In the seven America East games played this season, the Binghamton men’s basketball team has held its opponents to just 68.5 points per game, good for second best in the conference. The Bearcats (5-15, 2-5 AE) once again relied heavily upon a solid defensive performance Wednesday night, defeating UMBC, 66-57, to pick up their second straight win.
“I think we came in and did a really good job executing our defensive game plan,” BU head coach Tommy Dempsey said. “I don’t think their guards ever got comfortable against our zone press, and we were really focused on not letting them get in the lane.”
The Bearcats limited UMBC (5-17, 1-6 AE) to just a 38.8 shooting clip from the field while also forcing 14 turnovers. Binghamton held the Retrievers leading scorer, sophomore guard Jairus Lyles, who had averaged 26 points per game entering the night, to just eight points in 37 minutes.
While BU has struggled offensively so far this year, the Bearcats managed one of their better offensive performances on Wednesday night. Binghamton shot 46.8 percent from the field for the game, the team’s third-highest mark of the season. BU was led offensively by sophomore forward Willie Rodriguez, who tallied 24 points and shot 7 of 12 from the field. Junior guard Marlon Beck contributed 19 points, making 5 of his 11 shots from beyond the arc.
“We stretched it out and made eight threes tonight, and when you do that, you’re able to get in the seams of the defense,” Dempsey said. “I think we’re getting better, and I’ve said that all along.”
Spurred by BU assistant coaches Ben Luber, Herb Courtney and injured teammate Yosef Yacob to be more aggressive early in the game, Rodriguez made an effort to warm-up at game speeds. This approach proved effective as the standout sophomore opened scoring with a layup. Following a UMBC 3-pointer, Beck responded with one of his own to put the Bearcats up, 5-3. Just 59 seconds into the game, Binghamton took the lead and didn’t look back. UMBC finished the game having spent just 16 seconds in the lead.
“I made sure I got going early,” Rodriguez said. “I think its more of a mental thing. I’ve just got to come out and stop being so passive and stop trying to let the game come to me.”
With 8:46 to go in the second half, BU led, 52-33, before UMBC embarked on a 14-3 run that reduced Binghamton’s lead to eight. The Bearcats responded by going on a 7-2 run in which Beck contributed five points in 17 seconds to help outpace the Retrievers toward the end of the game.
“We really wanted that win,” Beck said. “We knew what we had to do, and we weren’t going to let them come back, close and try to take the lead.”
With junior guard Yosef Yacob and sophomore guard Romello Walker out for the season due to injury, walk-on freshman guard Timmy Rose has seen an uptick in playing time. In 24 minutes of play in Wednesday’s contest, Rose tallied six points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals.
With the win over UMBC, Binghamton pulls into a tie for seventh with Hartford in the conference standings.
The Bearcats are set to return to action on Saturday afternoon when they are scheduled to travel to Maine. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine.