Three foul shots were the difference in the Binghamton men’s basketball team’s 72-71 win over New Hampshire last Wednesday, and the America East honored the player who calmly nailed those free throws with the Rookie of the Week award.
Freshman Marlon Beck II, who finished the game with 17 points on 4-of-9 shooting, drew a foul on a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds left and Binghamton (6-19, 3-9 AE) trailing, 62-59.
“Once I hit the ground and heard the whistle, I was thinking to myself, ‘Alright, you’ve got to redeem yourself’ because I had committed a turnover a couple of plays before that,” said Beck, who has earned the weekly honor three times this season.
After forcing overtime, Beck buried a crucial 3-pointer off a feed from freshman guard Yosef Yacob, giving the Bearcats a 69-68 lead with 58 seconds remaining in the extra period. Binghamton would never trail again.
“Once [Yacob] told me to shoot, I knew I was going to be open and I was already feeling confident about my shot going into it,” Beck said. “It was a rhythm shot, it went in and it just helped us.”
Beck had struggled in Binghamton’s six games preceding the clash with New Hamsphire. During that stretch, he shot 20 percent from the floor and 14.8 percent from 3-point range.
“I think going into the last couple of games, it was just a mental thing, I think it was more of a confidence-type situation going into every single game,” Beck said. “Just to win the award, I think it just gives me another boost of confidence.”