. A Toledo jumper would send both teams to the locker room with the Bulls trailing 29-27.

True freshman Max Boudreau (Montreal, Quebec/Champlain-St. Lambert), in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game, came through with a career performance, displaying consistent offense and defense. The Montreal, Quebec native swallowed up a missed three-point attempt at 18:50 and scored two clutch second-chance points to cut the lead to one. With both teams volleying the lead back and forth, the Rockets turned the tables to go on a 8-1 run. Buffalo botched three free throw attempts midway through the second half that turned into four Rocket points at the other end. With a stable 10-point lead, Toledo would increase the lead by heading to the foul line often, as Toledo’s Florentino Valencia went 10-for-10 from the free throw line to ice the game.

“We knew they were quick and experienced in the backcourt,” head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. “They took us out of our mindset with their aggressiveness, which caused us to be hesitant.”

The Rockets shot 66% from the field in the second half despite the Bulls holding the edge in rebounding by a commanding 40-18 count. Justin Ingram led the Rockets with 19 points.

Boudreau finished the game with a career-high 11 points, while Robinson tallied 15 points. Senior Yassin Idbihi (Tangier, Morocco/Schloss Hagerhof) scored his seventh double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds. With the performance, Idbihi surpassed yet another famous Buffalo alum in Calvin Cage (2001-05), scoring his 1,318th point for eighth in school history in scoring.

The Bulls travel to Michigan to tangle with Eastern Michigan on Sunday evening starting at 7 pm. The team will be home next on Feb. 3 against Northern Illinois. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 pm.