Asst. Sports EdiitorOh what a difference the crowd makes. Behind the support of two raucous crowds at the West Gym, the Binghamton University men's basketball team swept last week's America East schedule.
"It was huge," said Binghamton head coach Al Walker. "Having that support at home is so valuable. We made some big plays, the gym erupted [and] the energy level of the gym was fantastic. It was an absolutely great home environment."
Binghamton has already eclipsed last year's total of nine wins, as this week improved their overall record to 10-7. The Bearcats are now in a tie for second place in the conference with a 5-2 record.
The week began with a visit from the Great Danes of Albany on Tuesday night. BU put up a season high in points to lead them to an 86-59 rout of the opponent. The Bearcats were led by sophomore center Nick Billings, who posted career-highs in both points and rebounds (15 and 12) enroute to recording his first career double-double.
Early on in the contest, both teams were playing at a relatively even level, but by the midway point of the first half, Binghamton took a three-point lead that they would keep until the end. Senior guard Charles Baker hit his second three-pointer of the half and the lead was 24-21.
The lead then grew with a spark from the bench in the form of sophomore center Joe White. White scored six of his season-high 10 points in a two-minute stretch late in the half that brought the lead to 10. This game was the third consecutive contest in which White has been able to come off the bench and contribute significant minutes and statistics.
"We're so deep," said White. "And we have so many guys who can play. I'm the man whose been playing well [recently], but someone else could be playing well tomorrow."
Minutes later, the crowd was brought to their feet when a missed lay-up was converted into a rebound dunk by Billings. Billings cleaned up the offensive glass and the crowd was truly alive for the first time in the game.
"Getting any dunk just gets the crowd going," said Billings. "And I think that intensity just goes straight to the players."
Binghamton finished the half with a comfortable 41-31 advantage, but they still could not put away an Albany team that refused to go down.
The second half began with a series of short Albany spurts that kept the score within striking distance. With 12:58 remaining in the game, guard Jamar Wilson hit a jump shot from just inside the foul line that brought the Great Danes to within three points.
BU answered with a 16-0 run that lasted the next six minutes and 19 seconds. Sophomore guard Billy Williams scored all seven of his points during this stretch. Those points were highlighted by a one-handed dunk that once again brought the crowd to a fevered pitch.
"He's a difference maker because he hustles so much," Walker said. "And obviously Billy generated some great energy and enthusiasm, and big time plays for us today."
The run seemed to seal Albany's fate, as they were worn down by Binghamton's ability to maintain fresh bodies on the court. The Great Danes used a rotation of only seven players, opposed to BU's use of 11 men, with nine playing over 10 minutes.
"What happened is kinda what I feared," said Albany head coach Will Brown. "They wore us down with their depth. They're like an NHL team. They just throw guys over the boards, they have line shifts."
When the final horn sounded, the Bearcats found themselves with five players in double-digit points, a credit to their team passing. BU averaged over one assist for every two field goals made, recording 18 assists on 34 baskets. Albany's Levi Levine led all scorers with 23 points despite his team only shooting 38 percent from the field.
In the second game of the week, Binghamton welcomed the TV cameras to witness the Bearcats complete the season sweep of New Hampshire in the America East game of the week. BU finished with an 82-71 victory that never saw them trail or seem to lose control of their opponent.
Both the players and coaches alike were aware of the game's significance prior to tip-off. Just one day earlier both Boston University and Vermont suffered upset losses that opened the door for BU. Binghamton seized that opportunity and put themselves into the heart of the conference championship race.
The Bearcats built a comfortable 40-26 lead heading into halftime, but the lead could have been much greater if not for the high number of fouls called against BU. The visiting Wildcats scored 17 of their first-half points at the free throw line, while shooting just 4-19 from the field.
In the second half, the game continued to be called tight and it resulted in 56 total fouls as well was 72 attempted free throws. New Hampshire shot 42 of those free throws, which accounted for nearly half of their points.
Despite the officiating, BU never seemed to lose focus of their goals for the contest and they were able to dictate the game's play over a full 40 minutes.
"I thought we controlled the game from the start to the finish," Walker said. "It was just too bad that we couldn't play without whistles being consistently blown for the enjoyment of the crowd."
Just as the case in the Albany game, the home court advantage was a significant factor. The Bearcats were well supported by a season high 2,060 fans, a large denomination of those being students. That energy seemed to once again take Binghamton to a higher level.
"It just gives you an advantage when more fans [are] there to support you," said Green. "That puts that much more pressure on the other team to quiet them, and then if they can't quiet them, they get louder."
A perfect example of this was when Green assisted on a Billings dunk with just less than 11 minutes remaining in the game. Billings' two-hand flush not only extended the lead to 19, but it also brought the entire crowd to their feet.
In the second half, New Hampshire had to fight back from leads as high as 20 points, and they were never able to get closer than 11. The Wildcats finished the game shooting only 40 percent from the field with just six made three-pointers.
That type of defense helped to improve Binghamton's defensive field goal percentage to .406 percent for the season. The Bearcats are now slightly ahead of Boston University for the best defensive percentage in the conference.
"We know that Binghamton is one of the top defensive teams in the league," said New Hampshire head coach Phil Rowe. "They're gonna challenge you every night."
On the other hand, BU shot an even 50 percent with a season-high 12 three's made. Green's game-high 22 points led the way, and it marked the 13th time in 17 games that he has been the team leader. Green currently ranks second in the conference, averaging 17.4 points per contest.
With this win, Binghamton extended their conference home winning streak to five. They are now just one win shy of equaling last year's total for conference wins.
The Bearcats will next be in action when they travel to Northeastern on Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
