Willie Rodriguez entered Saturday evening’s game averaging 4.7 points per game in three contests for the Binghamton men’s basketball team. He was the class of 2015’s most highly touted recruit, but freshmen like guard Romello Walker and forward Dusan Perovic have been dominating the spotlight. Walker showcased his athleticism and fearlessness on the court while averaging a team-high 4.3 rebounds per game; Perovic flaunted his crafty hook shot and led all shooters averaging 15.5 points over the past two contests.

But in Binghamton’s 78-63 loss to Manhattan in their third Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament game, Rodriguez finally found his way.

In a second-half resurgence from the Bearcats (1-3), Rodriguez was key. The team entered the half down, 43-29, shooting 27.3 percent from the field and scoring just .771 points per possession. Twelve seconds after the break, the 6-foot-6 Orlando, Fla. Native converted on a layup. He went on to pour in 14 points in the half on 6-of-7 shooting, chipping at a gap that reached as high as 21 points. He also grabbed a game-high eight boards for the Bearcats.

That’s a big jump for a guy who was shooting 25 percent from the field when he took the court at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Head coach Tommy Dempsey has been playing Rodriguez even through his struggles — and he struggled against Providence, converting just one of seven attempted field goals — hoping that he would find his groove on the court.

“Willie knows there are high expectations of him,” Dempsey said in a press conference last Tuesday. “He came here to really help us score the ball and give us another dynamic offensive player. I think he’s just finding his way… And I have to let him play through some struggles because I believe in him and I believe he’s really important to the development of this team.”

That mindset seems to have paid off.

In the game as a whole, Manhattan (1-2) was dominant. The Jaspers earned their first win of the 2014-15, relying on easy points off BU turnovers. BU committed 11 miscues down the stretch — Manhattan converted 30 points off those mishandled balls. Junior forward Shane Richards in particular trailblazed for Manhattan. He sank a career-high 24 points to lead all scorers. He and his pump fakes worked effectively against a young BU team that was, at times, too energetic.

While a combination of BU’s pressurized defense and Manhattan’s initially sloppy offense kept the defending MAAC champions at bay in the first 10 minutes of the game, the Jaspers went on an 8-0 run in 49 seconds to secure a nine-point lead, 19-10. Another Manhattan run in the last two minutes of the half bumped up the team to hold a 43-27 advantage before each side retired to the locker rooms.

Manhattan reached its highest lead of the game, 58-37, with 12:30 to go in regulation off five-point contributions from both Richards and sophomore guard Rich Williams in the preceding four minutes.

Perovic, sophomore guard Marlon Beck II, freshman wing Justin McFadden and Rodriguez worked to narrow the margin for Binghamton. Perovic and Beck combined for three treys over the next five minutes while McFadden and Rodriguez converted on layups and drew fouls for their production. They each chipped in to Binghamton’s 8-0 run that made it an 11-point game, 66-55.

Despite the efforts, the Jaspers consolidated their win. Junior forward Ashton Pankey dropped five straight points in the final two minutes to push the lead to 75-59.

Following Rodriguez’s performance, McFadden and Beck each added 10 points. Perovic followed up with nine while Walker contributed six points and five rebounds.

Junior wing Jordan Reed again saw limited minutes for Binghamton. The Preseason All-Conference pick played just five minutes, collecting three rebounds during that time.

Through the loss, Binghamton secured a seat in Sunday’s consolation game at 5:30 p.m. Binghamton will face the loser of tonight’s Northeastern/Navy matchup. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 and played at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.