Bulls Earn Maryland Sweep with Overtime Win over Towson

John Boyer has a career-best 12 assists in UB’s second straight victory

John Boyer

BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo men’s basketball team earned its second straight road win with a 78-69 overtime victory at Towson on Saturday afternoon. The Bulls shot nearly 60 percent from the field in the second half and overtime to pull out the win.

Buffalo (2-1) had four players score in double-figures led by Rodney Pierce who scored 18. Calvin Betts earned his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Mitchell Watt added 12 points and Jawaan Alston had his second strong game in a row with 11 points.

John Boyer had one of the finest all-around games of his career with five points, eight rebounds and a career-best 12 assists. His 12 assists tied for the 10th for a single game in school history.

Coming off an 11-point win against Miami (OH), Towson (1-1) looked good early and jumped out to an 11-point lead late in the first half and seemed comfortably ahead at the half.

The Bulls looked like a different team in the second half. Buffalo opened the stanza on an 11-0 scoring run to turn a six-point halftime deficit into a 38-35 lead with 16:45 remaining. A jumper by Alston built the UB lead to 56-47 with 9:23 left. However, the Tigers hit three straight three-pointers to knot the game at 56 with 6:46 remaining.

The Bulls responded with a 7-0 run of their own to regain a 63-56 advantage. Towson rallied and outscored the Bulls, 7-0, over the final two minutes and a three-pointer by Tony Franklin tied the game at 65 with 21 seconds remaining. Pierce had a chance to win it for the Bulls in regulation, but his driving layup was blocked and the game went to overtime.

Calvin Betts

Buffalo remained poised in the extra session and after missing its first shot, did not miss again. A jumper in the lane by Boyer put the Bulls ahead to stay, 69-68, with 3:25 left in overtime. It ignited an 11-1 scoring run to end the game. The Bulls dominated the play inside, outscoring the Tigers 38-8 in the paint. Buffalo also outrebounded Towson, 46-42.

“The second half we started finding our rhythm,” head coach Reggie Witherspoon said. “By the end of the game we really ran our offense pretty well. We got a little jittery and a little submissive when we had the lead. But for the most part, we ran our offense well through the end of the game.”

Buffalo will return home to face Canisius on Tuesday night.