After falling behind early, the Binghamton men’s basketball team took a one-point lead into halftime, rallying from a seven-point deficit with 1:01 left to send the game to overtime, only to miss a potentially game-winning shot in an 80-79 loss at UMBC. On Wednesday night, the Bearcats (7-21, 4-11 America East) and the Retrievers (7-23, 3-12 AE), who have combined for only one other overtime game this season, suddenly developed a knack for the dramatic.
After freshman guard Everson Davis hit a layup with 1:17 left in overtime to tie the game at 79, UMBC standout junior guard Jairus Lyles made it to the foul line and split a pair of free throws. The Retrievers escaped with the win following a failed last-ditch attempt by BU sophomore forward Willie Rodriguez, who drove to the basket and missed a contested shot at the buzzer.
The Bearcats shot a 46 percent clip from the field for the game after shooting 52.2 percent in the first half. Both teams tallied just one field goal each in overtime.
Free throws may have given UMBC the win late in regular time, but sloppy play by the Retrievers in the second half kept BU in the game. UMBC missed all but one of six free throw attempts after Binghamton started strategically fouling with 1:01 left to play. Junior guard Marlon Beck drilled a three from the top of the key to tie the game with 1.8 seconds remaining in regulation.
Binghamton’s usually stout defense struggled to contain a UMBC offense that has tallied 73.4 points per game in AE play this season. Lyles, who averages 22.8 points per contest, poured in 25 points while the UMBC bench struggled all game, putting up just three points in a combined 47 minutes played.
“We did some positive things on offense, we just didn’t guard them well enough,” Binghamton head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “We made some plays that put it in overtime, and that was great, but it’s a tough loss for us.”
BU struggled with turnovers early on, conceding 13 in the first half and 21 over the course of the game. But, despite Binghamton’s struggles, the game was tight throughout with a total of 14 lead changes.
“We were really sloppy in the first half,” Dempsey said. “You can’t just turn the ball over 21 times, that wasn’t a good loss.”
Freshman forward Thomas Bruce poured in a career-high 18 points for the Bearcats, while Bobby Ahearn earned the first double-double of his collegiate career, totaling 17 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 10 of his points in the second half. Binghamton’s leading scorers, Rodriguez and Beck, tallied 13 and 17 points, respectively.
With one game remaining, Binghamton’s AE tournament picture is murky. Following Binghamton’s loss and a Hartford victory over Maine, the three are now in a tie for the fifth seed in the conference. Binghamton can finish anywhere from the fifth through eighth seed, depending on the outcome of their game on Saturday.
The Bearcats are set to return home Saturday afternoon for their final regular season game of the year against Maine. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. from the Events Center in Vestal, New York.