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BUFFALO, NY ­ The University at Buffalo men's basketball team avenged a loss to Northern Illinois earlier this season with a 75-65 victory over the Huskies at Alumni Arena on Monday night. Four Bulls scored in double figures as Buffalo (10-10, 5-4 MAC) avoided a third straight loss for the third time this season. Northern Illinois (7-10, 3-5 MAC), who beat Buffalo on a last-second shot on January 5, had won two-straight coming into the game.

Mark Bortz

Senior Darcel Williams (Buffalo, NY/Traditional) paced the Bulls with a team-high 20 points and a game-best 13 rebounds. Senior Louis Campbell (Rahway, NJ/Rahway) had 13 points, freshman Mark Bortz (Commerce Township, MI/Walled Lake Central) collected 12 points and junior Davis Lawrence (Brooklyn, NY/New Utrecht) scored 10 points. With his 13-point performance, Campbell moved into seventh place on Buffalo's all-time scoring list (1,286), passing former Buffalo-great Nick Coleman who collected 1,280 points from 1987-91. The senior guard, playing in his 102 game as a Bull, also ranks fourth in career assists (346), second in career three-point field goals attempted (378) and third in career three-point field goals made (116).

Northern Illinois began the game with the first six points. Buffalo battled back and held a three-point advantage (20-17) with 10:10 remaining before busting the game open with a 25-9 run to take a 19-point lead into the locker room at halftime. The Buffalo run was ignited by nine-straight points by Buffalo freshmen Bortz and Daniel Gilbert (Detroit, MI/Cass Technical). Bortz drained consecutive baskets in his first conference game since a six-point performance on December 8 and Gilbert followed with a pair of lay-ups and a free throw. The freshmen then stepped aside and seniors Williams and Campbell went back to work, combining for 14 of Buffalo's final 16 points to close the half, which was capped by a three-pointer by Williams with :03 remaining.

The Bulls picked up in the second half where they left off, going up by 20 points (64-44) with 8:46 remaining before Northern Illinois chipped away to close the gap to 10 points before the final buzzer.

"We came out strong," said Buffalo coach Reggie Witherspoon. "I think our guys learned a little bit from going to Kent (playing them the second time). The second time through, at home, there is a big advantage to the team at home team. When you add in the factor of having lost the first game, you really need to come out and turn up the intensity and I think our guys did that tonight."

Buffalo shot 53 percent (26-of-49) from the field while NIU was 26-of-60 (43 percent) for the game. At the line, the Bulls converted 57 percent (16-of-28) and the Huskies made 58 percent (11-of-19).

Buffalo will travel to Akron on Saturday, February 2 for a Mid-American Conference matchup with the Zips at 3:30 p.m. The Bulls won the first meeting between the two schools earlier this year, winning 79-60 at Alumni Arena on December 8.