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BUFFALO, NY - Buffalo's road woes continued on Saturday afternoon as it dropped a 71-65 decision to crosstown rival Canisius at the Koessler Center. The Bulls are still in search of their first road win of the season.

Mark Bortz

"Canisius played really well," Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon said. "We didn't start well, we climbed out the hole a little bit, but their seniors did what seniors are supposed to do and took over the game."

The "hole" Witherspoon was referring to was the 23-7 advantage that Canisius gained early in the contest. UB started the game cold from the field and, after scoring its first seven points, went scoreless for six minutes, allowing the Golden Griffins to build a 16-point lead. However, the Bulls finally heated up and hit four-straight three-pointers, sparking a 16-5 scoring run and cutting the Canisius' advantage to 28-23 with 5:36 remaining in the first half. The Bulls managed to whittle the lead to three points at the break.

The second half resembled a heavyweight title fight at times as the teams went back-and-forth, refused to back down and had an answer for each other's buckets. With 15:10 left in the game, the first of three-straight Calvin Cage (Bowie, MD/Blandensburg) three-pointers tied the contest for the first time since the opening tip. However, the Griffs had an answer for every UB threat and never relinquished the lead. A Hodari Mallory lay up and Richard Jones three-ball extended the Canisius lead to eight points, with 2:48 remaining, and the Griffs never looked back.

A key factor to Canisius' success was its ability to score around the basket. Canisius outscored UB 36-10 in the paint.

Buffalo (3-5) was led by Jason Bird (Ypsilanti, MI/Ypsilanti) who scored all of his team-high 12 points in the first half. Mark Bortz (Commerce Township/Walled Lake Central) recorded his second double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Clement Smith (Brooklyn, NY/Westinghouse) also reached double-figures with 10 points.

Canisius (4-2) was led by point guard Brian Dux who had 18 points and 11 assists. Yaku Moton-Spruill added 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting.