This Date in UB Sports History
On February 7, 1961, Buffalo thumped Syracuse University 77-62 during the 1960-61 Buffalo Bulls varsity basketball team’s very successful 18-5 season. Read more about the 1960-61 Buffalo Bulls basketball team in The Spectrum, the University at Buffalo’s Student Newspapers collection, a part of the University at Buffalo Digital Collections.
UB String Hits Six Wins: Syracuse Latest Victim
The Bulls continued their torrid basketball pace with a decisive 77-62 win over the Orange of Syracuse. This was the sixth in a row for the Bulls and brought our record to eleven wins and three losses.
Buffalo has difficulty against the Syracuse zone in the first half and Syracuse enjoyed a 16-10 lead after eight minutes. However, Buffalo soon closed the gap and went ahead for good on four straight points by Bob Myszewski. UB enjoyed a 35-30 halftime lead.
Buffalo started out strongly at the beginning of the second half and soon owned a 48-38 lead. A magnificent defense led by Gerry Filipski kept Syracuse from closing to serious striking distance and Buffalo proceeded to run away with the ball game.
But Buffalo was nowhere near the best team in upstate New York that year. As odd as it may sound today, St. Bonaventure University was a national basketball powerhouse during the 1960-61 season. In fact, on this date in 1961, St. Bonaventure was ranked #2 in the country, right behind #1 Ohio State and in front of #3 Duke.
The Bonnies, led by Tom Stith and Fred Crawford, finished the season with a magnificent 24-4 record. The team made its first trip to the NCAA Tournament as the number 3 seed, and finished third overall.
After completing his collegiate eligibility, Stith was selected by the New York Knicks as the second pick overall in the 1961 NBA Draft, behind Indiana’s Walt Bellamy.
Tags: Buffalo Bulls Basketball History
