Behind a strong defensive effort and three players scoring in double-figures, the Binghamton men’s basketball team registered a 62-53 victory over Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday night. The win halted BU’s (3-9) five game losing streak.

“Today, we let our defense carry us,” BU head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “I was very pleased with how we guarded them and created some offense for ourselves.”

Binghamton shredded Mount St. Mary’s (3-10) defense in the first half. The Mountaineers employ a full-court pressing style defensive trap, which the Bearcats managed to break with ease in the opening period. The Bearcats were able to create easy scoring opportunities by getting the ball inside, attacking the rim and drawing fouls to get to the free throw line.

After Mount St. Mary’s opened the game with a 4-1 lead in the first two minutes of play, the Bearcats responded with a 20-5 run to build a 21-9 advantage on the Mountaineers with just over eight minutes to play in the half. From there, the Bearcats locked down defensively, shutting down Mount St. Mary’s pick and roll offense and eliminating easy opportunities. BU held the Mountaineers to just a 30 percent shooting clip in the half, forced six turnovers and headed to the locker room with a 31-23 lead.

For the game, the Bearcats defense forced Mount St. Mary’s into committing 17 turnovers and held the Mountaineers to just a 33.3 percent shooting percent.

Sophomore forward Willie Rodriguez recorded a double-double in the period, registering 10 points and 10 rebounds all before halftime.

“Their biggest strength is their energy and their togetherness,” Dempsey said. “It was important today that we came out and we made sure we were the team with the most energy and I think for the most part we were.”

The Bearcats maintained control of the game throughout much of the second half. A 3-pointer by sophomore guard Justin McFadden pushed BU’s advantage to 10 three minutes into the half and Binghamton held a lead of six pointers or greater for the first 11 minutes of the period.

However, with nine minutes left, Mountaineers sophomore guard Junior Robinson connected on a lay-up and two minutes later, junior guard BK Ashe nailed a jumper to cut the deficit to just two points.

But, the game would get no closer. The Bearcats increased their defensive intensity and received clutch post presence on the offensive end from Rodriguez to build the lead back up to five with three minutes left. Freshman guard Everson Davis drained seven free throws in the games’ final minutes to secure the nine-point victory for Binghamton.

“To be honest, that’s always been my game my whole basketball career,” Rodriguez said about his play in the post. “That’s just something that works for me.”

Rodriguez led the Bearcats with 19 points and 13 rebounds while Davis added 18 points. McFadden poured in 12 of his own.

Junior forward John Rinaldi, who entered the game averaging just two minutes per contest, tied his career-high with 22 minutes against the Mountaineers. He provided the Bearcats with a spark defensively and grabbed a career high seven rebounds.

Binghamton is set to return to action on Saturday in its final nonconference game of the season at the University of Pennsylvania. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. from the Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.