subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Tue, Nov 10 2009 

Published: January 23, 2008 11:31 pm    print this story  

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Big Bobcat burns Bulls again

By Jonah Bronstein
Greater Niagara Newspapers

AMHERST Leave it to Leon Williams to crush the Buffalo’s hopes.

The Bulls were on the verge of their first Mid-American Conference championship March 12, 2005, when Williams, then a freshman at Ohio, converted a putback with less than a second left.

The big Bobcat made the big play again Wednesday night, just as UB seemed to be gaining enough momentum to secure its first MAC win of the 2007-08 season.

Williams’ deflected a ball away from UB’s Byrom Mulkey (Niagara-Wheatfield) while running back on defense, leading to a Jerome Tillman dunk that effectively sealed Ohio’s 68-59 win at Alumni Arena.

“That was huge,” UB coach Reggie Witherspoon said. “A four-point swing in a game that’s that tightly played; those and missed free throws, when you’re chasing somebody down, it kind of lets them off the hook.

The Bulls (6-11, 0-5 MAC) came back from a 13-point deficit in the second half to get within one point on two occasions and seemed poised to make it a one-possession game late before Williams’ steal. Instead, they extended a six-game losing streak.

Andy Robinson was the lone Bull in double figures, hitting four 3-pointers on his way to 23 points. Calvin Betts added nine points and seven rebounds.

“I just got out there and started playing hard for my team,” Robinson said. “Offense and defense, it was kind of rolling.”

“We passed it better,” Witherspoon added. “We only had two turnovers in the second half. I think when we pass it better, we have a chance to shoot it better.”

The Bulls had several chances to tie or take the lead with less than eight minutes to go, and, Witherspoon said, were able to get the shots they wanted. Sean Smiley, who was already in a shooting slump before taking a first-half hit that required stitches in his left arm and twisted one of his ankles, missed an open 3-pointer and a contested pull-up 18-footer on consecutive possessions.

On the next trip down, Robinson threw up a wild shot while falling down.

“We also made a concerted effort to drive the ball to the basket,” Witherspoon said. “Now that won’t show when it says we shot 12 free throws.

“I’ll just leave that alone.”

Though the crowd of 2,059 was far smaller than the blood-thirsting group that greeted Williams when he returned as a sophomore, Ohio coach Tim O’Shea reiterated his long-standing opinion that UB holds one of the best home-court advantages in the MAC.

The Bobcats seemed intent on feeding the ball to Williams inside, looking to exploit a frontline that lost center Vadim Fedotov to a season-ending knee injury and will be without forward Kambi Laleye for at least two more weeks due to a stress fracture in his foot believed to have happened Dec. 21 in Texas.

Bert Whittington IV led Ohio with 22 points. He hit five 3-pointers, several of which answered UB baskets. Tommy Freeman had 13 points, going 3-for-4 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

Williams finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Tillman just missed a double-double as well, scoring 11 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The Bobcats outrebounded the Bulls 39-28.

“I thought they’re experience off the glass really hurt us,” Witherspoon said. “They asserted themselves around the basket, so we had to pay so much attention to them, and they hit some shots on the perimeter that hurt us.”

Williams said he still thinks about his MAC championship moment from time to time — usually before playing Buffalo — but is more focused on making another memory.

“Leon makes all kinds of plays,” O’Shea said, “that make me look like a good coach.”

Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at 282-2311, ext. 2258.

print this story  



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Featured Jobs

Nursing
NURSING. ElderWood Senior Care, "Care Without Compromise". We invite you to stop by and learn how you can become part of...>MORE

Nurse Practitioner
NURSE Practitioner, PT including one evening, resume 533 Meadow Dr, Suite 2, N. Tona, NY 14120 or fax 693-4807...>MORE

Job Fair
HUMAN SERVICES
JOB FAIR
For COMMUNITY MISSIONS

Program Locations/Job Opportunities
working w/c
...>MORE

Certified Pharmacy Tech's & Certified Medication Tech's
Certified Pharmacy Tech’s & Certified
Medication Tech’s Competitive wages. Call Lisa McKensie Ransomville Manor 79
...>MORE

Assistant Director
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Alumni Relations (ft) sought by the Alumni Relations Department of Niagara University, a private
...>MORE

FLOOR ASSISTANT
Floor asst. needed for approx. 30-35 hrs/wk in a podiatry office, no exp. nec., will train, call between 12-2:30 pm for ...>MORE

Driver
Drivers CDLA. Must be able to go to Canada
Good pay, great benefits.
Call 278-2000 Ext. 106
...>MORE

Echo Tech
ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY TECHNICIAN, Full-time. Certification by ARDMS or registry eligible. Up to $7500 Sign On Bonus!; MEDICAL...>MORE

RN
RN, Director of Quality / Education: to plan, organize, develop and direct all staff development and CQI programs. North...>MORE

Insulation Installer
Insulation Installers. Exp. preferred but will train the right candidates. Start $8-$10/hr. Earn $15. in less than 30 da...>MORE

See all ads

Feature Autos

Ford Windstar 1998
FORD 1998 Windstar $1000 or best offer.
298-5220
...>MORE

Chevy 2003 Impala
CHEVY 2003 Impala
25,600 miles, loaded
Exc. Cond. $10,000/bo
297-2199
...>MORE

1991 Dodge Caravan
DODGE 1991 Caravan, exc body, runs great, full power, needs TLC. $1200 or BO. Call 754-4608....>MORE

Pontiac 1999 Montana
PONTIAC 1999 Montana 57,000 original miles, full options, like new, $3300, 694-0441...>MORE

1996 Mazda L3000
MAZDA L3000 pick-up 1996, 6 cyl, runs good, new tires & battery, just inspect., $1500. 284-7529....>MORE

1995 Plymouth Neon
Plymouth ‘95 Neon, 4 cyl, auto, 4 dr, exc in & out, 1 owner, only 56k orig. mi, no rust. $2195. 523-7102 ...>MORE

Ford 1995 Crown Victoria
Ford 1995 Crown Victoria 4 dr, loaded, new tires must see & drive $3500. red. 860-2854...>MORE

VW 2001 Beetle
VW 2001 Beetle, loaded, GLX turbo, exc. cond, all service records, fun to drive, blue bk $5600, take best offer, 990-06...>MORE

2000 Dodge Caravan
DODGE 2000 Caravan, V6, power everything, excellent body, runs great, $2195. Call 754-4608....>MORE

Dodge 2001 Neon
Dodge 2001 Neon 4 dr, auto, a/c, new tires, c/d no rust, inspected, $3900. white 860-2854...>MORE

See all ads





 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index