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Roderick Middleton

DEKALB, IL ­ The 2002-03 season came to an end for the Buffalo men's basketball team on Monday night, following an 81-64 loss to Northern Illinois in the opening round of the FirstEnergy Mid-American Conference Tournament played at NIU's Convocation Center.

Northern Illinois jumped out to a 16-4 lead to start the game and things looked bleak for the Bulls. However, UB was able to weather the storm and slowly got back into the game. Mario Jordan (Cleveland, OH/Benedictine) drained a pair of free throws to tie the game, 28-28, with 4:36 left in the half. A Davis Lawrence (Brooklyn, NY/New Utrecht) putback gave the Bulls a four-point lead with 3:23 remaining the half. However, the Huskies ripped off a 10-0 run to regain a six-point advantage. The Bulls managed to score the half's final four points, capped by a Roderick Middleton (University Park, IL/Marian Catholic) runner in the closing seconds, to cut the Northern Illinois lead to 38-36 at the half. Much of Buffalo's success in the first half can be attributed to its free throw shooting as the Bulls shot a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe.

The Huskies opened the second half on a 10-0 run to establish a 48-36 lead. The Bulls hung around and a Jason Bird (Ypsilanti, MI/Ypsilanti) three-pointer cut the lead to six points with 7:56 remaining. However, Buffalo would get no closer as UB shooters went cold down the stretch and Northern Illinois converted on its free throws.

"There comes a time in a game like that, when the game is in the balance and you need a guy to step up and take it over and we just didn't have that tonight." head coach Reggie Witherspoon said.

With the loss, the Bulls end the season with a record of 5-23. It marks the fourth straight year that UB has been ousted in the first round of the MAC Tournament.

Buffalo had four players finish in double-figures, led by Bird with 13 points. The sophomore guard drained four three-pointers for the third game in a row. Middleton had a solid all-around performance with 12 points, six rebounds and six assists. Calvin Cage (Bowie, MD/Bladensburg) and Mark Bortz (Commerce Township, MI/Walled Lake Central) scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Northern Illinois was led by P.J. Smith who scored 22 points. Marcus Smallwood scored 14 points and added a game-high 12 rebounds.

"We fought back early, but we absorbed too many blows to come back in the end," Witherspoon said.