Coming off a 82-62 loss to Vermont, the Binghamton men’s basketball team continued America East (AE) play against UMass Lowell, and were defeated 80-60 — as the Bearcats’ losing streak extended to four games. BU never held the lead in the 20 point defeat.

“We have to be tougher mentally,” said Binghamton head coach Levell Sanders. “We’re shooting ourselves in the foot all the time.”

Binghamton (8-9, 0-4 AE) found themselves in turnover trouble to open the first half, with two quick turnovers from the Bearcats helping UMass Lowell (14-4, 5-0 AE) establish a quick 6-0 lead. Senior guard Armon Harried would soon respond with a two-handed slam to put BU on the scoreboard, courtesy of a pass from graduate student guard Dan Petcash that split UMass Lowell defenders. The Bearcats then went on a 6-0 run to tie the game 8-8 by the first media timeout.

“The first six or eight points of the game were from our turnovers,” Sanders said. “We have to correct that and then I think that will give us an opportunity to be a better defensive team.”

The game remained close throughout the first 11 minutes of the game as the score read 20-18 in favor of the River Hawks. However, UMass Lowell went on a 23-7 run for the rest of the half to gather a significant lead. The Bearcats attacked the rim in an attempt to limit the River Hawks’ scoring outburst, as layups from senior forward Tariq Balogun, graduate student guard Symir Torrence and senior forward Nehemiah Benson gave BU signs of life. However, the Bearcats failed to capitalize interior scoring opportunities and cut into their deficit. At the end of the first half, the River Hawks led 43-25.

“I thought we executed offensively pretty well,” Sanders said. “In terms of finishing, the guys have got to get to the rim and finish shots. I thought a few late passes could have helped us out. We held the ball a little too long. Finishing was definitely a problem, but again, I liked the way we executed things.”

After the River Hawks opened the second half scoring with a pair of free throws, Harried converted on back-to-back layups for BU. As both teams traded baskets, UMass Lowell sank a mid-range floater with ten minutes left to extend the score to 67-43 for their largest lead of the game thus far. Sophomore guard Chris Walker responded for BU, coming off the bench to knock down a pair of three-pointers — the team’s only two three-pointers of the game.

“[Walker] has been doing well,” Sanders said. “It was one of those games where [Chenery] was not playing, so those minutes are going to go to someone else. And I thought [Walker] played well in the minutes he got, so if we can continue to play like this then he’ll give himself a chance to be on the floor more.”

As the second half winded down, Binghamton was unable to get back into the game — ultimately losing 80-60. BU shot just 38.5 percent from the field which allowed UMass Lowell to jump out to a sizable lead early on, and Binghamton’s lack of three-point production prevented the team from mounting a comeback late in the game. The River Hawks were also able to capitalize, scoring 21 points off Bearcat turnovers, while shooting 52.7 percent from the field.

Balogun led the Bearcats in scoring with 17 points. Harried finished with 16 points and had team-highs in rebounding and minutes with seven rebounds and 34 minutes played. Torrence had eight points, five rebounds and six assists, and Walker finished with six points—all from the three-point line—and four rebounds.

“Our schedule now gets harder,” Sanders said. “We have to go on the road and play New Hampshire and Maine, two tough teams. We have to worry about what we need to do to get better and get prepared for our next series.”

Binghamton will take on UNH on Thursday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Lundholm Gymnasium in Durham, New Hampshire.