Another big second-half lead was blown and another road game was lost for the Binghamton University men’s basketball team. Elements that have been habitual problems all season long for this young Bearcats team continued Thursday night as New Hampshire defeated Binghamton 67-60 in an America East Conference game at Lundholm Gym.
After holding a 42-32 lead with 12:42 to play in the second half, the Bearcats wilted down the stretch, losing on the road to New Hampshire (10-13, 5-7 America East). Binghamton (11-15, 6-5 AE) missed its last five field goal attempts and the Wildcats ended the game on an 8-0 spurt.
“New Hampshire played us tough … they always do,” BU interim head coach Mark Macon said, according to Binghamton University press release. “We had too many mistakes at the end and the turnovers and missed free throws really hurt us.” Four calls to Mark Macon went unreturned following Thursday’s game.
Leading 60-59 with 3:28 to play, the Bearcats failed to score the rest of the way. Binghamton missed 12 free throws in the game, going 8-of-20 from the stripe. UNH used pressure defense to force turnovers and block shots to hold Binghamton scoreless in the last three minutes.
Three backcourt steals for UNH led to fast-break layups that keyed a 13-2 run that erased Binghamton’s 10-point second-half lead.
Bearcat juniors Greer Wright and Moussa Camara each had 13 points in the game. Wright had eight rebounds but struggled from 3-point range, going 1-for-5.
Binghamton freshman Dylan Talley scored 12 points, sophomore Kyrie Sutton had 10 points and junior Mahamoud Jabbi had a game-high 10 rebounds. Freshman Jimmy Gray went 2-of-4 from downtown for a career-high six points.
The Bearcats have struggled down the stretch in several games this season. The issues with closing out games have been significant, mainly on the road. In addition to Thursday’s blown lead, the Bearcats blew an 11-point lead in the second half of a 58-50 loss to Rider last November. In a 64-63 loss to Hartford in January, the Bearcats blew a 10-point second-half lead.
Binghamton’s scoring droughts have been hitting them in close games as well. In a 66-61 overtime loss to Maine in January, the Bearcats went cold, allowing the Black Bears to end the game on a 6-0 run.
New Hampshire was led by junior Alvin Abreu, who had 17 points. He was 6-for-13 from the floor, making all four of his free throws and matching a career high with eight rebounds and handing out four assists. Junior Tyrone Conley scored 13 points and had five boards.
The Wildcats are 8-2 at home, which matches their best home start through 10 games since the 1994-95 season.
The Wildcats used a 12-0 run early in the first half to open a 14-3 lead. After trailing 20-8 with 8:09 left in the half, Talley and Wright led Binghamton to its own 20-8 run to end the half tied 28-28, but couldn’t keep it close late in the second half.
The Bearcats continue their four-game road swing with a conference showdown with rival Stony Brook University on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.