Toledo men fall at Buffalo, remain tied for division lead with BGSU win over Western Michigan

2/14/2013

BUFFALO — The University of Toledo men’s basketball team saw its season-high five-game winning streak come to an end today in a 75-60 defeat to Buffalo in Alumni Arena. Despite the defeat, Toledo (11-11, 7-4 Mid-American Conference) remains in a first-place tie with Western Michigan (15-9, 7-4) in the MAC’s West Division due to the Broncos’ 70-60 setback at Bowling Green.

The Rockets were ice-cold from the field, shooting 32.4 percent from the field. That subpar marksmanship negated an impressive ball-handling performance that saw UT commit just six turnovers.

Rian Pearson, Julius Brown, and Nathan Boothe each scored 10 points to lead Toledo offensively. Pearson also grabbed seven rebounds.

“We had a tough shooting night,” coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “We executed the way we wanted to early in the game, but our shots didn’t fall, and that set the tone for the night.”

Buffalo’s All-MAC performer, Javon McCrea, dominated the glass for the Bulls and posted a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Tony Watson did his damage from the perimeter as he poured in a game-high 24 points thanks to six 3-pointers. Jarryn Skeete also was in double figures with 14 points.

The Bulls shot 51.9 percent from the field and held a 40-35 rebounding advantage.

“[Javon] McCrea showed why he’s an all-league player and had a double-double in the first half,” Kowalczyk said. “Then [Tony] Watson got hot in the second half, and we dug ourselves too big of a hole to come back from.”